Death on the Nile

If you love crime fiction there is no one who writes it better than Agatha Christie. Each one of her books transports you on an adventure where you become part of the crime scene, working to solve the murder before he or she gets away. In Death on the Nile, the vivid descriptions of the ship, the pyramids and the slow winding journey, and even the funny Belgian detective is so well developed you can’t help but be transported. It’s like traveling to exotic locals via armchair.

I read dozens of Agatha Christie mysteries as a teenager, but some classics are worth visiting again. This is one of them. In it, Hercule Poirot is on a luxury cruise up the Nile River, challenged to the utmost as the plot twists and the bodies pile up. Even if you’ve seen one (or more!) of the movie versions, it’s worth checking out Death on the Nile to see how a master writer does her thing. 

Agatha Christie is a marvel of mystery writing. Any of her books are solvable, with the right knowledge. She is not one to hide her clues but confounds her readers anyway. This book I chose because it was one of the books I was able to solve before the ending, which felt great. There is power in reading a tricky mystery and solving it, as it made me feel smart and kept me engaged the whole time. I appreciate that Christie doesn’t lie to her readers and hides no clues. When you solve one of her books, you have earned… show more.