Death on the Nile

Written by Agatha Christie

Narrated by Kenneth Branagh

An all new digital audio edition of DEATH ON THE NILE narrated by Kenneth Branagh, director and star of 20th Century Studios’ upcoming Death on the Nile feature film.

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.’ Yet in this exotic setting nothing is ever quite what it seems…

Kenneth Branagh reprises both his directorial role and that of the iconic detective in the upcoming film adaptation of Death on the Nile. Listen to the book now, and see the thrilling mystery come to life on the big screen soon!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9780008386832

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

Reviews for Death on the Nile

[mauveberry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had listened to an adapted audio version of Death on the Nile before, so I knew who had committed the main murder. However, I still enjoyed all the side stories and the character development. Besides the murders, there were also the mysteries of a stolen pearl necklace and a wanted criminal in disguise on the ship.

[Kim Ratcliffe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bit of a slow starter but nail biting to the end

[herbcat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Christy nearly overloads the boat with dead bodies this time as they take each other our one by one. Interesting and some nice travel description of a boat trip on the Nile.

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In which Hercule Poirot goes on holiday to Egypt and ends up on a Nile cruise with an immensely wealthy young woman, her newlywed husband, the husband's jilted lover who was also the wealthy lady's best friend, and an assortment of other characters with varying levels of interest in or connection to the central triangle. Someone gets killed, someone gets accused, someone else gets killed, someone else gets accused ... you know the drill. I think I must have read this one long ago in my high school Christie phase, because I was sure I knew who the murderer was even though I couldn't figure out how or why. It's a good one, made better by the absence of that dotard Hastings.

[infinityoutlaw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well, I'll start out by saying that I loved this book. If you want a good mystery, I've come to the conclusion that it's hard to go wrong with a good Christie book. Hey, even Doctor Who admires her. I've watched Agatha Christie stories on the BBC forever and after having read two of her other novels, And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express, I decided to pick this up because of it's setting in Egypt. I'm quite the fangirl of Ancient Egypt, so all the talk of it alone made the book quite fun. But as this is not just a scenic tour of Egypt but a mystery novel, so let me move on to the mystery. The previous two books by Christie that I read left me baffled throughout as to who the murderer was and who everyone actually was. I had no clue until the truth was finally revealed. Now, I really loved this story and all its little details, but it didn't have as much mystery for me due to the fact that I had figured out from the very beginning before the cast even made it to Egypt who was going to be the main victim and who the murderer(s) would be. The only person I didn't have figured out before the reveal was the thief, and even then it was more a matter of forgetting about that bit of the plot entirely. Perhaps it was lucky guessing or good intuition on my part, but the 'whodunnit' part of the mystery was just a little bit too obvious to me. It was still fun to watch it play out though. It was enjoyable in its own way because of it, I got a great deal of entertainment watching Poirot and Race struggle to reveal what I had already figured out. Even though I knew who had done what for the most part, I will admit that I had not entirely figured out all of the how before Poirot made his grand reveal.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

enjoyed this book nearly as much as Murder on the Orient Express, although I was surprised it took so long for the murder victim to be revealed. The plot was both a little predictable (something was up with that love triangle from the beginning) and good in the way that an old sweater is comfortable.

[bogopea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm starting to re-read the Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie and "Death on the Nile" is purported to be one of her best. I loved it. Poirot can be such an insufferable narcissist but that's part of his charm. And the datedness of the writing is also part of the charm of the book. Three murders in this one and a fabulous ending to wrap it all up.

[alexthehunn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fun Christie mystery with the usual array of disparate characters, set in exotic Egypt.

[bookmarque · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Spoiler - look out!I think because of the day and age in which I live, I figured out the plot pretty much as soon as the element of Linnet stealing Jacqueline’s man from her fell into place. Given what Poirot saw in the restaurant, it had to be true that they were in love and going to scam Linnet out of as much as they could. The motive is still a bit weak, but it was very obvious from the start.Despite that, it was enjoyable to read. Christie conveys the genteel atmosphere of her time and place so well that I am jealous that I cannot experience it. It is also a joy to read about Poirot’s methods of detection. He’s so smooth and so arrogant, but humble when it suits him. The unraveling comes slowly, but picks up speed once he has the solution and sets things in motion so that those responsible ‘out’ themselves and have to answer for their crimes. Nicely done as usual.

