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Hercule Poirot #14
Meurtre en Mésopotamie
Amy Leatheran, une jeune infirmière, accepte de partir en Mésopotamie sur un chantier de fouilles afin de prendre soin de la femme de l’archéologue, en proie à de terribles angoisses nocturnes. Quand une série de meurtres inexpliqués se produit, la jeune femme est soulagée de voir apparaître Hercule Poirot qui visite justement le site. Malgré son indéniable talent, parviendra-t-il à empêcher le meurtrier de frapper à nouveau ?
Traduit de l’anglais par Robert Nobret
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 1936
2144 people are currently reading
36410 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,741 books76k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,718 reviews
January 2, 2026
Another really good story!
A somewhat stuffy nurse tells the tale of how a little Belgian detective solved the murder of the woman she was looking after. <--in Mesopotamia
This one had a good setting and a good cast of characters, but the resolution was too fucknuts even for me. Sorry, there's just no way.
Then again, what do I know?
However, the path to this somewhat unsatisfying conclusion was good and I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Poirot does his thing ferreting out everyone's secrets and uncovering all the reasons that they might have had to want the victim dead.
I've read 4 books in a row of Christie's that have the same theme - a dead floozy.
And by floozy I mean a woman who is either cheating on her husband, flirting with another woman's husband, or trying to steal/has stolen another woman's man.
Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, Sparkling Cyanide, and this book all fall into that category, imho. And a part of me is like, Damn, Agatha! What were you trying to work out of your system?
I loved that one of the characters is said to sound like he stepped off the pages of a PG Wodehouse novel. It was such a very cool nod to another author.
And speaking of nods, I've started keeping my eyes out for all the references Christie makes to her other books, and in this one narrator mentions that she heard later on that Poirot got himself entangled in some sort of mystery on the Orient Express. Toot! Toot!
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie.
A somewhat stuffy nurse tells the tale of how a little Belgian detective solved the murder of the woman she was looking after. <--in Mesopotamia
This one had a good setting and a good cast of characters, but the resolution was too fucknuts even for me. Sorry, there's just no way.
Then again, what do I know?
However, the path to this somewhat unsatisfying conclusion was good and I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Poirot does his thing ferreting out everyone's secrets and uncovering all the reasons that they might have had to want the victim dead.
I've read 4 books in a row of Christie's that have the same theme - a dead floozy.
And by floozy I mean a woman who is either cheating on her husband, flirting with another woman's husband, or trying to steal/has stolen another woman's man.
Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, Sparkling Cyanide, and this book all fall into that category, imho. And a part of me is like, Damn, Agatha! What were you trying to work out of your system?
I loved that one of the characters is said to sound like he stepped off the pages of a PG Wodehouse novel. It was such a very cool nod to another author.
And speaking of nods, I've started keeping my eyes out for all the references Christie makes to her other books, and in this one narrator mentions that she heard later on that Poirot got himself entangled in some sort of mystery on the Orient Express. Toot! Toot!
Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie.
January 8, 2022
Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge
BOOK 30 :- MAY 2021
4.25 STARS
BOOK 30 :- MAY 2021
4.25 STARS
August 17, 2017
One of the best rereads I've ever chanced upon. Few books of Agatha Christie's reserves are so unputdownable. The cast of characters in the book are not to be taken lightly. They enhance the story in spicy terms. I loved the easygoing pace of the book.
The victim is so vibrant when pages away from death. The author's attempt to drum up sympathy for the victim was a success for me. This is how a bestseller sounded like in those days. It has withstood the test of time.
Poirot himself was very foreign. Viewed from the lens of nurse Leatheran, he appears quaint, like a genie about to grant 3 wishes to his master. I would never have guessed who the guilty party was. Props to the author. Nothing significant to add...lovely little book. Recommended.
The victim is so vibrant when pages away from death. The author's attempt to drum up sympathy for the victim was a success for me. This is how a bestseller sounded like in those days. It has withstood the test of time.
