Book Review: Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
by Agatha Christie

5 out of 5 stars

Hercule Poirot is on vacation in Egypt, taking a boat trip down the Nile. Linnet Doyle, a young bride on her honeymoon, asks for Poirot’s help. She has stolen her new husband from her former best friend, Jackie, and now Jackie is following them everywhere they go, pestering them with her very presence. Poirot agrees to talk with Jackie and try to persuade her to leave them alone. He warns Jackie that if she continues on her present course, she will invite evil into her heart. And yet, the next day she is there on the boat, following the newlyweds once again. As he observes their behavior, Poirot begins to worry that some drastic violence will tear apart this love triangle… ending in murder.

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Book Review: Evil Under the Sun

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Evil Under the Sun
by Agatha Christie

5 out of 5 stars

Poirot is on vacation at a hotel on an island. He likes to people-watch and get to know the other tourists at the hotel, but he becomes uneasy when he sees a married lady flirting with another man who is also married. The entire hotel is gossiping about the affair when the lady turns up dead on the beach. Did her husband kill her in a jealous rage, or did someone else have motive for murder?

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Book Review: Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie

Hickory Dickory Dock (Hercule Poirot, #34)
by Agatha Christie

4.5 out of 5 stars

Hercule Poirot’s efficient secretary Miss Lemon is upset and distracted, because there have been some strange thefts at the student hostel that her sister runs. Poirot agrees to investigate the petty thefts to help out Miss Lemon’s sister, Mrs. Hubbard. At first it seems like random little things that have gone missing, but there are a few items that stand out from the list: a valuable doctor’s stethoscope, a diamond ring, a rucksack that was slashed to pieces, and all the lightbulbs in the common rooms. Only Poirot can sift through the clues and find a connection between the missing items. He begins to find out more about the students who board at the hostel, wondering which of them could be thief, or perhaps… a murderer.

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Book Review: Appointment with Death

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

Appointment with Death (Hercule Poirot, #19)
by Agatha Christie

5 out of 5 stars

A family group are visiting Jerusalem, and they make the trip to see the ruins of Petra. Their fellow travelers notice that the family seem on edge, nervous, and even afraid. Their mother, Mrs. Boynton, controls every aspect of their lives, and she takes delight in cruelty, torturing them emotionally and mentally for years until they are almost crazed.
When Mrs. Boynton is poisoned at Petra, suspicion falls on each of her children. They are relieved that she is dead. They must have killed her to escape from her brutality. Only Poirot can discover the true killer and sift through the timeline of events that led to Mrs. Boynton’s death.

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Book Review: Jane and the Final Mystery

Jane and the Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Final Mystery (Being a Jane Austen Mystery #15)
by Stephanie Barron

4 out of 5 stars

Jane knows she is nearing the end of her life. Her health has been deteriorating for months and the doctors give her six months to live. However, when her old friend Elizabeth Heathcote is in trouble, Jane and her nephew Edward are ready to help. Elizabeth’s son, William, has been accused of murdering a schoolmate at Winchester College, a boys’ boarding school. Jane’s nephew Edward tells her all about the boys college and how William endured hazing and cruel pranks. But could William have lashed out at his tormentors to the extent of murdering one of them?

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Book Review: Jane and the Year Without a Summer

Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Year Without a Summer (Jane Austen Mysteries, #14)
by Stephanie Barron

5 out of 5 stars

Jane and her sister Cassandra are visiting Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. They hope that by sampling the sulfurous waters, Jane’s health might improve. They stay at a boarding house and are very curious about the other guests. One of the boarders is Miss Williams, a young lady confined to a wheelchair, who is constantly fussed over and spoiled by her faithful friend. A married couple are always complaining and making things unpleasant for everyone. Jane is surprised to find that her friend Raphael West appears to know another one of the boarders, Mrs. Smith, who works with a theater company. But when a murder occurs at a masquerade ball, Jane realizes there must be some connection to the people at their boardinghouse.

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Book Review: Jane and the Waterloo Map

Jane and the Waterloo Map by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Waterloo Map (Jane Austen Mysteries, #13)
by Stephanie Barron

4 out of 5 stars

Jane is invited to the palace of the Prince Regent to visit his library. She is “delighted” that the Prince Regent has “granted her the honor” of dedicating her next book to him, even though she secretly despises the Prince Regent for his selfishly lavish lifestyle. While Jane is visiting the library, a military man stumbles in, foaming at the mouth and evidently poisoned. Before he dies, he manages to whisper two words to Jane, “Waterloo Map”. Jane begins to investigate what the poor man could have meant, and why he would have been poisoned in the Prince Regent’s own house.

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