Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

By Agatha Christie

“A top-notch literary brainteaser.” –New York Times

Soon to be a major motion picture sequel to Murder on the Orient Express with a screenplay by Michael Green, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh alongside Gal Gadot—coming February 11, 2022!

Beloved detective Hercule Poirot embarks on a journey to Egypt in one of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries.

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

Hercule Poirot recalled 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 under the searing heat of the Egyptian sun, nothing is ever quite what it seems.

A sweeping mystery of love, jealousy, and betrayal, Death on the Nile is one of Christie’s most legendary and timeless works.

“Death on the Nile is perfect.” —The Guardian

“One of her best. . . . First rate entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 5, 2005
• ISBN: 9780061760174

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.

Book preview

One

"LINNET RIDGEWAY!"

"That’s her!" said Mr. Burnaby, the landlord of the Three Crowns.

He nudged his companion.

The two men stared with round bucolic eyes and slightly open mouths.

A big scarlet Rolls-Royce had just stopped in front of the local post office.

A girl jumped out, a girl without a hat and wearing a frock that looked (but only looked) simple. A girl with golden hair and straight autocratic features—a girl with a lovely shape—a girl such as was seldom seen in Malton-under-Wode.

With a quick imperative step she passed into the post office.

That’s her! said Mr. Burnaby again. And he went on in a low awed voice: Millions she’s got . . . Going to spend thousands on the place. Swimming pools there’s going to be, and Italian gardens and a ballroom and half of the house pulled down and rebuilt. . . .

She’ll bring money into the town, said his friend. He was a lean, seedy-looking man. His tone was envious and grudging.

Mr. Burnaby agreed.

Yes, it’s a great thing for Malton-under-Wode. A great thing it is.

Mr. Burnaby was complacent about it.

Wake us all up proper, he added.

Bit of difference from Sir George, said the other.

Ah, it was the ’orses did for him, said Mr. Burnaby indulgently. Never ’ad no luck.

What did he get for the place?

A cool sixty thousand, so I’ve heard.

The lean man whistled.

Mr. Burnaby went on triumphantly: And they say she’ll have spent another sixty thousand before she’s finished!

Wicked! said the lean man. "Where’d she get all that money from?"

America, so I’ve heard. Her mother was the only daughter of one of those millionaire blokes. Quite like the pictures, isn’t it?

The girl came out of the post office and climbed into the car.

As she drove off, the lean man followed her with his eyes. He muttered:

"It seems all wrong to me—her looking like that. Money and looks—it’s too much! If a girl’s as rich as that she’s no right to be a good-looker as well. And she is a good-looker . . . Got everything, that girl has. Doesn’t seem fair. . . ."

II

Extract from the Social column of the Daily Blague.

Among those supping at Chez Ma Tante I noticed beautiful Linnet Ridgeway. She was with the Hon. Joanna Southwood, Lord Windlesham and Mr. Toby Bryce. Miss Ridgeway, as everyone knows, is the daughter of Melhuish Ridgeway, who married Anna Hartz. She inherits from her grandfather, Leopold Hartz, an immense fortune. The lovely Linnet is the sensation of the moment and it is rumoured that an engagement may be announced shortly. Certainly Lord Windlesham seemed very épris!!

III

The Hon. Joanna Southwood said:

"Darling, I think it’s going to be all perfectly marvellous!"

She was sitting in Linnet Ridgeway’s bedroom at Wode Hall.

From the window the eye passed over the gardens to open country with blue shadows of woodlands.

It’s rather perfect, isn’t it? said Linnet.

She leaned her arms on the window sill. Her face was eager, alive, dynamic. Beside her, Joanna Southwood seemed, somehow, a little dim—a tall thin young woman of twenty-seven, with a long clever face and freakishly plucked eyebrows.

And you’ve done so much in the time! Did you have lots of architects and things?

Three.

What are architects like? I don’t think I’ve ever seen any.

They were all right. I found them rather unpractical sometimes.

"Darling, you soon put that right! You are the most practical creature!"

Joanna picked up a string of pearls from the dressing table.

I suppose these are real, aren’t they, Linnet?

Of course.

"I know it’s ‘of course’ to you, my sweet, but it wouldn’t be to most people. Heavily cultured or even Woolworth! Darling, they really are incredible, so exquisitely matched. They must be worth the most fabulous sum!"