Poirot himself was very foreign. Viewed from the lens of nurse Leatheran, he appears quaint, like a genie about to grant 3 wishes to his master. I would never have guessed who the guilty party was. Props to the author. Nothing significant to add...lovely little book. Recommended.
February 10, 2025
This was an enjoyable read (what Hercule Poirot novel isn't?), but it has to have the most implausible big reveal that I've come across in an Agatha Christie novel yet. I mean … she … he … they … why wouldn't … ugh … never mind. I can't actually say anything anything about it because it'd be a huge spoiler, but let's just say that I think it's very unlikely that the murderer could have concealed themselves in such a way. Because … really?? The murder method was pretty far-fetched too.
Still, this one was fun. The setting is exotic and the characters unique. Nurse Leatheran wasn't my favorite Poirot narrator ever (I miss you, Captain Hastings!), but she – and her judgmental attitude – grew on me a bit as the book progressed. I did suspect the murderer a time or two, but not for the reasons Poirot ultimately revealed because seriously there is just no way a certain someone would have not realized a certain something. 3.49 stars, rounded down.
Still, this one was fun. The setting is exotic and the characters unique. Nurse Leatheran wasn't my favorite Poirot narrator ever (I miss you, Captain Hastings!), but she – and her judgmental attitude – grew on me a bit as the book progressed. I did suspect the murderer a time or two, but not for the reasons Poirot ultimately revealed because seriously there is just no way a certain someone would have not realized a certain something. 3.49 stars, rounded down.
July 29, 2023
Hercule Poirot, book #14 has the case recounted by a nurse who was hired out to Mesopotamia (Iraq) to look after an archaeologist's wife; and as ever murder ensues, closely followed by the appearance of a short balding Belgian detective with a perfect moustache. 5 out of 12, Three Star read.
2013 read
2013 read
January 29, 2024
On the lonely remote deserts of Mesopotamia (called Iraq now) in the 30's , archaeologists are digging to discover the past, yet at the present time fear is in the air even as precious artifacts are found, from the 4th millennium B.C. Looking at the site it's just a pile of mud and dirt walls, very disappointing to the untrained eye you would have to be an expert, to get excited. Still this is indeed where the first civilization began circa 5,400 years ago (3,400 B.C.) , in the earliest city of Uruk, between the fabled Tigris and Euphrates rivers, can you imagine the nomads seeing this paradise in the middle of the water less land as they roam the Earth. The Fertile Crescent is quite deadly though, precious liquid that will perpetuate life, the envious ancients where noted for their butchery.... the strong survived the weak perished . Dr.Eric Leidner, head of the expedition hires Miss Amy Leatheran a hospital nurse, from England, she Leatheran was recommended to the archaeologist by the local sawbones, Dr.Giles Reilly. Mrs. Leidner, is a bit of a flirt,(she'll not be one for long) to state a fact.The nurse needed to take care of his nervous wife, Louise as she has received threatening mysterious letters, but why? This being an Agatha Christie novel murder soon swiftly follows, many suspicious characters abound in the area which makes for a difficult situation, the whole entourage of diggers are full of them. Enter Hercule Poirot he's Belgian not a Frenchman, it annoys the great detective, to be misrepresented and a very patriotic man, also. Mr.Poirot just happens to be passing through the neighborhood and he's easily persuaded to help in the murder mystery, the investigation. He'd like nothing more, than to solve this case , boredom Poirot cannot tolerate, the harder the better a crime. Poirot will use all his skills to find the culprit, however not until another killing occurs just to spice up the proceedings to give it a little flavor. But not to much gore, Agatha Christie is or was a lady and to all you unbelievers, a great writer too.....What can I say the author knows how to make a lively murder mystery, well for those still functioning in an upright position.
