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Hercule Poirot #14, 18, 19
Poirot In the Orient: Murder in Mesopotamia / Death on the Nile / Appointment with Death
Master sleuth Hercule Poirot journeys to the Middle East and encounters murder and mystery, in an omnibus edition containing three classic mystery novels--Murder in Mesopotamia, Death on the Nile, and Appointment with Death. Original.
608 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2001
23 people are currently reading
1262 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,651 books74.1k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 18, 2023
Three great stories in one collection!
Are these the three most famous of Poirot's books? Eh. Death on the Nile is the only one I think most non-Christie readers will have heard of, but the gimmick for this collection this that they are all set in the orient. But they are all good reads, so if you can snag this for cheap, you'll be getting an excellent set.
At the time I'm writing this review it looks like you can get a paperback for about $5 in the US!
I've left links to the longer reviews for each story in case anyone is interested in looking at them individually.
Murder in Mesopotamia
A somewhat stuffy nurse tells the tale of how a little Belgian detective solved the murder of the woman she was looking after. <--in Mesopotamia
Death on the Nile
One of Christie's best.
And one of my personal favorites.
I adore Poirot in this one. He's got such a soft spot for a woman in trouble, and of course, he's always a sucker for young love.
Appointment with Death
It was a complete accident.
Really.
The gist is that a nasty old woman who terrorizes her family gets bumped off and Poirot ends up on the case.
Recommended for fans of Poirot.
Are these the three most famous of Poirot's books? Eh. Death on the Nile is the only one I think most non-Christie readers will have heard of, but the gimmick for this collection this that they are all set in the orient. But they are all good reads, so if you can snag this for cheap, you'll be getting an excellent set.
At the time I'm writing this review it looks like you can get a paperback for about $5 in the US!
I've left links to the longer reviews for each story in case anyone is interested in looking at them individually.
Murder in Mesopotamia
A somewhat stuffy nurse tells the tale of how a little Belgian detective solved the murder of the woman she was looking after. <--in Mesopotamia
Death on the Nile
One of Christie's best.
And one of my personal favorites.
I adore Poirot in this one. He's got such a soft spot for a woman in trouble, and of course, he's always a sucker for young love.
Appointment with Death
It was a complete accident.
Really.
The gist is that a nasty old woman who terrorizes her family gets bumped off and Poirot ends up on the case.
Recommended for fans of Poirot.
July 17, 2025
Borrowed from the RKM Library in 2017, while knee-deep in a comparative analysis of cross-cultural crime fiction, Poirot in the Orient became a sun-drenched detour I hadn’t planned for—but desperately needed. What unfolded was a heady trip through deserts, death, and dazzling deception—Agatha Christie style.
This isn’t a single novel but a thematic omnibus: Murder in Mesopotamia, Death on the Nile, and Appointment with Death—three cases, three murders, one moustachioed detective. Each story transplants Hercule Poirot into the “Orient,” not merely as a passive observer but as a psychic surgeon of guilt and motive. And while the plots dazzle with Christie’s usual cunning, what gripped me most in that 2017 reading was the way the landscapes echoed the interiors of human fallibility.
The best known of the trio, Death on the Nile is Christie at her most operatic: a love triangle, a honeymoon, a river cruise, and—inevitably—death. But this is no mere drawing-room mystery on water. I remember being stunned by how the Egyptian landscape became a kind of Greek chorus: watching, judging, foretelling doom. Characters drink cocktails in evening gowns while ancient temples glide past like silent witnesses.
This novel struck me hard during my comparative study. The affluence and leisure mask a brutal moral decay, and the setting—Egypt, with its layers of imperial conquest—mirrors the characters’ own pretensions and insecurities. Even in 2017, I couldn’t help but see how leisure can camouflage evil, and how Christie used beauty to hide rot.
Now we’re in Iraq, and Christie is flexing her real-world credentials (she traveled extensively with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan). The murder occurs inside a team of archaeologists, and the site itself feels like a Freudian dreamscape: half-buried memories, fragile identities, and one woman whose past is more dangerous than any artifact.
