Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie

The Book

When Linnet Ridgeway, rich heiress finds out her childhood best friend Jacqueline de Bellefort is engaged she is quite happy. For the first time ever in their friendship, the impoverished Jackie asks Linnet for a favor, to please hire her fiancé, Simon Doyle. Linnet agrees. 

But three months later, gliding down the Nile on an adventurous honeymoon, Linnet and Simon are the happy couple and Jackie, the friend who is stalking them around the world. When Linnet recognizes Hercule Poirot, she begs him to help her. Poirot, already aware that Jackie had been in love with Simon first, chastises Linnet when he refuses, calling her a bad friend for taking her friend's one true love.

At the next stop on the cruise, Linnet narrowly escapes a large boulder falling on her head. Simon is ready to blame it on Jackie, but she was on the boat when it happened. Simon is confused, Linnet is terrified. Simon and Linnet change their plans yet again and transfer to a smaller boat. But Jackie finds them and follows. 

Late at night, Jackie gets rip roaring drunk before she shoots Simon in the leg. Simon, despite being grievously wounded, convinces the party to help Jackie. A nurse is called in, who sedates Jackie while the doctor is awakened to take care of Simon. At least one bone in his leg is shattered, he cannot walk. 

The next morning, Linnet is found in her bed, murdered by what seems to be Jackie's gun. Poirot, on this boat as well, and the beloved, mysterious Colonel Race investigate. Two more bodies pile up before Poirot unmasks Jackie as the mastermind and Simon as the trigger man. Once the reach shore however, Jackie finds yet another gun and kills Simon before killing herself. 

My Thoughts

This story is so famous, what with at least three movie adapatiations alone. And that love triangle is epic. Of course, this is Christie, plot-wise, at her finest. From the first time I ever encountered this story, it was obvious that Jackie and Simon were in it together. How else would Jackie have been able to track them down at the last minute and change boats. Although, I don't remember reading the book before, I think I've only seen adaptations. I do not think the movies conveyed the point quite well enough that the second, smaller steamer up the Nile, is a regularly scheduled expedition. Like a Viking River Cruise would be today. So maybe it's not that hard to believe that Jackie could have sussed out where the Doyles were going. But...even then I would have been suspicious of Simon in the very least. Only three months have passed since his engagement to Jackie. That's not normal, even way back in the day. Run Linnet, run. 

The best part of the book is that it employs the famous Christie double bluff technique of telling the reader who the killer is, making it seem impossible for the killer to have done the murder, only to find out that their machinations have set up a false alibi, and they did it after all. And while in detective stories it's crazy machinations that give the impression of a false alibi, that's something real criminals do. Usually they get it from someone who either believes that criminal is innocent and are duped into helping a friend, or they are in on it somehow. Sometimes through fear, sometimes through complicity, sometimes, just because they love the perp and they don't want that person to go to jail. 

And people do kill in love triangles. Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned. 

I also found this to be Agatha Christie' Romeo and Juliet plot. With Simon Doyle, of course, in the Romeo role. It's like Christie took a look at the way Romeo dumped Rosaline in the beginning of the play and thought, "Oh, that will never do." And wrote an answer to it. True, Jackie, in many ways, splits the Juliet/Rosaline role, playing both the scorned first love and the one so tragically in love with her Romeo that it drives to onwards and onwards down a path of sin and corruption, until denied her love, she commits suicide. And bravo Agatha for having the woman the master of the man and killing his duplicitous scheming tushy first.  

I loved Poirot for turning down Samuel Ratchett, cold blooded murderer of a small child. He's a private man, entitled to have his own moral code, and rich enough to turn down clients. Bravo, Poirot. But to turn down Linnet Doyle, when she had been basically scammed into her own murder? No, that I don't think is fair. And I am quite certain I respect Poirot less for it. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

This book entered my library on Dec 7, 2017. It seems to be well read. The cover is getting a bit battered, and there have been a few dog ears on the pages, but for the most part, the interior of the book has held up well. The cover says this particular edition of the book was $13.99, that is the price we will use. 

This book                                              $13.99

Items Reviewed This Year                $1029.32

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