Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

 

Title:  Death on the Nile

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  David Suchet

Publisher: Macmillian Audio

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 59 minutes

Source: Checked out with Hoopla through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

If you could go on a cruise anywhere, where would you go?  I’ll admit, the Viking River Cruise ads on PBS work on me and I really want to sale down in the Rhine one day. A trip down the Nile also does sound fantastic . . .unless everyone starts to be murdered on your boat!

I read Death on the Nile for both the #ReadChristie2023 May pick for “jealousy” and for the Back to the Classics Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  I read this book last year, so this time I listened to the audiobook.  David Suchet was a fantastic narrator.  Besides being the true voice of Hercule Poirot, he has unique voices for each character and really acts out the story.  This was a very enjoyable audiobook to listen to.  I highly recommend it.

Death on the Nile is the story of young newlyweds Linnet and Simon.  Linnet is rich and beautiful, and the only thing that seems to wreck her honeymoon is the fact that her former best friend Jackie keeps following Linnet and Simon.  Jackie is not pleased that her former fiancé has married Linnet.  After a murder happens on their cruise down the Nile, it turns out that many of the people on the cruise have something to hide.  Luckily for them, Detective Hercule Poirot is on the scene to investigate with his friend Colonel Race.  Why does death always occur where Poirot vacations?

We had an interesting discussion on the book at our Classics Book Club last night.  We talked about the racist passages that were in the book.  It was published in 1937.  It was jarring hearing some of them on audiobook.  Agatha Christie novels are also currently being edited by sensitivity editors to update the language.  We had a good discussion about changing an author’s work and the appropriateness of doing this (we were not in favor).

We also had a good discussion about all of Christie’s unique characters on this boat down the Nile and their various issues.  I think we all decided we did not want to be on this cruise with all of the dead bodies piling up. 

It was interesting to listen to the story again a second time and pick up on details I missed the first time.  I’m torn on Linnet as a character.  I both dislike her for her treatment of her friend and feel sad for her as she seemed to have no one in the world who really liked her for herself. 

Overall, Death on the Nile is a good story and a classic Agatha Christie that I’m sure I’ll reread several more times in my lifetime.