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Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie



                                               Image Courtesy : Amazon

Linnet Ridgeway has inherited a vast fortune from her parents and is constructing a house in England. Jacqueline De Bellfort, close friend of Linnet, is deeply in love with Simon Doyle. Jacqueline asks Linnet to consider Simon for the job of land agent. Linnet agrees and hires Simon. Linnet is smitten about Simon and marries him. The pair goes on a honeymoon to Egypt. They are surprised to find Jacqueline everywhere they go. Jacqueline derives pleasure by making the Doyle’s uncomfortable in her presence. Jacqueline considers that stalking is the best revenge to the pairs betrayal. Poirot, who is on a vacation , is approached by Linnet seeking help to end the trouble of Jacqueline. Poirot rejects Linnet’s proposal to act on her behalf as he feels that Linnet is at significant fault for this situation. However, Poirot meets Jacqueline and asks her to eradicate evil from her heart and move on in her life. Soon, Doyles decide to put an end to the miseries by ignoring Jacqueline’s presence and behaving normally. Jacqueline is agitated by the sudden turn of events and decides to kill Simon. One evening, Jacqueline turns hysterical and shoots Simon in his leg. The witnesses to the crime take Simon to the doctor. Jacqueline is left in the company of the nurse overnight. Linnet is found dead next day morning. Poirot , along with Colonel Race(who is in search of political agitator and murderer of multiple victims), solves the murder.

It is a complicated plot and Christie handles it with admirable ease. There is a trademark christie stamp written all over the book. Christie plays fair with the readers and leaves clues throughout the book to help readers make educated guesses. I was able to solve large portions of the mystery by reading between the lines or by closely observing various remarks of the characters. However, it does not stop me from enjoying the work. Instead, it motivated me to find whether my little grey cells has matched the grey cells of Poirot. Though there are too many characters and suspects, one does not feel confused or overwhelmed, as each character is sketched beautifully. There are too many sub plots and each of them is brought to a logical conclusion. This book is part of Christie’s terrific Poirot phase in 1930’s like Murder on the Oriental express, 5 little Pigs etc. 

Highly recommended. Go for it!.You will enjoy the ride! It is definitely one of the best works of the Author.

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