Rather vulgar, you think?

"No, not at all—just pure beauty. What are they worth?"

About fifty thousand.

What a lovely lot of money! Aren’t you afraid of having them stolen?

No, I always wear them—and anyway they’re insured.

Let me wear them till dinnertime, will you, darling? It would give me such a thrill.

Linnet laughed.

Of course, if you like.

"You know, Linnet, I really do envy you. You’ve simply got everything. Here you are at twenty, your own mistress, with any amount of money, looks, superb health. You’ve even got brains! When are you twenty-one?"

Next June. I shall have a grand coming-of-age party in London.

And then are you going to marry Charles Windlesham? All the dreadful little gossip writers are getting so excited about it. And he really is frightfully devoted.

Linnet shrugged her shoulders.

I don’t know. I don’t really want to marry anyone yet.

Darling, how right you are! It’s never quite the same afterwards, is it?

The telephone shrilled and Linnet went to it.

Yes? Yes?

The butler’s voice answered her:

Miss de Bellefort is on the line. Shall I put her through?

Bellefort? Oh, of course, yes, put her through.

A click and a voice, an eager, soft, slightly breathless voice: "Hullo, is that Miss Ridgeway? Linnet!"

"Jackie darling! I haven’t heard anything of you for ages and ages!"

I know. It’s awful. Linnet, I want to see you terribly.

Darling, can’t you come down here? My new toy. I’d love to show it to you.

That’s just what I want to do.

Well, jump into a train or a car.

Right, I will. A frightfully dilapidated two-seater. I bought it for fifteen pounds, and some days it goes beautifully. But it has moods. If I haven’t arrived by teatime you’ll know it’s had a mood. So long, my sweet.

Linnet replaced the receiver. She crossed back to Joanna.

That’s my oldest friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort. We were together at a convent in Paris. She’s had the most terrible bad luck. Her father was a French Count, her mother was American—a Southerner. The father went off with some woman, and her mother lost all her money in the Wall Street crash. Jackie was left absolutely broke. I don’t know how she’s managed to get along the last two years.

Joanna was polishing her deep-blood-coloured nails with her friend’s nail pad. She leant back with her head on one side scrutinizing the effect.

Darling, she drawled, "won’t that be rather tiresome? If any misfortunes happen to my friends I always drop them at once! It sounds heartless, but it saves such a lot of trouble later! They always want to borrow money off you, or else they start a dressmaking business and you have to get the most terrible clothes from them. Or they paint lampshades, or do batik scarves."

So, if I lost all my money, you’d drop me tomorrow?

"Yes, darling, I would. You can’t say I’m not honest about it! I only like successful people. And you’ll find that’s true of nearly everybody—only most people won’t admit it. They just say that really they can’t put up with Mary or Emily or Pamela anymore! ‘Her troubles have made her so bitter and peculiar, poor dear!’"

How beastly you are, Joanna!

I’m only on the make, like everyone else.

"I’m not on the make!"

For obvious reasons! You don’t have to be sordid when good-looking, middle-aged American trustees pay you over a vast allowance every quarter.

And you’re wrong about Jacqueline, said Linnet. She’s not a sponge. I’ve wanted to help her, but she won’t let me. She’s as proud as the devil.

What’s she in such a hurry to see you for? I’ll bet she wants something! You just wait and see.

She sounded excited about something, admitted Linnet. Jackie always did get frightfully worked up over things. She once stuck a penknife into someone!

Darling, how thrilling!

"A boy was teasing a dog. Jackie tried to get him to stop. He wouldn’t. She pulled him and shook him, but he was much stronger than she was, and at last she whipped out a penknife and plunged it right into him. There was the most awful row!"

I should think so. It sounds most uncomfortable!

Linnet’s maid entered the room. With a murmured word of apology, she took down a dress from the wardrobe and went out of the room with it.

What’s the matter with Marie? asked Joanna.

She’s been crying.

Poor thing! You know I told you she wanted to marry a man who has a job in Egypt. She didn’t know much about him, so I thought I’d better make sure he was all right. It turned out that he had a wife already—and three children.

What a lot of enemies you must make, Linnet.

Enemies? Linnet looked surprised.

