Death Comes As the End

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Summary: Completely Different From All Other Christies
Review: Agatha Christie has a complete change of pace as she takes the reader to ancient Egypt for this exciting tour de force. It might seem an unusual step for a writer who specialized in 20th century murder set in cozy English villages, but all the passions that lead to murder---jealousy, envy, greed, love, hate---are apparently timeless. Christie's research was painstaking and she is able to give us the exact details of this ancient life down to the type of food they ate and the type of clothes they wore. One of the most amazing things to me was that she was able to make these characters so realistic even though they are living in a time and under circumstances so foreign to the reader.

The plot centers on multiple murders involving members of the family of Imhotep, a well-to-do religious leader in Thebes around 2000 BC.

This novel is her most unique, but it has the same brilliant plotting and satisfying ending that all her others have.

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Summary: Christie with an Egyptian twist
Review: Although several of Agatha Christie's mysteries were set in the Middle East, this is the only one set in ancient times. Although historical mysteries were very unusual for Christie, she shows that she could have been a master of the genre if she had tried. Set in ancient Egypt, the characters in this book are so well-drawn and realistic that they practically spring off the page. I would not recommend this book to a Christie novice because I think you really have to have a fine appreciation of the Christie genius to fully appreciate Death Comes as the End.Overall,this is an excellent book that makes me wish Christie had written more of its kind.

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Summary: A Christie Curiosity
Review: DEATH COMES AS THE END is a true Christie curiosity. Inspired by both her archeologist husband and then-recent archeological finds, Christie sets her tale of murder and mayhem in ancient Egypt. Even so, the story remains pure Christie: a long widowed landowner brings the beautiful young woman with whom he has fallen in love to his home--and she quickly upsets the household by manipulating a series of confrontations that so enrage her lover that he threatens to disinherit his children in her favor. Needless to say, murder is not far behind, and one death leads to another and another in what must be one of the highest body counts in any Christie novel.

Although Christie spins her tale with considerable historical authority and aplomb, her extremely English tone of voice does not entirely suit her setting, and in this instance the solution to the crimes is actually on the obvious side. Ultimately, DEATH COMES AS THE END is more of an interesting experiment than it is a successful novel and cannot be ranked as among her most successful works--but it is expertly written, and established fans of her work will have a good time with it.

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Summary: One of Agatha Christie's Best!
Review: I almost didn't read Death Comes as the End. I am always wary of historical fiction, and the idea of Agatha Christie writing about Ancient Egypt seemed absurd at first. But then after I had read more of her books and realized how much knowledge Ms. Christie had of archaeology, I figured I'd give it a shot. To my delight, the book gives one of the most lifelike depictions of life in ancient Egypt I've seen yet. The figures from ancient heiroglyphs seem to come alive, and the reader realizes that these people of antiquity were truly people. Best of all, the mystery in this book is very difficult to solve. I have a talent for seeing through mystery book plots, but this one completely stumped me. Death Comes as the End is one of those books you can't stop reading. The action doesn't stop for a second and the story is very fast-paced. I didn't put the book down until I had finished it...even ate while reading! I can't recommend this book more. Read Death Comes as the End if you love a good mystery and you won't be disappointed. In fact, you will be even more impressed at Agatha Christie's skill as an author after you read this book.

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Summary: A great mystery, but the ending was a bit obvious
Review: I liked this unique Agatha Christie mystery set in Ancient Egypt, unlike all her other mysterious set in murderous bloodly modern England, and I even liked it without her omniprescent detectives Hercule Poirot & Miss Marple. This book has an excellent plot and its depictions of family strife in Ancient Egypt sound just as real as they would today. The murder of family members in this book is enthralling as well, as it kept me on my toes, waiting to find out about who was the murderer of Imhotep's large family. The only fault that I can credit to this book is the rather obvious ending. There are not enough suspects and the ending, and, of course, the heroine (Renisenb) cannot be the culprit, that leaves practically two or three suspects to be the murderer. Even suspects that have been suspected for a long time are killed. In the end, it is rather obvious who the culprit is. I won't spoil it for you here but I'm pretty sure that whoever reads this book will find that the culprit is quite easy to guess.

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Summary: #1"An ancient setting. An age-old crime. A timeless mystery"
Review: I own and have read, every single one of her 80+ books and short story collections, and this one, possibly her most unique, is her best.

Set in Ancient Egypt, this is probably THE original historical crime novel. I can think of no other published before this. And none published after which equal it in it's brilliance. With this book, Agatha Christie outdoes more modern historical crime novelists such as Paul DOherty, Alys Clare, and Ellis Peters, with a single blow. She suceeds at everything she turned her hand to.

Fuelled by extensive background knowledge and research, this books hits just the right tone in historical detail, and all of it rings true. (I dont know whether it is, and nor do i care. All i care about is the fact that it seems authentic.)

