Title: Murder In Mesopotamia
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery
Format: Paperback
Date of Publication: December 2001
Publisher: Harper
It was clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister was going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of ‘Lovely Louise’, wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner.
In a few days’ time Hercule Poirot was due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late…
Again she bowls me over, pulls the rug from under my feet, pushes me off the cliff only to save me in time. I don’t know how she does it, but she does this every time. Every time I am spellbound by her story. Even here too I was completely engrossed in the mystery. I loved the new way of narration, through Nurse Leatheran’s point of view. It brought out the situation and the characters through a new light. Also, I noticed that in this particular novel, my friend Hercule Poirot had less screen time, so to speak. It was more about and around the characters and the role they play in the murder mystery. Whenever I read a Christie novel I get excited, especially towards the end. And here too I felt the same – excited, giddy, nervous and surprised. For the first time, before I reached the part where the murderer is revealed, I kept the book aside and just gave it a thought – Who could be the murderer? One name struck out to me. I am super happy and proud to say that I was right! For the first time in my Agatha Christie reading history, I guessed the right murderer! I think after spending 10 years with Poirot, his skills and his ‘little grey cells’ are rubbing off on me. It is always such a pleasure to revisit my old friend.
Final Verdict:
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie gets 5 out of 5 stars from me.