November 10, 2024
[4.4⭐] 𝘼𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙖 es una novela detectivesca escrita por Agatha Christie y publicada en el año 1936. La historia está ambientada en las excavaciones arqueológicas en Mesopotamia. Ahí, el famoso detective belga, Hércules Poirot, acepta hacerse cargo de la investigación de un asesinato. Para poder resolver este crimen, el hombrecillo tendrá que ahondar en el carácter dominante y manipulador de la víctima.
Aquí nos encontramos con una clásica obra de Christie, llena de misterio y suspenso. La narración está a cargo de la enfermera Amy Leatheran, quien además de relatar los hechos, aporta una perspectiva interesante sobre los personajes. Su observación detallada y sus comentarios tan sinceros nos permiten ver tanto las tensiones dentro del equipo de la excavación como la personalidad de Poirot, a quien de entrada muchos subestiman (como siempre suele ocurrir).
A través de Leatheran, la autora nos sumerge en la vida de una expedición arqueológica de la época, mostrando los roles de sus participantes y los retos de convivir en un entorno cerrado y repleto de miradas indiscretas. Es un espacio donde se dan todo tipo de relaciones (desde amistades y atracciones hasta resentimientos y rivalidades), lo cual crea el ambiente perfecto para un crimen. La complejidad de las personalidades y las relaciones en este grupo tan reducido hacen que Poirot tenga que profundizar en las interacciones y secretos de cada personaje, desenredando los hilos de una trama compleja y bien construida.
La capacidad de la escritora para describir con precisión los lugares y crear una atmósfera tensa y llena de intriga es notable. Incluso, la trama se desarrolla con gran destreza. Además, puedo afirmar que las motivaciones y los detalles detrás del crimen son totalmente sorprendentes. En esta ocasión, no pude dar con el asesino, estaba muy complejo, hasta la explicación del asesinato estaba imposible de descifrar.
Finalmente, puedo decir que 𝘼𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙖 es una obra brillante, en donde se ha logra crear un misterio complejo con ambientes que son realmente únicos. Christie nos muestra nuevamente por qué Poirot es uno de los detectives más cautivadores y originales de la literatura.
Aquí nos encontramos con una clásica obra de Christie, llena de misterio y suspenso. La narración está a cargo de la enfermera Amy Leatheran, quien además de relatar los hechos, aporta una perspectiva interesante sobre los personajes. Su observación detallada y sus comentarios tan sinceros nos permiten ver tanto las tensiones dentro del equipo de la excavación como la personalidad de Poirot, a quien de entrada muchos subestiman (como siempre suele ocurrir).
A través de Leatheran, la autora nos sumerge en la vida de una expedición arqueológica de la época, mostrando los roles de sus participantes y los retos de convivir en un entorno cerrado y repleto de miradas indiscretas. Es un espacio donde se dan todo tipo de relaciones (desde amistades y atracciones hasta resentimientos y rivalidades), lo cual crea el ambiente perfecto para un crimen. La complejidad de las personalidades y las relaciones en este grupo tan reducido hacen que Poirot tenga que profundizar en las interacciones y secretos de cada personaje, desenredando los hilos de una trama compleja y bien construida.
La capacidad de la escritora para describir con precisión los lugares y crear una atmósfera tensa y llena de intriga es notable. Incluso, la trama se desarrolla con gran destreza. Además, puedo afirmar que las motivaciones y los detalles detrás del crimen son totalmente sorprendentes. En esta ocasión, no pude dar con el asesino, estaba muy complejo, hasta la explicación del asesinato estaba imposible de descifrar.
Finalmente, puedo decir que 𝘼𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙖 es una obra brillante, en donde se ha logra crear un misterio complejo con ambientes que son realmente únicos. Christie nos muestra nuevamente por qué Poirot es uno de los detectives más cautivadores y originales de la literatura.
October 21, 2023
A rare Agatha Christie Halloween mystery!