[diefledermaus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just wanted a quick read and this was one. I read it straight through in a couple hours. This mystery jumps around between characters in the first part, establishing that many people have reason to hate rich, charismatic Linnet Ridgeway or at least have secrets of their own. Hercule Poirot gets a glimpse of Jacqueline de Bellefort early on and predicts that she will come to no good. On vacation in Egypt, he sees that he was right – Jackie has come to Egypt to stalk her former friend Linnet and Linnet’s new husband Simon, who used to be Jackie’s fiancé. The first half of the book doesn’t rush to the murder but shows Poirot interacting with the characters who populate the boat that is the setting for the crime.Pennington, a trustee of Linnet’s estate, is clearly a shifty character. Poirot finds Rosalie Otterbourne, a cold and bitter girl, to be secretive. Tim Allerton seems to have something against Poirot. Linnet’s maid and an employee on the boat also have motives. Christie ups the difficulty of the case by giving Jackie an alibi. The multiple secrets of the suspects, plentiful red herrings and tangential crimes are perhaps standard for the genre but the solution doesn’t go for the most obvious suspect or something out of left field. It was entertaining enough though the head-hopping narrative could be a bit messy and it’s unlikely that there would be multiple thieves and murderers on one boat just by chance.

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Linet is a rich American heiress who has moved to a country village in England. She has purchased a manor form an older gentleman who has fallen on hard times and has restored it.Linet is being pursued by an impoverished young man who hopes to access Linet's vast fortune in order to restore his family home & his fortune as well. However, Linet soon realizes that to marry him, would mean giving up her new home and living in his..... She promptly breaks off with him and he moves to Canada.Linet has a friend, Jacqueline who is ever down on her luck, but refuses to take handouts from Linet. Soon however, Jacqueline is to marry Simon and the one favor Jacqueline asks of Linet is to employ Simon as her estate Caretaker/Overseer.Linet, no matter how generous to her friends, has never once denied herself anything, and promptly marries Simon.Linet & Simon go to Egypt for their Honeymoon, where Monsieur Poirot is vacationing... all is well until Jacqueline shows up and begins harassing the newly weds.One night after a game of bridge, Linet retires early, as does M. Poirot. Jacqueline causes a scene and in front of two witnesses shots Simon in the leg..... Both are taken to their respective cabins and remain there under close supervision.The next morning Linet is found in dead her cabin, shot through the head.... Many people had motive, but the one w/ the most motive has an alibi and witnesses.....Later Linet's maid is murdered as is the old woman who knows who killed the maid.The end had a nice but unusual twist.I like this book, the plot was very ingenious, but if one pays close attention the clues are there.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie features Hercule Poirot as her main character. In this outing Poirot solves a complex murder case while on vacation in Egypt. He is at his arrogant best as he questions his fellow passengers on a luxury river cruise that is travelling the Nile River.Without going into any specific details, this is a classic whodunit with many red herrings and interesting characters, many of whom had a grudge against the victim. Of course, Poirot eventually sorts through the clues and unmasks the correct guilty party and along the way manages to help his old friend Colonel Race uncover a terrorist and still has time to play matchmaker as well.It’s assortment of twists and turns along with an intriguing motive makes Death on the Nile a very enjoyable read and one of my favorite Christie mysteries.

[cassandrat-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The murder occurs about halfway through. I knew nothing beforehand, so it was fun to guess who would bite the dust. After the murder, there are a few good suspects and you get a good run of intrigue. Some endings are obvious. The clues are there, but, at the reveal, it felt too contrived. Why did so and so do that with the weapon? Why was that other item not given the same fate as the weapon? Silly.

[kellswitch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My second Agatha Christie novel and one of the best mysteries I've read in a long, long time. I found myself enjoying the long set up of the story instead of just jumping to the murder right away, it made me feel more invested in the characters and story especially since the details you learn early on in the book all end up playing a part in the end. I wasn't completely surprised by the ending, but then the more mysteries you read the harder it gets to not see some of the twists coming. Still the resolution to the murder was well done if a bit rushed at the end after such a long set up and was quite plausible.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A wealthy young newlywed is murdered on a honeymoon cruise on the Nile. Did her killer really believe he or she could get away with murder with Hercule Poirot as a fellow passenger?This is at least the second time I've listened to the audio version of the book. I've read it at least once, and I've seen a couple of television/film adaptations. Since I knew from the beginning who the murderer was and how the murder was carried out, I was able to pay close attention to Christie's plotting of the crime. She knew exactly where she was going with the story, and she carefully laid out the clues to the crime as well as quite a few red herrings, yet does it so naturally that even careful readers will miss many of them the first time through. Many writers try and fail to do what seems almost effortless for Christie.David Suchet is the perfect reader for a Poirot mystery. He's played Poirot on television for so long that his voice is what I hear mentally when I read a Poirot novel. Poirot sounds like Poirot, and, equally important, the other characters don't!

[bridgetmarkwood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of my Christie favorites. Love the adventure of the setting and, of course, the perfect mystery.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Klassiek Poirotverhaal, met nogal doorzichtige plot en Poirot als God de Vader.

