Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie is a
Hercule Poirot novel. It concerns Linnet Ridgeway, a rich and beautiful American
heiress living in England. She marries the fiancé (Simon Doyle) from her good,
but poor, friend (Jacqueline de Bellefort, aka Jackie). Like many books in this
series, a long list of suspects ends up confined together. In this case, they’re
on a ship touring the Nile. Linnet and a couple of others get murdered. Hercule
Poirot catches the murderers.
The story is closely related to the 2nd
book of Samuel chapter 12. This chapter is about King David taking Bathsheba
from her husband. This incident is not mentioned in the book, but the Parable
of the Ewe from this chapter is discussed.
One day a guest arrived at the home of the
rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took
the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.
The book is strangely contemporary because the
author presents Linnet’s fatal flaw to be her privilege. Poirot accuses Linnet
of being “like the rich man in the Bible, you took the poor man’s one ewe lamb.”
If this doesn’t point out Linnet’s privilege, he further observes, “Linnet’s
been brought to believe that every annoyance can automatically be referred to
the police.”
Later on, in a different context, the author
again rails against privilege. “Put it on to a poor devil like Fleetwood, who
can’t defend himself, who’s got no money to hire lawyers.”
Cornelia sighed. “They thought of everything.”
[Poirot’s] eyes seemed to be saying: “You are
wrong. They didn’t allow for Hercule Poirot.”
Agatha Christie. Lots of suspects. Complicated
murders. Not too complicated for Hercule Poirot.
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