Christie’s Middle East Ghost Story
"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. . .” Poirot recites this Islamic blessing for journies, as we are on a journey to find the name of a killer. And he also jokes around, too:
"I joke, mademoiselle," he said, "and I laugh. But there are some things that are no joke. There are things that my profession has taught me. And one of these things, the most terrible thing, is this: murder is a habit. . ."
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan in 1930 and became Lady Mallowan. They met on a dig and this is Christie’s first (only?) mystery set on the site of a dig, at Hassanieh, Iraq, though the setting isn’t that relevant to the plot, nor the culture (though a few of the visiting British characters are racist about locals, as usual). But things--ah, sweet love!--were going pretty well for the auld Dame in those days. In 1936 (the year this book came out) alone she produced three Poirot books! This one features another closed set murder, narrated by nurse Amy Leatheran, who was asked to document the story by another member of the company, Dr. Reilly. She says, “I’m not a writer, it’s not going to be literary,” (oh oh, will the writing be lame?) but as it is, Christie's first female narrator, Nurse Amy, helps anticipate the charm of her Miss Marple mysteries. She's less formal than Poirot, though also less of an actual detective.
The lead archaeologist of the expedition is the world-renowned Dr. Leidner, accompanied by his charming and vivacious wife, the “Lovely Louise.” But she seems nervous. She hears noises, has seen a hand outside her window. She can't sleep. She had received anonymous letters threatening her with death if she remarried. Who wrote them? Is it indeed her ex, who is maybe not really dead? Is it someone in the expedition? Did she write them herself? Or is it a ghost!? Is she going crazy? Are we?!
Then Louise is killed (sorry for that smallish spoiler) and Poirot just happens to be passing through Iraq (!!) to lend a hand with the investigation, with the assistance of Nurse Amy Leidner, with her storied speculations veering of course into fiction. Leidner initially claims no one could have killed her--we all get along, we all loved her--but of course we know this is not true, and we need the psychologist Poirot to dig deep into each soul, each psyche, to reveal what complex and contradictory creatures humans can be. Over time Poirot helps us see that anyone there could and would have killed Louise. This would seem to be a somewhat Calvinist view of the world: Dig just a bit under the surface and we could all easily be murderers. And because murder may be a habit, will the murderer kill again?
At one point Poirot observes with Leidner that there is something that archaeology has in common with solving a mystery: Both are involved in reconstructing the past. Ooh . . . (from those late night discussions the Dame might have had with new hubby Max!?).
Some random observations:
**Insanity is again a consideration, as is common for Christie in these books--it must be a lunatic!!--but this is the simplest idea and almost never is true: “Nerves are the core of one’s being, aren’t they?" Mrs. Mercado contends, but desires might be a more accurate name for the core as Christie sees it.
**As with any ghost story, there is the sense of impending doom, rising terror. Did Louise's first husband rise from the grave? But I have to say, Christie tends to science over the supernatural in her world view, as far as I can tell; in other words, the likelihood of there being ghosts in her fictional world is slim.
**In one sort of bizarre chapter entitled “I Go Psychic” the nurse Leidner goes into the bedroom of one who is murdered and imagines the scene. This is a weird scene with light horror/comic effects as someone actually enters the room as she plays this out. But the idea of "play acting" solutions is something Poirot and the nurse engage in here as with other Poirot books.
**Poirot and Christie have a strategy in crime-solving: “Don’t parade your knowledge.” Keep as many secrets hidden for as long as possible. Thus the solution Poirot waits as usual til the very end to reveal. As she expects me to be, I am, as usual. . . wrong.
This is a good one, that got better as it went along, especially with the ending that surprised and pleased me. This is usually what happens with Christie for me: Half of the books seem too long, tending to tiresome, too obviously focused on elaborate red herrings, but then we come to the wind-up, and suddenly she seems very good indeed at what she does. Happy Christie Mallowan Halloween!
