Death on the Nile is a Hercule Poirot story and one that I have reread often. Spoilers galore in this post because I’m going to be focusing on the characters so skip this if you haven’t read the book!

Although the mystery takes place on the Nile, it starts in England when the beautiful, rich, and charming Linnet Ridgeway meets her best friend’s fiance, Simon. A few months later, Simon and Linnet are on their honeymoon, followed by Linnet’s ex-best friend, Jacqueline. Also on the boat is Hercule Poirot, which is a good thing because Linnet is soon found dead. The only thing is – neither Simon nor Jacqueline could have done it.

The mystery is excellent, but what caught my attention this re-read were the characters. Linnet is really interesting – she starts the book as this really independent woman who then loses her mind over Simon. And although she’s pretty bossy, she’s also very astute, for example, reading through all documents before she signs. She’s actually a very modern character and if this book was written in as a romance now, I think she would have been the smart and charming protagonist instead of the romance victim.

Her best friend, Jacqueline, was also interesting, although less so than Linnet. That’s mostly because she spends a lot of her time pretending to be the crazy ex-girlfriend and you only realise how smart and calm she can be towards the end. Simon really ruined things, in my opinion, because those were two smart, independent women who could have continued being best friends if not for him.

Another character that got my attention this re-read was Cornelia. She’s a minor character who’s introduced as a companion to her rich and bossy aunt, but her story was amazing. She is courted by this rich and insolent man who turns out to be an English noble (Ferguson) but consistently declines because, well he’s rude to everyone. Ferguson is pretty much a stereotypical ‘bad boy’ so it’s refreshing to see Cornelia choose someone steady and more suitable instead.

Although this is a Hercule Poirot mystery and he is one of my favourite detectives, it was the women who stole the show during this re-read of the novel. Perhaps it’s because I’m currently reading a book on the Golden Age of detective fiction, but I’m actually really impressed with the characters in this novel. It’s a pity that we won’t get to see them again.