As much as I love mysteries, I’ve never really gotten into the classics of the genre. I read And Then There Were None at far too young an age and it scared the absolute crap out of me–that was it for Agatha Christie, up until a few months ago when there was a Kindle sale on Murder on the Orient Express. I read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hercule Poirot’s mannerisms tickled me, and I loved the big cast and the bottle episode feel of the setting. When I read that Death on the Nile is considered one of the best Poirot mysteries, I picked it up immediately.
The mystery revolves around the death of a beautiful heiress while on board an Egyptian cruise. Several of the characters, it turns out (of course!) have a reason to want her dead, even if it’s as simple as trying to get their hands on her money. I think the murderer is telegraphed very obviously, as I had a good idea of what had happened fairly early on. This took away none of the pleasure of watching Poirot interview the subjects and bounce ideas off his buddy who just so happened to be on the boat as well. Not only that, but there were a few times where I doubted my suspicions as Christie made one other character or another look suspicious, so even though I thought I knew what had happened I wasn’t really sure until Poirot revealed the truth at the crucial moment.
These books are classics for a reason. Death on the Nile is simple, satisfying, and extremely enjoyable to read. I may have come to Agatha Christie late, but at the moment I’m reveling in the fact that there’s suddenly a huge new list of books to add to my TBR list. What better feeling is there than that?