[cecrow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been some twenty years since I last read Agatha Christie, but unlike some authors I've returned to after all that time, she's as good as I remember. I thought I had the whodunnit figured out well in advance in this case, but I was pleased to discover I'd fallen for an artful red herring. Mystery isn't typically my genre, but for Hercule Poirot I'll make exception. Not much setting here (compared to the detailed descriptions of Egypt I recently read in "Memoirs of Cleopatra" for example) so I think she might have made more of the exotic locale, but I love the early twentieth century period of her novels and the coy dialogue. Think I'll check out one of the many movie versions now when I've the chance.

[philip100 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Always good!

[smichaelwilson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Death on the Nile is your typical Hercule Poirot mystery involving a menagerie of colorful yet mysterious characters and an inconvenient murder during a holiday outing. I used to read Agatha Christie novels as a child, mainly due to a fascination with the ingenious deductive methods of the extraordinary "sleuth," and seemed a bit more accessible than Sherlock Holmes at the time. While I enjoy Hercule Poirot as a character, the mystery novel format of gathering a dozen or so red herrings around a convoluted murder plot and then unraveling false leads one by one in agonizing detail can become a bit monotonous. This is especially true of Death on the Nile, with a less than plausible murder plot and peripheral characters whose only role is to provide inconsequential side "mysteries" for Poirot to solve along the way. Of course, this is precisely what most people read Agatha Christie novels for, but I would argue that, even in this regard, Death on the Nile is not the strongest entry into the genre. Entertaining, but overall, not impressive.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the most famous Agatha Christie novels, and like them all, it is a very good page turner, but it is not one of my particular favourites. While the Egyptian setting adds interest, the leading characters, especially the female ones, are more than usually irritating. The plot is more convoluted than is normally the case and the final resolution may strike some readers as a bit disappointing. Overall, a decent read, but not up there with And Then There were None or The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

[miguelnunonave · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The quintessential murder mystery, sublime ambiance, quirky characters, improbable solution. Exotic and compelling. A thousand-times filmed (still best in the version with Peter Ustinov and Mia Farrow) and probably too chewed up by now to have any novelty value, this nevertheless remains my favourite among Christie's books.

[zeborah · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tidily plotted and an enjoyable read, if one is able to wince-and-move-on from the appallingly colonial characterisation of Egypt and its inhabitants...

[smik_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The scene is carefully set in DEATH ON THE NILE. We first of all meet Linnet Ridgeway, heiress, friend to Jacqueline de Bellefort. The latter has recently fallen in love with the handsome Simon Doyle. It very much looks as if Linnet Ridgeway will marry Lord Windlesham.Hercle Poirot is again dabbling in retirement, a man of leisure, with enough funds to travel. He is contemplating a trip to Egypt to escape a grey English winter.In the next few pages the reader is introduced to the people who will be joining Hercule Poirot on his Nile cruise, and we learn, time having elapsed, that Linnet Ridgeway has recently married. As the blurb warns us, she has a number of enemies, and that makes her death inevitable. The novel is spent working out who the murderer is. Among the candidates is the person who has been stalking Linnet and her husband ever since they married.Hercule Poirot is assisted in this task by Colonel Race who is looking for an arch criminal but has no further information about his identity. Between them they work methodically through the candidates.It is obvious that Christie based the setting of the novel on her own travels in Egypt and on the Nile, although, as a blogger recently commented, the journey is now a bit different to what it was in the 1930s.I found myself wishing that the edition of DEATH ON THE NILE that I read had had a diagram of the layout of the Steamer Karnak on which they were travelling. The layout of the cabins seemed important in working out who had the opportunity to commit the murder. It was clear that Christie had a clear vision of the tour boat herself.As in many other Poirot novels, the Belgian's fondness for romance comes to the surface, and he does his best to foster romantic feelings of some of the young people in the novel, even to the point of tweaking the outcome of one of the minor crimes, something of which Colonel Race found it hard to approve.Colonel Race plays the role of Poirot's sounding board and confidante. This is the role often played by Captain Hastings, or by one of the women with whom Poirot strikes up a friendship. But even then Poirot finds it difficult to explain to Race where his little grey cells are leading him, and his final explanations come as a surprise to Race.

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was ingenious. I'm deducting a star for Poirot letting various people either off the hook completely or to take the easy way out.

