Rating: 
Summary: A FIRST-RATE READING
Review: Agatha Christie fans (and what mystery lover isn't one?) will thoroughly enjoy this vocal performance by Carole Boyd. It's a switch from the usual Hercule Poirot narrator, which gives the story a different viewpoint and dimension.
The Iraqi desert with its sand, sun and oppressive heat has never held Amy in thrall. Nonetheless, there she is to nurse a patient with frightening imaginings. At least, Amy believes they're imaginings until said patient is found murdered.
Enter the detecting powers of Hercule Poirot who, fortunately for all, happens to be visiting the excavation site. There's more afoot here than any of the archaeologists ever dreamed. Poirot must dig deep to solve this one.
Listen and enjoy the unparalleled story telling of Agatha Christie.
- Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully planned
Review: Agatha Christie is my favorite author of all time (and I'm only 14 years old), and this book is one of my favorites of hers.
Nurse Amy Leatheran is hired by American archaeologist Dr. Eric Leidner, on an expedition in Mesopotamia, to look after his anxious wife, Louise. One day Louise confesses to Nurse Leatheran that she has been receiving threatening letters warning her away from romantic relations with other men, purported to be from her first husband, now supposed to be dead. The next day she is found bludgeoned in her bedroom. According to the natives, no stranger entered the courtyard, so the killer must be one of the expedition staff. Who sent the letters (and possibly killed her)? Her first husband? His younger brother? Her current husband, Dr. Leidner? Another archaeologist on the team? Dr. Leidner's assistant? Or even Nurse Leatheran? Luckily for the local police, Hercule Poirot is on his way to Baghdad and just might stop in...
The motive and the M.O. were simple, compared to some of Christie's later novels, and it was, as I said above, wonderfully planned. A murder carried out while giving the murderer an alibi at the same time...
The influence of Christie's travels with her archaeologist husband, Sir Max Mallowan, is prominently displayed here. (I liked the television movie adaptation with David Suchet, but that's just me - I love the whole series. Hastings was included, and the scenery and music were wonderful.)All in all, an excellent read by one of the greatest authors of all time (and a decent TV movie, if you'd like to check it out.) :-)
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully planned
Review: Agatha Christie is my favorite author of all time (and I'm only 14 years old), and this book is one of my favorites of hers.
Nurse Amy Leatheran is hired by American archaeologist Dr. Eric Leidner, on an expedition in Mesopotamia, to look after his anxious wife, Louise. One day Louise confesses to Nurse Leatheran that she has been receiving threatening letters warning her away from romantic relations with other men, purported to be from her first husband, now supposed to be dead. The next day she is found bludgeoned in her bedroom. According to the natives, no stranger entered the courtyard, so the killer must be one of the expedition staff. Who sent the letters (and possibly killed her)? Her first husband? His younger brother? Her current husband, Dr. Leidner? Another archaeologist on the team? Dr. Leidner's assistant? Or even Nurse Leatheran? Luckily for the local police, Hercule Poirot is on his way to Baghdad and just might stop in...
The motive and the M.O. were simple, compared to some of Christie's later novels, and it was, as I said above, wonderfully planned. A murder carried out while giving the murderer an alibi at the same time...
The influence of Christie's travels with her archaeologist husband, Sir Max Mallowan, is prominently displayed here. (I liked the television movie adaptation with David Suchet, but that's just me - I love the whole series. Hastings was included, and the scenery and music were wonderful.) All in all, an excellent read by one of the greatest authors of all time (and a decent TV movie, if you'd like to check it out.) :-)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent archaeological mystery
Review: Christie sets this engaging mystery at an archaeological dig. Narrator Amy Leatheran, a nurse sent to care for Louise Leidner, doesn't believe her charge's tales of being in danger -at least, not until Louise is found dead. Who killed her? Her late ex-husband, who may not be dead after all? His brother? Another archaeologist who was in love with her? Once Poirot begins to investigate, most of those present on the dig turn out to have motives, or possible motives. Hercule Poirot solves the mystery, which is well-done, but the interplay between the characters is equally engaging. Christie was fabulous at seeing, and describing, the social interactions between people. One of my favorite Christies and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Became one of my favorites!
Review: I read this book for the first time yesterday, and it immediately became one of my favorites. It takes place on a dig somewhere outside of Bagdad. It is told my Amy Leatheran, a nurse who is asked to be a companion to one of the people at the site. The tone and manner of this narrator makes for a fun read. I also liked the perceptions of a young, independent woman, as we don't normally see that in Christie's works. We see Hercule Poirot as a more minor character, which is interesting to me.
