Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Blog by: Fallon Sheridan

Well developed characters, a riveting plot with constant unexpected twists, and writing that will make you wish the book would never end are just some of the great aspects of Agatha Christie’s mystery, Death on the Nile.

Linnet Ridgeway, a beautiful and wealthy woman beyond imagination, receives a phone call from her long lost friend, Jacqueline de Bellefourt, asking to have a reunion. Ecstatic, Linnet agrees to meet Jackie, as well as contemplate the idea of giving Jackie’s fiancé a job at her new business. However, after the meeting, Linnet falls in love with Simon (Jackie’s fiancé), and the engagement switches from Jacqueline and Simon, to Linnet and Simon. Together, the new couple decides upon taking their honeymoon on a boat along the romantic Nile River in Egypt; however, along the way, they become conscious of the fact that Jackie is following them along the trip. Then, one night in the saloon aboard ship, Jacqueline gets a bit too drunk and shoots Simon Doyle in the leg. That same night, Linnet is shot in the head with no witnesses around. Suddenly, with airtight alibis, bribed witnesses, blackmail, and a web of lies, it becomes difficult for Monsieur Poirot, the detective on board, to unravel the facts of the case and narrow down the suspects.

Agatha Christie, besides setting the mood extremely well through word choice, does an excellent job of making the reader believe one thing, while the truth will turn out the be the exact opposite. Every discovery is eye-opening and jaw dropping, and every mystery, even the most minute, has you on the edge of your chair anxious to continue reading. Misleading the reader to make the outcome even more flabbergasting is just one amazing aspect of Christie’s writing. It truly makes the book more suspenseful.

Christie also does a fantastic job of using clues, especially red herrings, to keep you guessing until the very end. After all it is quite difficult to discover a culprit with weapons used from multiple different people aboard the ship! Also, over obvious clues, are also prominent and great aspects of the story. These could be considered similar to the technique of foreshadowing because they give you small hints as to whom the criminal could be (by realizing that over-obvious clues led you to believe that it could, or could not, be a specific person).

Along with the external conflict of “WHO COMMITTED THE MURDER?”, there is also internal conflicts among the characters such as jealousy (Jacqueline jealous of Linnet for stealing her true love), greed (when Linnet’s pearls are also found to be taken), and deception (where lies become so believable that you actually begin to deem them as the truth). So much suspense and suspicion keeps you on this nail biting adventure until the very end.

Although it is an obvious choice, the discovery of the murderer is definitely a highlight of the story, because the whole adventure of the story leads up to this one person. Also, the attempted homicide of Linnet is a highlight as well, because one of the main characters comes within inches of death. As you can imagine, an almost homicide is a breathtaking and shocking event. This event that transpires also foreshadows her actual homicide in the near future.

I would definitely, without a doubt, one hundred percent, recommend this book to others. It was truly a fantastic read that was hard to put down. In fact it got so good at points, that my hand was shaking just reading it. You could actually immerse yourself in the book and feel as if you were truly there, experiencing the dilemmas that those aboard were facing! Agatha Christie’s writing style is great, and Death on the Nile is a definite “must-read”!