Joanna nodded and helped herself to a cigarette.

Enemies, my sweet. You’re so devastatingly efficient. And you’re so frightfully good at doing the right thing.

Linnet laughed.

Why, I haven’t got an enemy in the world.

IV

Lord Windlesham sat under the cedar tree. His eyes rested on the graceful proportions of Wode Hall. There was nothing to mar its old-world beauty; the new buildings and additions were out of sight round the corner. It was a fair and peaceful sight bathed in the autumn sunshine. Nevertheless, as he gazed, it was no longer Wode Hall that Charles Windlesham saw. Instead, he seemed to see a more imposing Elizabethan mansion, a long sweep of park, a more bleak background . . . It was his own family seat, Charltonbury, and in the foreground stood a figure—a girl’s figure, with bright golden hair and an eager confident face . . . Linnet as mistress of Charltonbury!

He felt very hopeful. That refusal of hers had not been at all a definite refusal. It had been little more than a plea for time. Well, he could afford to wait a little. . . .

How amazingly suitable the whole thing was! It was certainly advisable that he should marry money, but not such a matter of necessity that he could regard himself as forced to put his own feelings on one side. And he loved Linnet. He would have wanted to marry her even if she had been practically penniless, instead of one of the richest girls in England. Only, fortunately, she was one of the richest girls in England. . . .

His mind played with attractive plans for the future. The Mastership of the Roxdale perhaps, the restoration of the west wing, no need to let the Scotch shooting. . . .

Charles Windlesham dreamed in the sun.

V

It was four o’clock when the dilapidated little two-seater stopped with a sound of crunching gravel. A girl got out of it—a small slender creature with a mop of dark hair. She ran up the steps and tugged at the bell.

A few minutes later she was being ushered into the long stately drawing room, and an ecclesiastical butler was saying with the proper mournful intonation: Miss de Bellefort.

Linnet!

Jackie!

Windlesham stood a little aside, watching sympathetically as this fiery little creature flung herself open-armed upon Linnet.

Lord Windlesham—Miss de Bellefort—my best friend.

A pretty child, he thought—not really pretty but decidedly attractive, with her dark curly hair and her enormous eyes. He murmured a few tactful nothings and then managed unobtrusively to leave the two friends together.

Jacqueline pounced—in a fashion that Linnet remembered as being characteristic of her.

"Windlesham? Windlesham? That’s the man the papers always say you’re going to marry! Are you, Linnet? Are you?"

Linnet murmured: Perhaps.

Darling—I’m so glad! He looks nice.

Oh, don’t make up your mind about it—I haven’t made up my own mind yet.

Of course not! Queens always proceed with due deliberation to the choosing of a consort!

Don’t be ridiculous, Jackie.

"But you are a queen, Linnet! You always were. Sa Majesté, la reine Linette. Linette la blonde! And I—I’m the Queen’s confidante! The trusted Maid of Honour."

What nonsense you talk, Jackie darling! Where have you been all this time? You just disappear. And you never write.

I hate writing letters. Where have I been? Oh, about three parts submerged, darling. In JOBS, you know. Grim jobs with grim women!

Darling, I wish you’d—

Take the Queen’s bounty? Well, frankly, darling, that’s what I’m here for. No, not to borrow money. It’s not got to that yet! But I’ve come to ask a great big important favour!

Go on.

If you’re going to marry the Windlesham man, you’ll understand, perhaps.

Linnet looked puzzled for a minute; then her face cleared.

Jackie, do you mean—?

"Yes, darling, I’m engaged!"

So that’s it! I thought you were looking particularly alive somehow. You always do, of course, but even more than usual.

That’s just what I feel like.

Tell me all about him.

"His name’s Simon Doyle. He’s big and square and incredibly simple and boyish and utterly adorable! He’s poor—got no money. He’s what you call ‘county’ all right—but very impoverished county—a younger son and all that. His people come from Devonshire. He loves the country and country things. And for the last five years he’s been in the City in a stuffy office. And now they’re cutting down and he’s out of a job. Linnet, I shall die if I can’t marry him! I shall die! I shall die! I shall die. . . ."

Don’t be ridiculous, Jackie.

I shall die, I tell you! I’m crazy about him. He’s crazy about me. We can’t live without each other.

"Darling, you have got it badly!"