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hercule Poirot is taking a little vacation, an excursion to Egypt that involves a cruise up the Nile River. Unfortunately, his trip will not be the restful escape he had imagined. He finds himself traveling with famous heiress and beauty Linnet Doyle, or Linnet Ridgeway as she was known before her recent marriage to Simon Doyle. They are less than pleased to discover Jacqueline de Bellefort has also joined them. Jacqueline was Simon's former fiancee before Simon broke off their engagement so he could marry Linnet, who had been Jackie's best friend at the time. Both Linnet and Simon entreat Poirot for his help in the matter, revealing that ever since the marriage, Jackie had miraculously turned up everywhere they traveled, creating an atmosphere of suspense and tension that was quite ruining their honeymoon. Poirot gracefully declines. He feels sympathy for the jilted woman, who he had coincidentally observed in a happier time when she was still engaged, and had witnessed how deeply in love she was. Therefore, he tells them that he can't work on their behalf. However, he does let them know that he'll look into the matter, because he fears the situation is dangerous for all involved. Poirot's suspicions are correct. A few days after the river cruise commences, Linnet is found dead in her cabin, a small bullet hole burned neatly into her temple.The signs point to Jacqueline. Yet due to the series of events directly preceding the murder, Poirot is able to quickly rule out both Jacqueline and Simon as suspects. Other possibilities abound. The genteel Allertons are onboard, and while Miss Allerton seems above reproach, her son Tim is clearly hiding something. Mr. Pennington, Linnet's financial advisor from the United States, met them in Cairo in a coincidence that seems fishy, and had been trying to push paperwork on Linnet. Two other young men, Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Fanthorp, are clearly hiding their own secrets. And Miss Rosalie, the sullen young lady who's traveling with her novelist mother, is being less than truthful. To top it all off, Poirot's old friend Colonel Race has joined the cruise, and confidentially revealed to the detective that he's searching for a dangerous revolutionary that is hidden among the guests.With such a colorful cast of characters, Poirot has plenty of mysteries to solve beyond the main one of Linnet's death. As he clears away the false trails and red herrings that abound, he continually notes to Colonel Race that something just feels off about the evidence in Linnet's case. Yet Poirot will persevere, with his keen wit and deep understanding of human nature, and eventually reveals the complicated truth in this deadly affair of the heart.This is one of Christie's better known novels, and understandably so. The setting is thrilling and foreign (for her British audience), the characters are compelling, with their own interesting backstories for major and minor characters alike. It's great fun reading Poirot unravel the many subplots that complicate the matter and must be cleared away before the murder can be solved. Also, the majority of the plot occurs on a cruise ship, instead of Christie's typical closed setting of country manor, which is a nice change of pace. The solution to this mystery is quite complex, with an elaborate solution full of revelations that are supported by clues in the story and yet put together in such a way that will still take most readers by surprise.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Probably because it is one of the Christie novels made into a film (with an amazing cast including Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith) this is one of her most popular. I don't think it's one of her best though. I'd name And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Crooked House, Five Little Pigs, The ABC Murders, and my personal favorite is Death Comes as the End for the romance and setting in Ancient Egypt.Mind you, the famous Christie way with a twist is there in Death on the Nile--with the usual clever red herring and brilliant solution by Poirot. There are colorfully drawn characters and, as with all Christie's books, it's a fun read, even if slower-paced than most at the start since events build up to the murder, rather than beginning with a murder, and there's less local color than you might expect from its setting in a cruise on the Nile. I think part of the problem for me is the setup is too similar to Murder on the Orient Express--with a bunch of suspects traveling together but without the logical reason for them being all together that Murder on the Orient Express manages. The murders--how they were done--also seem more far-fetched. Nevertheless this is ranked four stars because it's handicapped by comparing it to Christie's best. If I were comparing it to the usual book on the mystery shelves in stores, it would win top marks.

[bbbart-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Death on the Nile is one of the best in the Poirot series I read so far. The alibi in this case is ever so ingenious, and the side plots are intriguing as well.

I am proud to say however that I feel that I'm getting better at figuring out who the assassin(s) are, but Christie still manages to get me quite on the wrong foot on many of the details.

I like that fact that Death on the Nile is a little bit longer than the average book in the Poirot series so it has room for more descriptive narrative which adds so much to the atmosphere of the story. It's a story after all, not a puzzle.

[g33kgrrl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy this plot very much but was not super into the whole "doing voices in Egyptian accents" thing and of course anything the characters or Dame Agatha is saying about Egypt at the time is not.... good. I have no idea if Christie was being ironic re: imperialism or just entirely un-self-aware when she had a British character say the following: “If there were only any peace in Egypt I should like it better," said Mrs. Allerton. "But you can never be alone anywhere. Someone is always pestering you for money, or offering you donkeys, or beads, or expeditions to native villages, or duck shooting.”Once everyone is back on the boat for the mystery and we're done talking about Egypt, things improve dramatically. Thank goodness.

[Odette Lis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just perfect narration and story
Perfect accent of Poirot how he switched it so naturally