Louise Leidner, the victim, haunted me. She’s complex—equal parts manipulator and prisoner—and through the narration of Nurse Leatheran, we get a psychological interiority rare in Christie. I remember writing in my notebook: “This is Gothic with sunstroke.” The dig becomes a metaphor—what we excavate about others, and what remains hidden in ourselves.
The final installment, set in Petra, is the darkest and most Dostoevskian of the three. Here, the murder is less a mystery and more an inevitability. The villainous Mrs. Boynton controls her family with tyrannical cruelty, and her death brings relief as much as it raises suspicion. Petra’s cavernous setting isn’t just scenic—it becomes a psychic landscape, a tomb of buried trauma.
Poirot, uncharacteristically subdued, is less the flamboyant sleuth and more the moral compass—an exorcist in a land of ghosts. I closed this novel with a knot in my stomach. The psychological claustrophobia lingered. Unlike Nile, this wasn’t just a whodunit—it was a who-couldn’t.
What connected all three stories, I realised, was not just Poirot’s wit or Christie’s intricate plotting—but how each narrative placed Westerners in the “East” and let the landscape slowly unmask them. These aren’t colonial critiques per se, but Christie doesn’t let her characters off easy. The Orient isn’t exotic wallpaper—it’s an ethical x-ray.
Tonally, the trilogy shifts like stages of psychological unpeeling:
Death on the Nile is seductive and sharp.
Murder in Mesopotamia is procedural and paranoid.
Appointment with Death is brooding and tragic.
And always, always—each victim is complicit in their downfall. In Christie’s universe, death isn’t random; it’s karmic. Sin leaves footprints, even in sand.
Looking back, that borrowed volume shaped more than just my comparative essay. It made me see how genre fiction—when done right—can be a lens for colonial tension, trauma studies, and cultural performance. Christie didn’t just write puzzles. She wrote people—fragile, furious, fated.
And me, hunched over a desk in RKM Library, yellowed pages crinkling under my notes—I saw how mystery could also be a kind of map. Not just of murder, but of meaning. Morality, in Christie’s world, is always about geography—shifting, deceptive, and full of mirages.
This isn’t a single novel but a thematic omnibus: Murder in Mesopotamia, Death on the Nile, and Appointment with Death—three cases, three murders, one moustachioed detective. Each story transplants Hercule Poirot into the “Orient,” not merely as a passive observer but as a psychic surgeon of guilt and motive. And while the plots dazzle with Christie’s usual cunning, what gripped me most in that 2017 reading was the way the landscapes echoed the interiors of human fallibility.
The best known of the trio, Death on the Nile is Christie at her most operatic: a love triangle, a honeymoon, a river cruise, and—inevitably—death. But this is no mere drawing-room mystery on water. I remember being stunned by how the Egyptian landscape became a kind of Greek chorus: watching, judging, foretelling doom. Characters drink cocktails in evening gowns while ancient temples glide past like silent witnesses.
This novel struck me hard during my comparative study. The affluence and leisure mask a brutal moral decay, and the setting—Egypt, with its layers of imperial conquest—mirrors the characters’ own pretensions and insecurities. Even in 2017, I couldn’t help but see how leisure can camouflage evil, and how Christie used beauty to hide rot.
Now we’re in Iraq, and Christie is flexing her real-world credentials (she traveled extensively with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan). The murder occurs inside a team of archaeologists, and the site itself feels like a Freudian dreamscape: half-buried memories, fragile identities, and one woman whose past is more dangerous than any artifact.
Louise Leidner, the victim, haunted me. She’s complex—equal parts manipulator and prisoner—and through the narration of Nurse Leatheran, we get a psychological interiority rare in Christie. I remember writing in my notebook: “This is Gothic with sunstroke.” The dig becomes a metaphor—what we excavate about others, and what remains hidden in ourselves.
The final installment, set in Petra, is the darkest and most Dostoevskian of the three. Here, the murder is less a mystery and more an inevitability. The villainous Mrs. Boynton controls her family with tyrannical cruelty, and her death brings relief as much as it raises suspicion. Petra’s cavernous setting isn’t just scenic—it becomes a psychic landscape, a tomb of buried trauma.