I know. It’s awful, isn’t it? This love business gets hold of you and you can’t do anything about it.

She paused for a minute. Her dark eyes dilated, looked suddenly tragic. She gave a little shiver.

"It’s—even frightening sometimes! Simon and I were made for each other. I shall never care for anyone else. And you’ve got to help us, Linnet. I heard you’d bought this place and it put an idea into my head. Listen, you’ll have to have a land agent—perhaps two. I want you to give the job to Simon."

Oh! Linnet was startled.

Jacqueline rushed on: He’s got all that sort of thing at his fingertips. He knows all about estates—was brought up on one. And he’s got his business training too. Oh, Linnet, you will give him a job, won’t you, for love of me? If he doesn’t make good, sack him. But he will. And we can live in a little house, and I shall see lots of you, and everything in the garden will be too, too divine.

She got up.

Say you will, Linnet. Say you will. Beautiful Linnet! Tall golden Linnet! My own very special Linnet! Say you will!

Jackie—

You will?

Linnet burst out laughing.

Ridiculous Jackie! Bring along your young man and let me have a look at him and we’ll talk it over.

Jackie darted at her, kissing her exuberantly.

"Darling Linnet—you’re a real friend! I knew you were. You wouldn’t let me down—ever. You’re just the loveliest thing in the world. Good-bye."

"But, Jackie, you’re staying."

"Me? No, I’m not. I’m going back to London, and tomorrow I’ll come back and bring Simon and we’ll settle it all up. You’ll adore him. He really is a pet."

But can’t you wait and just have tea?

No, I can’t wait, Linnet. I’m too excited. I must get back and tell Simon. I know I’m mad, darling, but I can’t help it. Marriage will cure me, I expect. It always seems to have a very sobering effect on people.

She turned at the door, stood a moment, then rushed back for a last quick birdlike embrace.

Dear Linnet—there’s no one like you.

VI

M. Gaston Blondin, the proprietor of that modish little restaurant Chez Ma Tante, was not a man who delighted to honour many of his clientèle. The rich, the beautiful, the notorious, and the well-born might wait in vain to be singled out and paid special attention. Only in the rarest cases did M. Blondin, with gracious condescension, greet a guest, accompany him to a privileged table, and exchange with him suitable and apposite remarks.

On this particular night, M. Blondin had exercised his royal prerogative three times—once for a Duchess, once for a famous racing peer, and once for a little man of comical appearance with immense black moustaches, who, a casual onlooker would have thought, could bestow no favour on Chez Ma Tante by his presence there.

M. Blondin, however, was positively fulsome in his attentions. Though clients had been told for the last half hour that a table was not to be had, one now mysteriously appeared, placed in a most favourable position. M. Blondin conducted the client to it with every appearance of empressement.

"But naturally, for you there is always a table, Monsieur Poirot! How I wish that you would honour us oftener!"

Hercule Poirot smiled, remembering that past incident wherein a dead body, a waiter, M. Blondin, and a very lovely lady had played a part.

You are too amiable, Monsieur Blondin, he said.

And you are alone, Monsieur Poirot?

Yes, I am alone.

Oh, well, Jules here will compose for you a little meal that will be a poem—positively a poem! Women, however charming, have this disadvantage: They distract the mind from food! You will enjoy your dinner, Monsieur Poirot; I promise you that. Now as to wine—

A technical conversation ensued, Jules, the maître d’hotel, assisting.

Before departing, M. Blondin lingered a moment, lowering his voice confidentially.

You have grave affairs on hand?

Poirot shook his head.

I am, alas, a man of leisure, he said softly. I have made the economies in my time and I have now the means to enjoy the life of idleness.

I envy you.

No, no, you would be unwise to do so. I can assure you, it is not so gay as it sounds. He sighed. How true is the saying that man was forced to invent work in order to escape the strain of having to think.

M. Blondin threw up his hands.

But there is so much! There is travel!

Yes, there is travel. Already I have not done so badly. This winter I shall visit Egypt, I think. The climate, they say, is superb! One will escape from the fogs, the greyness, the monotony of the constantly falling rain.

Ah! Egypt, breathed M. Blondin.

One can even voyage there now, I believe, by train, escaping all sea travel except the Channel.

Ah, the sea, it does not agree with you?