Christie’s Middle East Ghost Story
"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. . .” Poirot recites this Islamic blessing for journies, as we are on a journey to find the name of a killer. And he also jokes around, too:
"I joke, mademoiselle," he said, "and I laugh. But there are some things that are no joke. There are things that my profession has taught me. And one of these things, the most terrible thing, is this: murder is a habit. . ."
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan in 1930 and became Lady Mallowan. They met on a dig and this is Christie’s first (only?) mystery set on the site of a dig, at Hassanieh, Iraq, though the setting isn’t that relevant to the plot, nor the culture (though a few of the visiting British characters are racist about locals, as usual). But things--ah, sweet love!--were going pretty well for the auld Dame in those days. In 1936 (the year this book came out) alone she produced three Poirot books! This one features another closed set murder, narrated by nurse Amy Leatheran, who was asked to document the story by another member of the company, Dr. Reilly. She says, “I’m not a writer, it’s not going to be literary,” (oh oh, will the writing be lame?) but as it is, Christie's first female narrator, Nurse Amy, helps anticipate the charm of her Miss Marple mysteries. She's less formal than Poirot, though also less of an actual detective.
The lead archaeologist of the expedition is the world-renowned Dr. Leidner, accompanied by his charming and vivacious wife, the “Lovely Louise.” But she seems nervous. She hears noises, has seen a hand outside her window. She can't sleep. She had received anonymous letters threatening her with death if she remarried. Who wrote them? Is it indeed her ex, who is maybe not really dead? Is it someone in the expedition? Did she write them herself? Or is it a ghost!? Is she going crazy? Are we?!
Then Louise is killed (sorry for that smallish spoiler) and Poirot just happens to be passing through Iraq (!!) to lend a hand with the investigation, with the assistance of Nurse Amy Leidner, with her storied speculations veering of course into fiction. Leidner initially claims no one could have killed her--we all get along, we all loved her--but of course we know this is not true, and we need the psychologist Poirot to dig deep into each soul, each psyche, to reveal what complex and contradictory creatures humans can be. Over time Poirot helps us see that anyone there could and would have killed Louise. This would seem to be a somewhat Calvinist view of the world: Dig just a bit under the surface and we could all easily be murderers. And because murder may be a habit, will the murderer kill again?
At one point Poirot observes with Leidner that there is something that archaeology has in common with solving a mystery: Both are involved in reconstructing the past. Ooh . . . (from those late night discussions the Dame might have had with new hubby Max!?).
Some random observations:
**Insanity is again a consideration, as is common for Christie in these books--it must be a lunatic!!--but this is the simplest idea and almost never is true: “Nerves are the core of one’s being, aren’t they?" Mrs. Mercado contends, but desires might be a more accurate name for the core as Christie sees it.
**As with any ghost story, there is the sense of impending doom, rising terror. Did Louise's first husband rise from the grave? But I have to say, Christie tends to science over the supernatural in her world view, as far as I can tell; in other words, the likelihood of there being ghosts in her fictional world is slim.
**In one sort of bizarre chapter entitled “I Go Psychic” the nurse Leidner goes into the bedroom of one who is murdered and imagines the scene. This is a weird scene with light horror/comic effects as someone actually enters the room as she plays this out. But the idea of "play acting" solutions is something Poirot and the nurse engage in here as with other Poirot books.
**Poirot and Christie have a strategy in crime-solving: “Don’t parade your knowledge.” Keep as many secrets hidden for as long as possible. Thus the solution Poirot waits as usual til the very end to reveal. As she expects me to be, I am, as usual. . . wrong.
This is a good one, that got better as it went along, especially with the ending that surprised and pleased me. This is usually what happens with Christie for me: Half of the books seem too long, tending to tiresome, too obviously focused on elaborate red herrings, but then we come to the wind-up, and suddenly she seems very good indeed at what she does. Happy Christie Mallowan Halloween!
