'Death Comes as the End' by Agatha Christie

In this novel of anger, jealousy, betrayal and murder, the Queen of Mystery transports us back to ancient Egypt 2000 B.C. where a priest’s daughter, investigating a suspicious death, uncovers a wasp’s nest of jealousy, betrayal, and serial murder.

MY THOUGHTS:

I'd just hopped into a bubble bath with an Agatha Christie mystery expecting 1930s Britain as usual, but got Ancient Egypt instead! Whoa, that took me totally off guard but I decided to flow with it. It seems that spurred on by her Middle East field observations with her archaeologist husband, the Queen of Crime challenged herself to create a detective story with a radically different setting, while retaining her hallmark for murders on family estates with assorted motives between an extensive cast. The foreword of my library book shows she was encouraged by her friend, Professor Stephen Glanville, who sent her heaps of literature.  

I've often thought about the potential pitfalls of historical research for authors who are used to writing contemporary fiction. My husband always insists that any plot can be tailored to fit any time period and setting. I believe Agatha Christie aimed to prove the same thing in her own way, and did a pretty good job.

It's some time around 4000 BC and Renisenb, a young widow, has returned to her family home after eight years away. She's relieved to find that her brothers, sisters-in-law, granny and father haven't changed at all. Time tends to stand still at her family home, which comforts her. Yet Hori, the young estate manager, challenges Renisenb that this is not the case. He's certain that turmoil brews beneath the appearance of family unity which needs just one spark from outside to make it all combust. 

This spark comes in the form of Nofret, their elderly father's hot new concubine, who turns out to be an artful troublemaker and makes no friends for herself. When Nofret is discovered dead on a walking trail, it appears she accidentally fell from another path high above, yet everyone tacitly agrees that convenient conclusion is a copout. The big question is, who resented Nofret enough to push her? Could it be any of Renisenb's brothers; gentle, compliant Yahmose, Sobek, the inept grumbler, or Ipy, the mutinous and spoiled 16-year-old? Perhaps Henet, the two-faced and calculating poor relative, knows more than she's letting on. 

When it appears that Nofret's vengeful spirit is at large, trying to get even with every single member of her hapless husband's family, it's clear something must be done. 

The story delves into the masks people wear, yet in this context, the wise Hori likens them to false doors in pyramids and tombs. Sadly, I wasn't convinced by the revelation of the murderer. Usually Agatha Christie's unexpected twists work fine, but this one feels forced. Even though she left a characteristic hint to justify the great reveal, I didn't buy it. The chasm between what we see of the murderer and what we get is simply too huge to swallow, and I can't believe for a moment this person would snap to the extent of embarking on the reckless rampage that ensues.

That's sad really, because other than that, I enjoyed the visit to Ancient Egypt. 

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