Hercule Poirot shook his head and shuddered slightly.

I, too, said M. Blondin with sympathy. Curious the effect it has upon the stomach.

"But only upon certain stomachs! There are people on whom the motion makes no impression whatever. They actually enjoy it!"

An unfairness of the good God, said M. Blondin.

He shook his head sadly, and, brooding on the impious thought, withdrew.

Smooth-footed, deft-handed waiters ministered to the table. Toast Melba, butter, an ice pail, all the adjuncts to a meal of quality.

The orchestra broke into an ecstasy of strange discordant noises. London danced.

Hercule Poirot looked on, registered impressions in his neat orderly mind.

How bored and weary most of the faces were! Some of those stout men, however, were enjoying themselves . . . whereas a patient endurance seemed to be the sentiment exhibited on their partners’ faces. The fat woman in purple was looking radiant . . . Undoubtedly the fat had certain compensations in life . . . a zest—a gusto—denied to those of more fashionable contours.

A good sprinkling of young people—some vacant-looking—some bored—some definitely unhappy. How absurd to call youth the time of happiness—youth, the time of greatest vulnerability!

His glance softened as it rested on one particular couple. A well-matched pair—tall broad-shouldered man, slender delicate girl. Two bodies that moved in perfect rhythm of happiness. Happiness in the place, the hour, and in each other.

The dance stopped abruptly. Hands clapped and it started again. After a second encore the couple returned to their table close by Poirot. The girl was flushed, laughing. As she sat, he could study her face, lifted laughing to her companion.

There was something else beside laughter in her eyes. Hercule Poirot shook his head doubtfully.

She cares too much, that little one, he said to himself. It is not safe. No, it is not safe.

And then a word caught his ear, Egypt.

Their voices came to him clearly—the girl’s young, fresh, arrogant, with just a trace of soft-sounding foreign R’s, and the man’s pleasant, low-toned, well-bred English.

"I’m not counting my chickens before they’re hatched, Simon. I tell you Linnet won’t let us down!"

"I might let her down."

Nonsense—it’s just the right job for you.

"As a matter of fact I think it is . . . I haven’t really any doubts as to my capability. And I mean to make good—for your sake!"

The girl laughed softly, a laugh of pure happiness.

We’ll wait three months—to make sure you don’t get the sack—and then—

And then I’ll endow thee with my worldly goods—that’s the hang of it, isn’t it?

And, as I say, we’ll go to Egypt for our honeymoon. Damn the expense! I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt all my life. The Nile and the Pyramids and the sand. . . .

He said, his voice slightly indistinct: We’ll see it together, Jackie . . . together. Won’t it be marvellous?

I wonder. Will it be as marvellous to you as it is to me? Do you really care—as much as I do?

Her voice was suddenly sharp—her eyes dilated—almost with fear.

The man’s answer came quickly crisp: Don’t be absurd, Jackie.

But the girl repeated: I wonder. . . .

Then she shrugged her shoulders. Let’s dance.

Hercule Poirot murmured to himself:

"Une qui aime et un qui se laisse aimer. Yes, I wonder too."

VII

Joanna Southwood said: And suppose he’s a terrible tough?

Linnet shook her head. Oh, he won’t be. I can trust Jacqueline’s taste.

Joanna murmured: Ah, but people don’t run true to form in love affairs.

Linnet shook her head impatiently. Then she changed the subject.

I must go and see Mr. Pierce about those plans.

Plans?

Yes, some dreadful insanitary old cottages. I’m having them pulled down and the people moved.

How sanitary and public-spirited of you, darling!

They’d have had to go anyway. Those cottages would have overlooked my new swimming pool.

Do the people who live in them like going?

Most of them are delighted. One or two are being rather stupid about it—really tiresome in fact. They don’t seem to realize how vastly improved their living conditions will be!

But you’re being quite high-handed about it, I presume.

My dear Joanna, it’s to their advantage really.

Yes, dear. I’m sure it is. Compulsory benefit.

Linnet frowned. Joanna laughed.

"Come now, you are a tyrant, admit it. A beneficent tyrant if you like!"

I’m not the least bit of a tyrant.

But you like your own way!

Not especially.

"Linnet Ridgeway, can you look me in the face and tell me of any one occasion on which you’ve failed to do exactly as you wanted?"