April 4, 2019
I've waited virtually 24 hours to write a review for this book as it was quite difficult. Yes it was a slightly different perspective/style to most of the other Poirot's I've read, but it was still recognisably a Christie and a Poirot.
It was well written, with great characters, a wonderful location setting and the usual build up of tension towards Poirot's denouement and at this point it was still a very solid 4 stars, however this is where it all seemed to go bit wrong. Ok the way the
Now don't get me wrong it was still an enjoyable book but I'm afraid I've decided it has to be 3 stars only, despite my love for Poirot and Agatha Christie in general.
It was well written, with great characters, a wonderful location setting and the usual build up of tension towards Poirot's denouement and at this point it was still a very solid 4 stars, however this is where it all seemed to go bit wrong. Ok the way the
Now don't get me wrong it was still an enjoyable book but I'm afraid I've decided it has to be 3 stars only, despite my love for Poirot and Agatha Christie in general.
July 24, 2017
This fabulous mystery by Agatha Christie has long been a favorite of mine. It outshines many of her other mysteries due to some wonderful atmosphere and a very likable heroine in Amy Leatheren. Hercule Poirot, though a major force in solving the mystery, almost plays second fiddle at certain points in this most entertaining murder mystery.
Murder in Mesopotamia is an adventure set in an exotic land where a murder occurs. The first half of the book almost has the feel of an M.M. Kaye mystery. Though Christie was never in the same class as Kaye in imbuing romance to a time and place, there is certainly atmosphere to spare in this one. Only when Hercule Poirot is introduced into the story do we see classic elements of mystery fiction brought to the forefront.
Amy Leatheren is a young nurse asked to accompany an archaeological expedition to the Middle East. Her job is to look after Louise Leidner, the wife of the man heading the dig. Louise is a beautiful but frightened woman capable of both sweetness and offhand cruelty. Of what she is frightened is somewhat vague, but may be connected to tensions on the dig; on the surface all is friendly and familiar, but a dangerous unrest lies just beneath the surface.
Amy discovers answers to her questions too late to prevent a particularly brutal murder. This is when Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot, steps in to solve a most baffling puzzle of how the murder occurred. Amy has been asked to put on pen and paper her account of the events which transpired, and this is her narrative. Soon she is acting as Poirot's helper and, to her delight and embarrassment, having the time of her life. The detective and his new assistant will uncover secret relationships and secret identities, and before too long, another murder occurs.
Christie creates wonderful atmosphere here, from the Tigris Palace Hotel in Baghdad to Tell Yarimjah. Whether describing her cast of players, or bazaars where people from various nationalities and backgrounds gather for tea and scones overlooking the ruins, she makes the archaeological expedition come alive. Beneath the delicate impressions of her pen you can feel the passion of those on the dig, as they attempt to discover the Assyrian city close to Hassanieh. And they can see in the actions of the beautiful Louise, that she is almost "begging" to be murdered, while oblivious to the danger.
While the solution is wildly intricate and implausible, the presence of Hercule Poirot, a fun and likable heroine in Amy Leatheren, and tons of atmosphere make for a nice mystery read. A delightfully old-fashioned mystery fans of the genre will relish.
Murder in Mesopotamia is an adventure set in an exotic land where a murder occurs. The first half of the book almost has the feel of an M.M. Kaye mystery. Though Christie was never in the same class as Kaye in imbuing romance to a time and place, there is certainly atmosphere to spare in this one. Only when Hercule Poirot is introduced into the story do we see classic elements of mystery fiction brought to the forefront.
Amy Leatheren is a young nurse asked to accompany an archaeological expedition to the Middle East. Her job is to look after Louise Leidner, the wife of the man heading the dig. Louise is a beautiful but frightened woman capable of both sweetness and offhand cruelty. Of what she is frightened is somewhat vague, but may be connected to tensions on the dig; on the surface all is friendly and familiar, but a dangerous unrest lies just beneath the surface.