Poirot, uncharacteristically subdued, is less the flamboyant sleuth and more the moral compass—an exorcist in a land of ghosts. I closed this novel with a knot in my stomach. The psychological claustrophobia lingered. Unlike Nile, this wasn’t just a whodunit—it was a who-couldn’t.
What connected all three stories, I realised, was not just Poirot’s wit or Christie’s intricate plotting—but how each narrative placed Westerners in the “East” and let the landscape slowly unmask them. These aren’t colonial critiques per se, but Christie doesn’t let her characters off easy. The Orient isn’t exotic wallpaper—it’s an ethical x-ray.
Tonally, the trilogy shifts like stages of psychological unpeeling:
Death on the Nile is seductive and sharp.
Murder in Mesopotamia is procedural and paranoid.
Appointment with Death is brooding and tragic.
And always, always—each victim is complicit in their downfall. In Christie’s universe, death isn’t random; it’s karmic. Sin leaves footprints, even in sand.
Looking back, that borrowed volume shaped more than just my comparative essay. It made me see how genre fiction—when done right—can be a lens for colonial tension, trauma studies, and cultural performance. Christie didn’t just write puzzles. She wrote people—fragile, furious, fated.
And me, hunched over a desk in RKM Library, yellowed pages crinkling under my notes—I saw how mystery could also be a kind of map. Not just of murder, but of meaning. Morality, in Christie’s world, is always about geography—shifting, deceptive, and full of mirages.
October 27, 2009
This book is a collection of three different Hercule Poirot mysteries: Murder in Mesopotamia, Death on the Nile, and Appointment with Death. I'll add to this review as I read each one, since I don't plan on reading all of them at once. Each of the books put M. Poirot in interesting locations based on Agatha Christie's own travels to this part of the world and archaeological sites with her husband.
Murder in Mesopotamia: A neat little "closed room" mystery in which Poirot visits the workers at a dig site. The narrative is a first person account from a nurse who recently joined the group, and it was fun to experience the story through her eyes (and including her biases). The mystery seemed a little far-fetched, but the solution did tie together everything and was fun to reach. I've always enjoyed Poirot mysteries, and this was no exception. A fun, quick, light read.
Death on the Nile: This is the longest of the three novels included in this volume. It was very different in style from the first, but the mystery and solution seemed to be almost as convoluted and a bit contrived. I realize that's going to happen a lot with mysteries (especially from Christie), but it still was a little distracting. However, overall the story was still very light and engaging. Christie's works are very quick and easy to read, and always entertaining.
Appointment with Death: The last novel was also the shortest. It also had the distinction of having a murder victim that most everyone (including the reader) wanted to die. As in the others, the facts seemed to be laid out plainly, yet in the end it has a bit of a curve ball solution. I was happy to have predicted it, but it was more from a process of elimination than from figuring it out. Still, a quick and enjoyable read.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. The stories were typical Christie, and I've always liked Monsieur Poirot. My one complaint was that this volume didn't include Murder on the Orient Express. Not only would it have fit perfectly with the theme, but that particular adventure is mentioned specifically in two of the other novels. If you've never read a Poirot mystery, this would be a great volume with which to start.
Murder in Mesopotamia: A neat little "closed room" mystery in which Poirot visits the workers at a dig site. The narrative is a first person account from a nurse who recently joined the group, and it was fun to experience the story through her eyes (and including her biases). The mystery seemed a little far-fetched, but the solution did tie together everything and was fun to reach. I've always enjoyed Poirot mysteries, and this was no exception. A fun, quick, light read.
Death on the Nile: This is the longest of the three novels included in this volume. It was very different in style from the first, but the mystery and solution seemed to be almost as convoluted and a bit contrived. I realize that's going to happen a lot with mysteries (especially from Christie), but it still was a little distracting. However, overall the story was still very light and engaging. Christie's works are very quick and easy to read, and always entertaining.
Appointment with Death: The last novel was also the shortest. It also had the distinction of having a murder victim that most everyone (including the reader) wanted to die. As in the others, the facts seemed to be laid out plainly, yet in the end it has a bit of a curve ball solution. I was happy to have predicted it, but it was more from a process of elimination than from figuring it out. Still, a quick and enjoyable read.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. The stories were typical Christie, and I've always liked Monsieur Poirot. My one complaint was that this volume didn't include Murder on the Orient Express. Not only would it have fit perfectly with the theme, but that particular adventure is mentioned specifically in two of the other novels. If you've never read a Poirot mystery, this would be a great volume with which to start.
