Title: Death on the Nile

Published in: 1937

Date read: Not yet read

Score: /5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Mystery, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Death on the Nile," published in 1937, is one of Agatha Christie's most famous and beloved novels, featuring her brilliant Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. It is a classic tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal, set against the breath-taking backdrop of ancient Egypt.

The story begins with the introduction of a dramatic love triangle. Jacqueline de Bellefort, a beautiful but impoverished young woman, is heartbroken when her fiancé, Simon Doyle, leaves her to marry her fabulously wealthy friend, the glamorous and seemingly perfect heiress Linnet Ridgeway. Their marriage is a source of bitter gossip and intense jealousy, particularly from Jacqueline, who becomes a stalker, relentlessly pursuing the couple on their honeymoon.

Linnet and Simon try to find a peaceful escape on a steamboat cruise down the Nile, the Karnak. However, they are horrified to find that Jacqueline has booked passage on the same cruise. The tension on board is palpable. Other passengers on the cruise include Poirot, who is on vacation, as well as a diverse cast of suspicious and eccentric characters, each with their own hidden motives.

The simmering conflict comes to a head one night when Jacqueline, in a fit of rage, shoots Simon Doyle in the leg. Her violent act seems to be the breaking point, but the situation is soon overtaken by a far more sinister crime. The next morning, Linnet Ridgeway is found dead in her cabin, shot through the head as she slept.

Hercule Poirot, now a reluctant detective on a boat full of potential suspects, is called to solve the seemingly impossible crime. He is faced with a baffling case: the gun used to shoot Linnet is found wrapped in a scarf, and several of the passengers have conflicting alibis and suspicious secrets. Poirot must unravel the complex web of relationships and motives that existed on the boat.

As Poirot's investigation unfolds, the body count rises. A witness to Linnet's murder is also killed, and a third murder occurs, revealing a deeply ingrained plot and forcing Poirot to use his "little grey cells" to piece together the evidence and the passengers' hidden pasts.

The climax reveals a stunningly clever and intricate plot twist. Poirot exposes a conspiracy orchestrated by two of the passengers, revealing that the apparent love triangle was a carefully constructed deception. The murders were part of a meticulous plan to steal Linnet's fortune. "Death on the Nile" is a masterful example of a closed-circle mystery, full of suspense and brilliant deduction that keeps the reader guessing until the final, shocking revelation.

Comments:

Books that we've read by Agatha Christie (8):
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1) (1920), The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries, #1) (1922), The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot #2) (1923), The Man in the Brown Suit (Colonel Race, #1) (1924), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4) (1926), The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple #1) (1930), The Thirteen Problems (Miss Marple, #1) (1932), And Then There Were None (1939)