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Death on the Nile
Teachers’ Notes
By Liane Purnell,
Senior Lecturer in English at Newman College of Higher
Education
Death on the Nile
What could be better than a honeymoon boat trip on the River
Nile? After their recent and unexpected marriage Linnet and Simon join the other passengers on board, who we soon realise all have their own secret reasons for making the trip. The tranquillity of the cruise will soon be shattered by a brutal crime of passion and
Hercule Poirot will need all his sleuthing skills to uncover the passengers’ secrets and find the murderer.
Introduction and Points of interest
Not only is Death on the Nile one of the most cleverly plotted of Agatha Christie’s novels, it is in fact the favourite Christie novel of many readers. The combination of a superb plot with colourful and engaging characters and the accurately described exotic setting of an old river-steamer results in a gripping, convincing murder mystery. The isolation of the passengers on board the river steamer is an interesting twist on the traditional ‘locked room’ mystery and adds to the atmosphere of suspense.
Perhaps unusually for a murder mystery, there is also a secondary storyline of a love-story that adds depth to the central characters and provides a plot ‘twist’ and to add further interest, the victim and murderer are not portrayed as simply good versus evil people.
The exotic, backdrop of Egyptian history and landscape, based on Agatha Christie’s personal travels in
Egypt, evoke a strong sense of place. Additionally, although Agatha Christie does not complicate the mystery with historical details, the period setting and dialogue and class distinctions are fascinating and help create an oppressive social atmosphere. We can also see the indirect impact of wartime suspicion in
Colonel Race’s fear of spies and espionage.
Death on the Nile was a book that Agatha Christie clearly enjoyed writing, imbued with her own fascination and love for
Teachers’ Notes
By Liane Purnell,
Senior Lecturer in English at Newman College of Higher
Education
Death on the Nile
What could be better than a honeymoon boat trip on the River
Nile? After their recent and unexpected marriage Linnet and Simon join the other passengers on board, who we soon realise all have their own secret reasons for making the trip. The tranquillity of the cruise will soon be shattered by a brutal crime of passion and
Hercule Poirot will need all his sleuthing skills to uncover the passengers’ secrets and find the murderer.
Introduction and Points of interest
Not only is Death on the Nile one of the most cleverly plotted of Agatha Christie’s novels, it is in fact the favourite Christie novel of many readers. The combination of a superb plot with colourful and engaging characters and the accurately described exotic setting of an old river-steamer results in a gripping, convincing murder mystery. The isolation of the passengers on board the river steamer is an interesting twist on the traditional ‘locked room’ mystery and adds to the atmosphere of suspense.
Perhaps unusually for a murder mystery, there is also a secondary storyline of a love-story that adds depth to the central characters and provides a plot ‘twist’ and to add further interest, the victim and murderer are not portrayed as simply good versus evil people.
The exotic, backdrop of Egyptian history and landscape, based on Agatha Christie’s personal travels in
Egypt, evoke a strong sense of place. Additionally, although Agatha Christie does not complicate the mystery with historical details, the period setting and dialogue and class distinctions are fascinating and help create an oppressive social atmosphere. We can also see the indirect impact of wartime suspicion in
Colonel Race’s fear of spies and espionage.
Death on the Nile was a book that Agatha Christie clearly enjoyed writing, imbued with her own fascination and love for