August 30, 2019
My first Agatha Christie - and I loved it! Hercule Poirot is delightful. (Death on the Nile was my favorite of the three!)
December 7, 2021
Death on the Nile:
The story was intriguing though the ending was not so unexpected. It's similar to another Agatha Christie's book (but Miss Marple is there). In my mind, I was hoping for another ending. If I remember correctly, Poirot felt a little sadness and compassion for the culprit, and I also felt the same. A great writer toys with our feeling and establishes connections through his/her characters. That's what Christie did in this book. It's 4 stars!!!! I'm waiting for the movie adaptation with Gal Gadot.
Murder in Mesopotamia:
This one I finished recently. The story is told from the perspective of one character (it's not Hasting, even though, Poitor appears). A woman is assigned a nurse by her husband because she suffers from something (which cannot be easily explained, even by the characters). She's worried about something, and suddenly, is found dead. Unlike the other book, I was careful in following the clues and wanted to at least have a suspect. I didn't accomplish it. All the characters that surrounded the woman, could be culprits. But I want to highlight two things:
a) The use of psychology. Poirot found no physical clues but "mental clues". He arrived at the truth understanding the different personalities. I wonder how much we can learn about others by asking the right questions.
b) Christie put explicitly some clues in order for the readers to make a prediction. When one of them was revealed, I was stunned. I did the one thing that private detectives never do: believe blindly believe the testimony of witnesses. In retrospect, I did it because it's was a natural response that anybody could have done it. Also, the solution of this case is one example of "thinking outside the box". A great twist!!.
Due to the reasons explained above, I give this book 5 stars!!!!!. Sometime later I will re-read it.
Appointment with Death
I don't remember much about this story, just the beginning of it. Once I finish the book to fresh my memory, I will revalue my rating but meanwhile, I will give it 3 stars!!! (if I don't remember a book, most probably I didn't like it so much, or who knows what happened).
Averaging the 3 ratings, the result is 4 stars!!!!
The story was intriguing though the ending was not so unexpected. It's similar to another Agatha Christie's book (but Miss Marple is there). In my mind, I was hoping for another ending. If I remember correctly, Poirot felt a little sadness and compassion for the culprit, and I also felt the same. A great writer toys with our feeling and establishes connections through his/her characters. That's what Christie did in this book. It's 4 stars!!!! I'm waiting for the movie adaptation with Gal Gadot.
Murder in Mesopotamia:
This one I finished recently. The story is told from the perspective of one character (it's not Hasting, even though, Poitor appears). A woman is assigned a nurse by her husband because she suffers from something (which cannot be easily explained, even by the characters). She's worried about something, and suddenly, is found dead. Unlike the other book, I was careful in following the clues and wanted to at least have a suspect. I didn't accomplish it. All the characters that surrounded the woman, could be culprits. But I want to highlight two things:
a) The use of psychology. Poirot found no physical clues but "mental clues". He arrived at the truth understanding the different personalities. I wonder how much we can learn about others by asking the right questions.
b) Christie put explicitly some clues in order for the readers to make a prediction. When one of them was revealed, I was stunned. I did the one thing that private detectives never do: believe blindly believe the testimony of witnesses. In retrospect, I did it because it's was a natural response that anybody could have done it. Also, the solution of this case is one example of "thinking outside the box". A great twist!!.
Due to the reasons explained above, I give this book 5 stars!!!!!. Sometime later I will re-read it.
Appointment with Death
I don't remember much about this story, just the beginning of it. Once I finish the book to fresh my memory, I will revalue my rating but meanwhile, I will give it 3 stars!!! (if I don't remember a book, most probably I didn't like it so much, or who knows what happened).
Averaging the 3 ratings, the result is 4 stars!!!!
March 9, 2023
I'm going to put AC and Poirot reading aside for awhile. AC either likes to hear herself write or just has the urge to pad, in the hope of raising suspense maybe? I give Murder in Mesopotamia 4*, and you can stop reading after that. AC went completely overboard on Death on the Nile. At least Appointment with Death was shorter, but still tedious and repetitious. I couldn't WAIT for the latter two to end.