Rating:
Summary: Good Murder Mystery
Review: Murder in Mesopotamia is one of the better mysteries written by Agatha Christie. There are many suspects, including Dr. Lidner, Nurse Leatherman, Miss Johnson, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Richard Carey, Mr. Mercado, Mrs. Mercado, Miss Matilan and Super Intendent Matilan. This story revolves around Louise Lidner, who is killed. This mystery is interesting because it is not what it seems. As Hercule Poirot states, "It is so straight forward." You really get to know every character. One of them whom you grow attatched to and was mentioned above, is murdered. Definitely read "Murder in Mesopotamia."
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite Christie mysteries
Review: Murder in Mesopotamia may not be as famous as some of Agatha Christie's other works but it is an excellent book none the less. Featuring Hercule Poirot, the story is set in Mesopotamia (i.e. Iraq) at an archaeological dig. Christie's husband, Max Mallowan, was a noted British archaeologist and she spent a great deal of time with him in Iraq. Her familiarity with and affection for her subject matter is clear and infuses the story. The book itself is classic Christie- well-plotted, crisp dialogue, great characters, lots of red herrings and a satisfying conclusion which, as usual, left me stumped. Great fun to read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant shadowplay by the Queen
Review: Oftentimes, in Agatha Christie's novels, the crimes are always based from something that has happened a long time ago, i.e. 'past sins cast long shadows'. And more often than not, money has always been the central cause of the murders. In this novel, Christie only obeys the first statement. Even the motif is rather outlandish and cruel. The setting is somewhere in the digs of outer Baghdad (obviously she drew these from her experiences with her second husband Max Mallowan, who was an archaeologist) in a quarters for archaeologists. Due to her unstable mental conditions (seeing faces at her window where no one could have stood and peered in), Dr Eric Lidner looks for a companion-nurse for his wife, Louise. He found Amy Leatheran who became Louise's confidante and one day she tells Amy that someone was after her, probably her first husband whom she thought had died. After that outburst Louise refused to talk about it anymore until one day when his husband found Louise's dead body in a locked room, in front of the whole achaeology team. Nurse Leatheran later finds herself as a suspect when Poirot arrives, but later became his sidekick. Plot-wise, this is one of Agatha Christie's best. The stroyline is also richly layered, with various people who have different crimes of their own which unwittingly made them suspects. This is a wonderful read, as it was with the rest of the Queen's stories.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps Poirot should have vacationed somewhere else...
Review: since his trip to the Middle East seems to keep him working. This 1935 novel is set in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) at an archeological dig, a setting that Christie came to know quite well after her marriage to an archeologist. A nurse, Amy Leatheran, has been engaged to care for the wife of the leader of an archeological expedition. She was told that the woman was suffering from 'nerves' only and that there was no real problem. Unfortunately for the patient her concerns turned out to be not imaginary after all, she was murdered. Hercule Poirot who was traveling through the area was brought into the case and of course solved the mystery. MURDER IN MESPOTAMIA is part of a series of book that covers Poirot's Middle Eastern 'holiday' (APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS also chronicle this trip). It is unusual in that the story is narrated by Amy Leatheran who also acts as Poirot's assistant when he enters the story about 1/3 of the way through the story. Although this is fairly laid out, as all of Christie's works, and has an intriguing and clever plot I found it difficult to really get into this one. Many of the characters were rather one dimensional and not very interesting. Still one of Christie's lesser works is still better than most other writer's best efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps Poirot should have vacationed somewhere else...
Review: since his trip to the Middle East seems to keep him working. This 1935 novel is set in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) at an archeological dig, a setting that Christie came to know quite well after her marriage to an archeologist. A nurse, Amy Leatheran, has been engaged to care for the wife of the leader of an archeological expedition. She was told that the woman was suffering from 'nerves' only and that there was no real problem. Unfortunately for the patient her concerns turned out to be not imaginary after all, she was murdered. Hercule Poirot who was traveling through the area was brought into the case and of course solved the mystery. MURDER IN MESPOTAMIA is part of a series of book that covers Poirot's Middle Eastern 'holiday' (APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS also chronicle this trip). It is unusual in that the story is narrated by Amy Leatheran who also acts as Poirot's assistant when he enters the story about 1/3 of the way through the story. Although this is fairly laid out, as all of Christie's works, and has an intriguing and clever plot I found it difficult to really get into this one. Many of the characters were rather one dimensional and not very interesting. Still one of Christie's lesser works is still better than most other writer's best efforts.
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