Agatha Christie was arguably the most popular fiction writer of all time, having sold over two billion copies of her novels. She published her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles in the early 1920s. It featured the quirky Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, perhaps her best-known recurring character.
Christie wrote over 60 detective novels, as well as several short stories and the world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap (1952-2020). Covid 19 forced the close in 2020, but it reopened in 2021.
Christie married her second husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowan, and in the following years, she accompanied him on several digs around the Middle East, including in Egypt. Her knowledge of Egypt from these various trips informed her writing of Death on the Nile.
Let’s have some fun. Here are five trivia questions about the mystery, Death on the Nile. First contestant email I receive with correct answers to all five questions wins a $10 Amazon gift card! Don’t forget to date your entries, and send them to my email address, herringtonbd@gmail.com. Good Luck!
What experience of Christie inspired her to create Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective, rather than an English detective?
2. What is the name of the Nile River steamer boat in Death on the Nile, and what is its peculiar connection with Johnny Carson?
3. In Death on the Nile, class and privilege play an important role in how the novel’s characters judge and relate to one another. With respect to major character Linnet Ridgway, what two specific examples does Christie use to emphasize her class and privilege?
4. Aside from the fact that Poirot being in Egypt is extremely coincidental—a hallmark of mystery novels — why is he there?
5. What mode of travel does not agree with Hercule Poirot?
Easy-peazy-lemon-squeezy for all you Agatha Christie fans!