Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie
Christie's super sleuth, Hercule Poirot, is on vacation in the exotic Valley of the Kings in North Africa. He meets the exquisitely beautiful and very, very rich heiress, Linnet Ridgeway Doyle. Linnet is honeymooning with her new husband, Simon. Linnet Doyle seems to have the entire world just the way she wants it. She's married the man of her dreams and is about to embark on a leisurely honeymoon cruise down the Nile River.
Why would anyone want to murder this beautiful young bride? As the story unfolds there are soon plenty of suspects who, or so it seems, would like nothing better than to wave farewell to Linnet on her final cruise down the Nile.
The boatload of suspects includes Linnet's former girlfriend, Jackie de Bellefort. Jackie is furious at Linnet and with good reason. Hadn't Linnet recently stolen away Simon while he was engaged to Jackie and 'tricked' him into marrying Linnet instead? Jackie does look like the most likely murderer. Jackie has followed the newlyweds halfway around the world to taunt them in an attempt to spoil the couple's honeymoon. However, it seems that the recently jilted Jackie and Linnet's husband, Simon, are the only ones with cast iron alibis for the time of the murder. So, if Jackie and Simon had nothing to do with Linnet's death, who is the real murderer?
The other passengers all look pretty guilty and none of them can come up with alibis as to where they were at the time of the shooting. Consider that Linnet's solicitor is, very curiously, also aboard the Nile cruise and trying to pressure the heiress into signing important documents without her reading them. Or, perhaps,the decidedly eccentric writer who seems to have a quarrel with Linnet over a case of slander is the real killer. Soon, it seems, almost every passenger has a reason for wanting the young bride dead. Amid the exotic locale and the ancient curses of the Egyptian kings along the Nile cruise, this book offers a puzzle that challenges even the most experienced mystery fan.
This very popular book, first published in 1937, was adapted for the stage in 1947 as Murder On The Nile. In 1947, it made its way to Broadway with a new title, Hidden Horizon. In 1978, Peter Ustinov reprised the role of Hercule Poirot in a big budget film which returned to theaters with the original title of Death On The Nile on the big screen.
Read our biography of Agatha Christie.