This book retains all the things which make her modern fiction so good. The back-stabbing and terse depictions of family life, and the tensions and emotions which rise out of family, and love. (Often misguided, frequently adulterous). All her books are excellent at bringing out descriptions of families, and how the murder affects them. this one is no different. As well as that, there is a cracking plot, and some particularly bloodthristy murders to fit right in with the bloodthristy time period.

The setting is evoked well, as is the time period. The book is suspenseful and thrilling. Also, a tiny bit frightening.

I did not find the solution as easy to guess as other people appear to have. Mind you, i dont usually bother with trying to figure out who did it. Often, i get it right and find i have spoiled the book for myself. So i see no real point in bothering.) I found the resolution brilliant.

The setting, the strong plot, the characters, the seething bitterness of the emotion, all serve to rank this as number one of all Agatha Christie's many novels.

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Summary: This wont be the end
Review: I own pretty much all 70 - 80 of Agatha Christie's books, and this one is one of the best. Set in Egypt, this book brings myth to mystery. Of course, every one of her books is a treasure, and once you begin reading, she'll hook you too, and there will be no end to your facination with the world's best mystery writer.

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Summary: Yes, Hori
Review: I read this book with reluctance at first, probably it being my first book by Agatha Christie, but it sure was a page turner. I don't know about how accurate this historical fiction really is with it's plot revolving around a widowed daughter from a broken family in Egypt. The family is close to crumbling with the father's sudden arrival of his concubine who is immediately rejected by the family and is left out in all their affairs, not that she really cared. But she's soon killed after the father, who's a burial priest, leaves for Upper Egypt on yet another financial concerning trip. Deaths soon start to occur, targetting mainly the direct members of the joined family, and Renisenb, the widowed daughter, is convinced that the source of evil is from her own house.

Subplots are also added in this story such as Renisenb's dilemma of marrying again and the secret taking over of the family by her young step-brother.

I recommend this book, as for once, it doesn't have her signature detectives like Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, who were starting to get pretty predictable anyway and their absence allows a whole new perspective of the story.

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Summary: Country house mystery, though not a party, in 2000 BC
Review: Life on the estate of the ka-priest Imhotep doesn't seem to have changed at all in the eight years of Renisenb's marriage; returning to her father's house upon her husband's death, its stability comforts her, even though it isn't entirely peaceful. But how much of the impression of changelessness is wishful thinking?

Her eldest brother, Yahmose, gentle, conscientious, reliable, is still henpecked by his strident wife Satipy, urging him to demand that Imhotep create a legal agreement giving Yahmose formal administrative status. The middle brother, Sobek, is a womanizer given to high living, who fancies himself a great man; his wife, Kait, may seem solid and stupid, but she's devoted to her children, and won't let him abandon their heritage however piqued he is with his father. Young Ipy, at sixteen, is no longer a pretty sight after being spoiled for so long.

Then middle-aged Imhotep returns from a trip to Memphis and puts a cat among the pigeons: he introduces his new 19-year-old concubine, Nofret. She's unhappy at being tied to this fussy old tyrant on his backwater estate, after Memphis, but works to ensnare his affection - and facing the family's hostile reaction (except the amusement of Imhotep's aged mother, Esa), begins undermining them with him. (Christie gradually, skillfully illuminates Nofret's character; she's no cardboard evil temptress, and not really evil at all.)

During another of Imhotep's trips, the cold war between Satipy, Kait, and Nofret comes to a head when Kait slaps Nofret - who then reports the truth and nothing but the truth in a letter to Imhotep, supported by testimony from the staff. Imhotep's reply falls like a boulder into a pool: Yahmose and Sobek are to be disinherited, while Imhotep will marry his concubine. But soon after the message arrives, Nofret is found dead, fallen from the cliff path near the tomb (the entire estate is an endowment, supporting the family in exchange for their maintenance of the tomb, hence Imhotep's job description as a ka-priest).

This isn't a group of modern people set in an Egyptian background; the different culture is apparent. (Christie's 2nd husband, of course, was the archeologist Max Mallowan). The family (regardless of their suspicions) is content for this first death to pass as an accident, but as the death toll rises, some attribute it to Nofret's angry ghost while others, including Renisenb, wise old grandmother Esa, and the steward, Hori, look for a more immediate agent. (I believe I counted 8 deaths - I won't say if they were all murders - through the course of the book.)

A novel in ancient Egypt, when well written, is always a pleasure, and Christie (particularly when not hogtied by formulae required by some of her more famous characters) is of course great at designing puzzles with human touches. The combination here is very good.

Rating:
Summary: One of her most interesting books!
Review: This book was so different from all the others. It was one of my favorites. The fact that it is set in ancient Egypt is so different from any other mystery I've read. The weird thing is, it was incredibly realistic. I am and Agatha Christie fan and this book is probably my 2nd favorite. The plot is so intense and thrilling that the middle of the book is better than the end.
I must say that while the murderer was pretty obvious, it is pathetic on my part not to have guessed it. The steady supply of murders (8!!) keeps the plot moving beautifully. A definite must read.