September 13, 2025
I really enjoyed the first half. All of the tension building and character introspection was superb!! A++
But the actual detective-y bit in the second half fell flat for me. It got too repetitive and I didn’t particularly like Hercule Poirot. He was so smug and kind of arrogant. Of course this is just one book out of 33 that feature him, so maybe we met under the wrong circumstances…I’ll give him another try someday!
But the actual detective-y bit in the second half fell flat for me. It got too repetitive and I didn’t particularly like Hercule Poirot. He was so smug and kind of arrogant. Of course this is just one book out of 33 that feature him, so maybe we met under the wrong circumstances…I’ll give him another try someday!
April 17, 2021
Finished the last book Appointment with Death. I really liked it. It's set in one of the places that I would love to visit, Petra. As with most of Dame Agatha's books, it's a bit twisted when it comes to the family dynamics. All in all, I really liked all three of the books and the movies that where made from them.
January 30, 2024
Death on the Nile was definitely my fav out of the lot, for the first one, the entire premise itself felt a bit boring. All 3 are a bit you know formulaic like they feel predictable and aren't like groundbreaking mysteries but I believe Agatha Christie made the formula so rather than it being similar to other mysteries I believe the other ones are similar to hers. A true Pioneer of her field.
August 1, 2022
Felt like a facsimile of
A murder mystery whodunit. Kind of formulaic. But I guess it
Invented the formula. Anyway, ok plot twist at the end where Poirot spells out how the crime occurred but doesn’t press it since the victim deserved it.
A murder mystery whodunit. Kind of formulaic. But I guess it
Invented the formula. Anyway, ok plot twist at the end where Poirot spells out how the crime occurred but doesn’t press it since the victim deserved it.
August 13, 2022
Kinda slow at the begging, there were too many characters that I had a difficult time knowing who was who buuuut THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK WAS SO GOOD!
I loved that this took part in the Nile and in a Cruise, and the drama in it omggg
I loved that this took part in the Nile and in a Cruise, and the drama in it omggg
August 7, 2018
I had this one solved as soon as it happened
May 3, 2021
The best was Death on the Nile!
June 16, 2021
Like it like it too
December 20, 2021
Three varying stories by Agatha Christie showing her style as a crime novelist.
March 12, 2025
gave up but i watched the movie so it counts 😋
November 5, 2013
I think Agatha Christie was trying to give the readers three scary mysteries that show how self gain can make people do evil and twisted things. The first book takes place on an archeological dig site in Mesopotamia. The second book takes place on a boat going down the Nile, and the last book takes place in the ruins of Petra. These books were not narrated by a specific character, but by an invisible being that can share with the reader the thoughts of the main character. In Murder in Mesopotamia, one of the main characters is Louise Leidner, the wife of a well known archeologist, who suffers from supposed hallucinations of her dead ex-husband. She is soon found dead in her room with nothing but a small bump on her head. Her husband is Eric Leidner, the archeologist. After his wife is found dead, the famous French detective, Hercule Poirot is brought in to solve the case. In Death on the Nile, one of the main characters is the wealthy and beautiful heiress, Linnet Doyle who steals her best friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort’s fiancé, Simon Doyle. Linnet is soon found dead on her honeymoon, and Hercule Poirot must solve this murder case. In the last book, An Appointment With Death, one of the main characters, a nasty old woman who never loosens her tight grasp on her family and forbids them from having fun, named Mrs. Boynton is found dead in her cave. Everyone assumes that one of her stepchildren who loathe her must have done it, but Hercule Poirot must find out who the real murderer is.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Even though the mysteries were all murder mysteries, each one was different from the others. In the beginning of each book, because of the English, it was a bit challenging to understand who each character was, but later on the characters and their relationships to each other is much clearer. These books are a little similar to the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because they are both fast-paced mysteries, but they still are unique from each other. I chose this book because my dad told me that he read a lot of mysteries like Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys when he was my age, but I wanted to read something with a higher level of English so I chose this. I am happy I chose this book. I loved the twists Agatha Christie put in at the ends. I could never predict who the murder was. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a scary murder mystery to read.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Even though the mysteries were all murder mysteries, each one was different from the others. In the beginning of each book, because of the English, it was a bit challenging to understand who each character was, but later on the characters and their relationships to each other is much clearer. These books are a little similar to the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because they are both fast-paced mysteries, but they still are unique from each other. I chose this book because my dad told me that he read a lot of mysteries like Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys when he was my age, but I wanted to read something with a higher level of English so I chose this. I am happy I chose this book. I loved the twists Agatha Christie put in at the ends. I could never predict who the murder was. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a scary murder mystery to read.