Amy discovers answers to her questions too late to prevent a particularly brutal murder. This is when Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot, steps in to solve a most baffling puzzle of how the murder occurred. Amy has been asked to put on pen and paper her account of the events which transpired, and this is her narrative. Soon she is acting as Poirot's helper and, to her delight and embarrassment, having the time of her life. The detective and his new assistant will uncover secret relationships and secret identities, and before too long, another murder occurs.
Christie creates wonderful atmosphere here, from the Tigris Palace Hotel in Baghdad to Tell Yarimjah. Whether describing her cast of players, or bazaars where people from various nationalities and backgrounds gather for tea and scones overlooking the ruins, she makes the archaeological expedition come alive. Beneath the delicate impressions of her pen you can feel the passion of those on the dig, as they attempt to discover the Assyrian city close to Hassanieh. And they can see in the actions of the beautiful Louise, that she is almost "begging" to be murdered, while oblivious to the danger.
While the solution is wildly intricate and implausible, the presence of Hercule Poirot, a fun and likable heroine in Amy Leatheren, and tons of atmosphere make for a nice mystery read. A delightfully old-fashioned mystery fans of the genre will relish.
January 15, 2018
One of the more intriguing books I read last year was The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford. Ashford details a trip taken by Agatha Christie on the famed Orient Express in 1928 when she attempted to escape from a bad marriage. Christie's time in Baghdad and surrounding areas was a positive one, so much so that she used the region as the setting for a few of her crime cases. I decided to make Murder in Mesopotamia featuring Hercule Poirot my first Christie read of this calendar year to see how much of an influence the region had on her writing.
Nurse Amy Leatheran is approached by a Dr. Leidner to care for his wife Louise on site at his archeological dig in Mesopotamia. In a biblical region overlooking the Tigris River, Dr. Leidner have unearthed thousands of years of pottery and other relics each season they undertake a dig. Over the past ten years, his team has grown to enjoy a close comradery and the atmosphere feels like family. The mood has changed on the current dig from the presence of the new Mrs. Louise Leidner. A charming woman who has won over everyone on the excavation team, Mrs. Leidner maintains an almost impenetrable aura, that is until a person gets to know her and finds her to be nervy and demanding. While the dig still holds a family atmosphere, Mrs. Leidner's presence has everyone on edge.
Fifteen years prior, Mrs. Leidner had been married briefly to a Frederik Bosner, until she discovered that he had been a spy for the German government. Pulling strings, she had him sentenced to death, until he escaped only to die in a train crash. All appeared to be rosy for Mrs. Leidner until the long assumed dead Frederik Bosner wrote her a series of letters encouraging her not to remarry. She stood to inherit a large sum, only if she never remarried and only if she had children. This reentry of Bosner into her life has made Mrs. Leidner edgy, nervy, and in need of constant female companionship. While a body guard may have seemed more appropriate, Dr. Leidner hires Amy Leatheran to care for his wife. Mrs. Leidner appears to be settling down in the nurse's care that is until Leatheran discovers her murdered in her room one night. The entire dig is on edge again, thinking that they could be next. Suddenly, no one feels safe.
In true Christie fashion, Hercule Poirot happened to be vacationing in Baghdad at the time. He is summoned to the dig site to unravel the mystery by using his gray cells to deduct the truth. As in many of Christie's cases featuring the Belgian sleuth, he gathers the entire cast of characters in one room in an attempt to rule out suspects. Using Leatheran as his sidekick, Poirot gathers information that baffles the local authorities. While the Iraqi police are left shaking their heads, another woman is found murdered in her room. Poirot exclaims to Leatheran that murder is a habit and perhaps not everyone on the dig site is who they seem. Continuing to use his deductive reasoning skills, Poirot unravels the identity of both the murderer and mysterious letter writer.
