Review: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Linnet Ridgeway has everything — beauty, intelligence, and a large estate and fortune. Her friend Jackie, however, has fallen on bad times, and in order to marry her fiancé, Simon, who is also poor, Jackie begs Linnet to give him a job on her estate. However, things don’t go all to plan when Simon ends up marrying Linnet instead of Jackie…

The great detective Hercule Poirot is taking a rare holiday in Egypt, when his cruise down the Nile coincides with the route of a couple on their honeymoon; but when a jealous ex shows up, it soon becomes evident that all is not well with the group. What’s more, several of the other passengers are acting suspiciously, and seem to be hiding secrets. Soon tragedy rocks the tranquility of the trip, sending Poirot back into what he does best — solving a murder. 

I always love reading an Agatha Christie novel; I know that the story will be exciting, well-crafted, and fun, and she never disappoints. I always go through her books much quicker than other novels, swept up in the story and excited for the epic conclusion I know that she will deliver. This one was no different. 

This is another cleverly written and engaging mystery from Agatha Christie, that leaves you guessing until the last minute, when all the loose ends are neatly tied up. Even though I had seen the 2022 movie beforehand, I still found myself second-guessing the conclusion at times as the mystery developed. Yet at the same time, as usual from this author, the result felt completely logical and believable. There are so many offhanded comments and observations sprinkled throughout the novel that come together perfectly when the mystery is solved, a mark of the writer’s genius. All that said, I think the ending of this one was just a little more predictable than the other mysteries I’ve read from the author, from the clues left here and there. 

The characters are unique and expressive, and the author keeps the story interesting and engaging despite the limited setting. There were also the usual moments of dry humour in the book that I quite enjoy.

The ending felt satisfying: all the loose ends were tied up, and I felt that all the characters, good and bad, more or less got what they deserved in the end. This might be a little simplistic and unoriginal for some readers, but I much prefer the conclusions of mystery books in this manner. 

This is one of those stories that is best read twice over to be able to truly appreciate its cleverness — as many of Christie’s other books are as well. 

As in some of Christie’s other novels, there are many characters to keep track of, and it can be tricky sometimes to keep names, personalities and backstories sorted out in your head as you read.

The only other thing I didn’t love about this book is that I do find the author’s habit of putting some sentences all in italics a little annoying — of course this doesn’t really take away from the story in any way, I just found it a bit irritating. 

As far as content goes, there isn’t anything overly inappropriate to most audiences. Obviously, as this is a murder mystery, there is death depicted in the book, as well as descriptions of crime scenes. There are a few depictions of smoking and drinking (one of the characters is an alcoholic as well, but this is only mentioned a few times, and not a main plotline). There are also some fatphobic comments, and some that could be construed as racist, but these are infrequent and could be considered mild. There are some sexual references (and one of the characters writes novels of a sexual nature) but nothing overt is displayed. 

Compared to the movie, I think the book was much better; the movie did diverge from the plot and characters in a number of ways, and I much preferred the original. 

Keep in mind if you are planning to read this one that it is a bit slower to get into the action than some of Christie’s other novels are, as it takes its time introducing the characters and backstory. I didn’t mind it myself, but if you are looking for more of a fast-paced narrative, maybe pick up one of her other books first.