Heaps of times.

Oh, yes, ‘heaps of times’—just like that—but no concrete example. And you simply can’t think up one, darling, however hard you try! The triumphal progress of Linnet Ridgeway in her golden car.

Linnet said sharply: You think I’m selfish?

"No—just irresistible. The combined effect of money and charm. Everything goes down before you. What you can’t buy with cash you buy with a smile.

Reviews for Death on the Nile

[theoclarke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crisp Eurocomic adaptation of classic murder mystery.

[Colombo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This has been an unputdownable. One of my favourites by Agatha Christie. Can't wait to see it as a movie.

[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.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Linnett Ridgeway has almost everything: youth, beauty, brains, and money. Then her best friend Jackie brings her handsome fianc?, Simon Doyle, to visit and asks Linnett to give him a job. Now Linnett and Simon are on their honeymoon, a cruise up the Nile. When Linnett is killed, Jackie is the obvious suspect, but she couldn't have done it. It seems like an insolvable crime, until the famous detective Hercule Poirot starts to investigate. Death on the Nile deserves its reputation as one of Christie's best travel mysteries. This recording is capably read by another familiar name, David Suchet, who is well known among both mystery and public TV buffs as the actor who played the role of Poirot in a series of television adaptations of the author's stories. Expect the trio of Christie, Poirot, and Suchet to be a popular patron selection. St. Mary's Mead was always a quiet English village, at least until the body of Colonel Protheroe was found in the vicarage library. No one liked the murdered man. His first wife had abandoned him, and their teenage daughter kept out of his way. His much younger, second wife had recently fallen in love with a charming portrait painter. The list of possible suspects seems endless. Two different people confess to the murder. Did either do it? Enter Miss Marple, an elderly maiden lady whose gentle manners conceal an extensive knowledge of human depravity and exceptional deductive abilities. She flutters around, asks questions, and solves the crime. But it is the writing, not the plots, that keeps Christie fans coming back. James Saxon gives a clear, competent reading in Murder at the Vicarage, although initially his voice strikes one as brighter and sharper than one would expect from the gentle, scholarly rector.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audio book performed by David SuchetChristie is at her best in this mystery starring Hercule Poirot.Linnett Ridgeway has everything – beauty, youth, intelligence and incredible wealth. When her dear friend Jacqueline de Bellefort asks her to please give her fiancé, Simon Doyle, a job so that they can get a start in life together, Linnett agrees. But a few months later it is Linnett and Simon who are on their honeymoon, though Jackie seems to turn up everywhere … even aboard their cruise ship up the Nile. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!When Linnett is found dead in her cabin, the obvious suspect is Jackie. But at least five people can swear that she couldn’t possibly have done it. So who is the murderer? And why? Hercule Poirot may be on holiday in Egypt, but his “little grey cells” are working overtime. There are plenty of suspects and almost as many motives.David Suchet is perfect in his performance on the audio. He reads at the brisk pace a mystery requires, and seems to effortlessly handle the many different voices required for the large cast of characters. I could listen to him all day.

[sueincyprus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Definitely one of Agatha Christie's best. Extremely clever plotting - the clues were all there, but I had no idea 'who dun it' until Poirot - as ever - revealed all. Interesting settings on a Nile cruise, and some better-than-usual characterisation. A little stilted at times, but quite gripping.

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Death on the Nile is a great mystery novel. The book is set in Egypt, on a boat down the mighty Nile to see some of Egypt's spectacular sites. It's a fun read from a bygone era, with lively characters, an intricately presented plot, and the charming detective Hercule Poirot. It's an entertaining story, but it also is a very sharp commentary on people, their motivations, and social norms.

[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.

[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.

[virginiahomeschooler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my second Christie novel (the first being And Then There Were None) and my first Poirot. I'm not sure if they should be read in order, but at any rate I didn't feel like I was really missing anything so I'm going to assume I didn't miss anything by reading it out of turn. It was quite an ingenious mystery. I thought I'd had it all wrapped up a time or two only to find out that no, I had no clue. The writing was wonderful. As with And Then There Were None, I kind of had a hard time following who was who. Even up until the end there were a couple of people that I kept getting confused with each other. Still, it was entirely enjoyable, and I'll definitely pick up another Poirot in the future.

