Month: March 2020

Review: Death on the Nile

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Beloved detective Hercule Poirot embarks on a journey to Egypt in one of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries, Death on the Nile.

The tranquility of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish, and beautiful. A girl who had everything…until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalled an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: “I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.” Yet in this exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems.

It has been a while since the last time I read a Poirot mystery, so reading this book felt like slipping on my favorite pair of fuzzy socks. Since the success of the movie Murder on the Orient Express, a friend told me that they were going to make Death on the Nile next. So naturally, I wanted to read it before the movie came out. I knew nothing of the plot aside from what I read on the back going in, but I was optimistic.

The story starts with a glimpse into the life of the aforementioned Linnet Ridgeway. We get to see what she is like on her home turf, where she is the most comfortable and the most in control. We get to see what her relationship looks like with her friend Jacqueline, a girl with less fortune who has recently fallen in love. And we get to see her initial reaction upon meeting her friend’s new fiance. It’s an interesting glimpse into the life of a woman who always gets what she wants.

Fast forward a few weeks and we find a rather unique cast of characters coming together on a Nile River cruise. I won’t spoil the whole cast, but I will share that it contains the characters I mentioned above.

It also contains a certain Detective Hercule Poirot who is trying to take an honest to goodness vacation from all of the mysteries and murder he deals with on a regular basis. You can probably guess from the title how well this plan goes.

There is one character who, beforehand, had shown an understandable leaning towards murder. Poirot connected with the poor girl and tried to help guide her away from the path she was on to one where she could have a brighter future. I found the whole thing incredibly touching and couldn’t help but feel for the girl.

I also found myself identifying with several of the other characters. The cast was so well crafted and, as per usual, the mystery of who did it had me wondering and bouncing from suspect to suspect. I felt the other officer’s frustration as Poirot sorted out a few smaller mysteries instead of dealing directly with the murder(s). I also found the endings to be rather satisfying. 

One of my favorite things about Agatha Christie is she is the queen of my favorite kind of twist. The kind you never see coming but it makes perfect sense once you get there. This book absolutely did not disappoint.

Review: Endless Night

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When penniless Michael Rogers discovers the beautiful house at Gypsy’s Acre and then meets the heiress Ellie, it seems that all his dreams have come true at once. But he ignores an old woman’s warning of an ancient curse, and evil begins to stir in paradise. As Michael soon learns: Gypsy’s Acre is the place where fatal “accidents” happen.

I have decided to take a break from the fantasy world and delve straight into mystery. Agatha Christie, to be specific. She has been my favorite mystery author for a long time now, and one of the few I have read (aside from Robert Ludlum). I look for her books any time I go into a used bookstore and so, had a stack of six that I haven’t read yet.

So I grabbed the first book off of the stack and started reading.

One of the things that first struck me about Endless Night was that it is not one of her typical mysteries. Agatha Christie has three main detective series: Hercules Poirot, Mrs. Marple, and Tommy and Tuppence. I have read more Poirot than the others, but I do enjoy them.

This book falls into neither of these categories. It is told from the perspective of Michael Rogers (Mike), a young man who has bounced from job to job, never really settling down into anything. He gives off this feeling of someone who is looking for something but has no idea what. All he knows is he wants more.

When he first sees Ellie at the sale of Gypsy’s Acre, it is love at first sight. We follow them through their whirlwind romance and their clandestine marriage as Ellie tries to keep her family as out of her affairs as possible, with the help of her best friend and confidante, Greta.

I found the story of their marriage to be rather quaint, even with his lack of understanding when it comes to finances. He has only ever had enough money to get by, naturally. And she is a rich heiress who is well acquainted with the finer things in life. I could understand some of his hesitancy when it comes to immersing himself in that world. It can be a strange and intimidating one for sure.

There is also the strange gypsy woman who pops up every now and then warning Mike and Ellie about the dangers of living on that particular plot of land. She hints to a curse, something about a burial ground, but nothing concrete. It is very unsettling, but not quite threatening.

It took longer than I expected to get to the death, but then I am more used to her detective novels. It definitely snuck up on me though. There was no build-up. It just happened and we were left to deal with the aftermath. That is when things really start getting interesting. But I won’t spoil the ending.

I found this story delightfully different with a very unexpected twist at the end that was executed masterfully.

Next, I am diving into a Poirot mystery, Death on the Nile. One down, five to go.