April 8, 2018
ATMOSFERE SUGGESTIVE
L'impatto di questi tre romanzi risulta maggiore quando si pensa che l'autrice li ha ambientati nell'Oriente, di cui aveva subito il fascino e che aveva particolarmente a cuore.
***
"Poirot sul Nilo" è magistrale, indescrivibile. Nonostante non apprezzi quando ci si dilunga troppo e non si va subito al sodo, ho adorato il modo in cui la Christie è riuscita a costruire attorno al delitto uno scenario suggestivo popolato da personaggi che mi sentirei di definire "vivi". Ha insomma fatto in modo che il lettore instaurasse un rapporto con ognuno di essi, dispiacendosi quasi al momento della scoperta del reo, e finendo per commuoversi.
"Buona parte delle grandi storie d'amore sono tragedie."
"Non aprite il vostro cuore al male. [...] Perché… se lo fate… il male verrà… sì, ne sono sicuro… il male verrà… entrerà in voi, si comporterà da padrone e, alla fine, scoprirete di non essere più capace di scacciarlo."
***
"Non c'è più scampo" e "La domatrice" li ho reputati inferiori perché, se del primo ho indovinato il colpevole, ho creduto che il secondo fosse un po' confusionario, approdando ad una soluzione che non mi ha proprio soddisfatta. Non si può, in ogni caso, non riconoscere la solita accuratezza nell'analisi psicologica, che viene attuata in modo impercettibile, perdendosi nell'impostazione dialogica che pare invece segno di superficialità... Aprite gli occhi, perché troverete vere e proprie perle di saggezza!
"Pare che non si debba parlar male dei morti. È una stupida convenzione, secondo me. La verità è sempre la verità. E tutto sommato è forse meglio non parlar male... dei vivi, ai quali si può far del danno. I morti sono al di là di tutto, ma qualche volta il male che han fatto, sopravvive."
"So che l'ambizione sfrenata è la causa dei mali maggiori che affliggono l'animo umano. Se essa trova alimento, conduce alla violenza e al completo godimento finale... Se è costretta, e non trova possibilità di sfogo... allora è il manicomio. Sì, i manicomi sono pieni di individui che, incapaci di adattarsi alla mediocrità, si sono creati un'evasione in un mondo fittizio."
L'impatto di questi tre romanzi risulta maggiore quando si pensa che l'autrice li ha ambientati nell'Oriente, di cui aveva subito il fascino e che aveva particolarmente a cuore.
***
"Poirot sul Nilo" è magistrale, indescrivibile. Nonostante non apprezzi quando ci si dilunga troppo e non si va subito al sodo, ho adorato il modo in cui la Christie è riuscita a costruire attorno al delitto uno scenario suggestivo popolato da personaggi che mi sentirei di definire "vivi". Ha insomma fatto in modo che il lettore instaurasse un rapporto con ognuno di essi, dispiacendosi quasi al momento della scoperta del reo, e finendo per commuoversi.
"Buona parte delle grandi storie d'amore sono tragedie."
"Non aprite il vostro cuore al male. [...] Perché… se lo fate… il male verrà… sì, ne sono sicuro… il male verrà… entrerà in voi, si comporterà da padrone e, alla fine, scoprirete di non essere più capace di scacciarlo."
***
"Non c'è più scampo" e "La domatrice" li ho reputati inferiori perché, se del primo ho indovinato il colpevole, ho creduto che il secondo fosse un po' confusionario, approdando ad una soluzione che non mi ha proprio soddisfatta. Non si può, in ogni caso, non riconoscere la solita accuratezza nell'analisi psicologica, che viene attuata in modo impercettibile, perdendosi nell'impostazione dialogica che pare invece segno di superficialità... Aprite gli occhi, perché troverete vere e proprie perle di saggezza!