[julesjones_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Abridged audiobook on 3 CDs, read by David Timson. Heiress steals friend's fiancee, friend starts blatantly stalking, even unto the honeymoon cruise on the Nile. Heiress is found murdered, and as the husband points out, the ex-friend has an obvious motive. The one problem is that she couldn't possibly have done it. Nor could any of the other people the heiress has provided with motives. The abridged audiobook has been well edited for the plot, but does by necessity skimp on the character development and social observation. There's also an unabridged audio edition, read by David Suchet, which I've not yet listened to.

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

Four and a half stars, really (Goodreads, sort this out please). One of the better Poirot novels. I loved the resolution and the denouement was supremely interesting and the whole plot very believable. I think Murder on the Orient Express takes the cake with the solution but Death on the Nile is quite genius and not void of Christie's earlier novels' humour. It raises interesting questions about justice, not in the profound way Orient did but still. Very good read indeed.

[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.

[jeffreymarks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my comfort reads. It's the reason for my interest in archaeology and Egypt, and one reason I took my Nile tour many years ago.

[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...

[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.

[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.

[elphaba71 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it, Christie writes the best Murder Mysteries.

[jesperwestra · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Of the three Poirot stories I have read, this is the best yet. While 'The Mystery of the Blue Train' was quite compelling, I thought the answer to the mystery (is 'denouement' the word?) was a bit weak and out of the blue (no pun intended). 'The Big of Four' had a plot that was, frankly, a bit ridiculous, and it lacked a proper climax. 'Death on the Nile', however, has got it all. The characters have genuine depth, the mystery is gripping, and, most important of all, Agatha Christie treats real problems in this book. Especially the plotline of Rosalie Otterbourne and her mother was, I thought, bold. By 1937 it seems, Christie had grown quite a lot as an author.I am thankful that this was the next Poirot novel I picked up; It's convinced me not to drop the stories about the funny little Belgian yet.

[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!

[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.

[bolgai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hercule Poirot investigates a triple murder that takes place on a ship taking a tourist trip up the Nile. The murder of an heiress, one of the richest women in Europe, is only the top of the iceberg of intrigue and secrets that obscure the truth and lead to more deaths. I think that Agatha Christie was at her best when it came to writing novels. Short stories didn't give her as much room to develop the plot and characters in that special subtle way of hers. I particularly liked this story because on the surface it is a mystery but underneath it all it is really a study in human character, the different types and manifestations of love and the role it plays in the lives of people.

[daniel5estes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What constantly surprises me about reading Agatha Christie (apart from solving the mystery) is how the most important clues seem to absent-mindedly stick in my head even though there's misdirection everywhere else. Death on the Nile is involved. There are stories within stories, all overlapping one another, and I wasn't able to keep track of it all on the first read. The book itself seems to acknowledge this complexity by resolving the separate accounts one at a time at the story's finale. And when it came time to reveal the murderer... alas, all the clues were right there the whole time and it made perfect sense!The location of Egypt and the Nile is intended to represent an exotic, away-from-civilization locale, which mostly succeeds. Egypt during this period might very well be a vast track of empty desert with local merchants scattered throughout because that's how it's portrayed in the book and not much more.And as always, Poirot is the grand-master of human observation, with just the right touch of conceit, which makes him a pleasure to read.

[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.

[lizparker_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of Christies best, along with Orient Express and Ten Little Pigs. Set on a riverboat on the Nile, Egypt, Hercule Poirot is on holiday, when he meets socialite Linnet Ridgeway and her new husband Simon. When Linnet is murdered, her friend Jackie who was originally engaged to Simon before Linnet stole him, is the obvious suspect. When she is given an unshakeable alibi, it is up to Poirot to solve the mystery. I was given a lot of the original agatha paperbacks by my aunt when I was in primary school and fell in love with the old school imagery of england. I credit Christie, Enid Blyton and my Aunty Lilla for my love of reading.

[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.

[lara335 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Atmospheric cruise mystery. Guessed early on 'who done it', but enjoyed the red herrings, and the reason for why the murder weapon was thrown away.

[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.

[diccon1bewes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Is this the best Agatha Christie ever? I think so, even with Poirot instead of Marple. Great plot, great characters, great location.

[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.