"Pare che non si debba parlar male dei morti. È una stupida convenzione, secondo me. La verità è sempre la verità. E tutto sommato è forse meglio non parlar male... dei vivi, ai quali si può far del danno. I morti sono al di là di tutto, ma qualche volta il male che han fatto, sopravvive."
"So che l'ambizione sfrenata è la causa dei mali maggiori che affliggono l'animo umano. Se essa trova alimento, conduce alla violenza e al completo godimento finale... Se è costretta, e non trova possibilità di sfogo... allora è il manicomio. Sì, i manicomi sono pieni di individui che, incapaci di adattarsi alla mediocrità, si sono creati un'evasione in un mondo fittizio."
December 30, 2013
Sooooo.... This is definitely a new experience, reading other than Doyle's works ^_^ I would have thought that Christie was more a romance author than mystery. It's my subjectivity for getting used to read straight-to-point murders or cries by Doyle. Her stories were also covered with drama, lenghty conversation, and complicated connections.
I mean murders were/are not always that simple but Christie's style were original. I suppose. They drew more on psychological investigations. The main detective, Hercule Poirot, was an astounding detective with impecabble photographic memory. It was so weird that murders seemed to follow him around anywhere *_*
His questioning methods were simple but effective. Just by questioning them in certain ways, then the murder will reveal him/herself. Say goodbye to CSI the! :p
Anyways, I can only guess the first case out of three. The last two were quite impressive to me, never thought of the murderers like Poirot did. Well, of course, I am not the detective :p
All in all, I enjoy this light reading. It was loooooooooong narration but it suited my eyes before bed time ^_^
I mean murders were/are not always that simple but Christie's style were original. I suppose. They drew more on psychological investigations. The main detective, Hercule Poirot, was an astounding detective with impecabble photographic memory. It was so weird that murders seemed to follow him around anywhere *_*
His questioning methods were simple but effective. Just by questioning them in certain ways, then the murder will reveal him/herself. Say goodbye to CSI the! :p
Anyways, I can only guess the first case out of three. The last two were quite impressive to me, never thought of the murderers like Poirot did. Well, of course, I am not the detective :p
All in all, I enjoy this light reading. It was loooooooooong narration but it suited my eyes before bed time ^_^
February 17, 2010
This was a good collection. All three books were enjoyable, though it definitely felt like it could have hung together better, in terms of the fact that it was unclear whether these were all from the same time period of Poirot travelling or not. Rather than go through each of the novels here, I've done separate reviews, since I've already read each of these books on their own in the past.
Want to read
February 14, 2019Cita con la muerte: To read
Poirot en Egipto: a.k.a. Muerte en el Nilo, pica en el título para ver mi reseña
Asesinato en Mesopotamia: To read
Poirot en Egipto: a.k.a. Muerte en el Nilo, pica en el título para ver mi reseña
Asesinato en Mesopotamia: To read
July 27, 2009
Finished Death on the Nile - excellent.
I'm now reading Murder in Mesopotamia. This is my first foray into Agatha Christie and I'm really enjoying it.
I'm now reading Murder in Mesopotamia. This is my first foray into Agatha Christie and I'm really enjoying it.
February 12, 2010
Finished two stories of three from this book, great mystery stories and intriguing characters - what else could you ask more of Christie?
June 26, 2011
Excellent collection of three great Poirot novels. Murder in Mesopotamia, Death on the Nile, and Appointment with Death.
February 14, 2016
Superb as always. The ending of Appointment with Death is perhaps even too good, but oh well. They deserved it. I've always thought that Agatha Christie was really a romantic at heart.
May 31, 2014
Best mysteries I have ever read. The plots were all complex and the solutions to the crimes will astonish you.
April 1, 2015
Agatha is always a great read! Still one of my favorite utters of all time.
April 24, 2015
one of my favorites
August 11, 2011
Agatha Christie is a joy. However- she seems to have it out for doctors. Wonder why?
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