Amy Leatheran is meant to be Christie as she was a nurse during the first war before becoming the queen of crime, and she spent time in Baghdad to recover from a difficult first marriage. While in Baghdad, Christie met her future second husband Max Mallowan and also formulating multiple crime cases to be set in the region. Upon wrapping up the case, Leatheran notes that Poirot returned home to England aboard the famed Orient Express and was asked to solve another murder there. While it is not a the level of Orient Express, Murder in Mesopotamia was an entertaining mystery to kick off my reading of Dame Christie for this year. As I read many mysteries as palette cleansers and Christie is one of my go to authors, suffice to say this will not be my last of her cases.
3.75 stars
Nurse Amy Leatheran is approached by a Dr. Leidner to care for his wife Louise on site at his archeological dig in Mesopotamia. In a biblical region overlooking the Tigris River, Dr. Leidner have unearthed thousands of years of pottery and other relics each season they undertake a dig. Over the past ten years, his team has grown to enjoy a close comradery and the atmosphere feels like family. The mood has changed on the current dig from the presence of the new Mrs. Louise Leidner. A charming woman who has won over everyone on the excavation team, Mrs. Leidner maintains an almost impenetrable aura, that is until a person gets to know her and finds her to be nervy and demanding. While the dig still holds a family atmosphere, Mrs. Leidner's presence has everyone on edge.
Fifteen years prior, Mrs. Leidner had been married briefly to a Frederik Bosner, until she discovered that he had been a spy for the German government. Pulling strings, she had him sentenced to death, until he escaped only to die in a train crash. All appeared to be rosy for Mrs. Leidner until the long assumed dead Frederik Bosner wrote her a series of letters encouraging her not to remarry. She stood to inherit a large sum, only if she never remarried and only if she had children. This reentry of Bosner into her life has made Mrs. Leidner edgy, nervy, and in need of constant female companionship. While a body guard may have seemed more appropriate, Dr. Leidner hires Amy Leatheran to care for his wife. Mrs. Leidner appears to be settling down in the nurse's care that is until Leatheran discovers her murdered in her room one night. The entire dig is on edge again, thinking that they could be next. Suddenly, no one feels safe.
In true Christie fashion, Hercule Poirot happened to be vacationing in Baghdad at the time. He is summoned to the dig site to unravel the mystery by using his gray cells to deduct the truth. As in many of Christie's cases featuring the Belgian sleuth, he gathers the entire cast of characters in one room in an attempt to rule out suspects. Using Leatheran as his sidekick, Poirot gathers information that baffles the local authorities. While the Iraqi police are left shaking their heads, another woman is found murdered in her room. Poirot exclaims to Leatheran that murder is a habit and perhaps not everyone on the dig site is who they seem. Continuing to use his deductive reasoning skills, Poirot unravels the identity of both the murderer and mysterious letter writer.
Amy Leatheran is meant to be Christie as she was a nurse during the first war before becoming the queen of crime, and she spent time in Baghdad to recover from a difficult first marriage. While in Baghdad, Christie met her future second husband Max Mallowan and also formulating multiple crime cases to be set in the region. Upon wrapping up the case, Leatheran notes that Poirot returned home to England aboard the famed Orient Express and was asked to solve another murder there. While it is not a the level of Orient Express, Murder in Mesopotamia was an entertaining mystery to kick off my reading of Dame Christie for this year. As I read many mysteries as palette cleansers and Christie is one of my go to authors, suffice to say this will not be my last of her cases.
3.75 stars
February 21, 2018
Choose Your Own Adventure!
You are Nurse Leatheran and you are surrounded by the mud of Iraq. Ugh! So very muddy and dirty and ugly and really not very scenic at all. The Americans and British around you are mainly bitches and prats. The constant native chanting rattles your nerves. All of those pots being excavated at the archaeological dig site fail to interest you. Only your charge, the lovely Louise Leidner, impresses you. Despite being a real trouble-magnet, she's quite a take-charge sort of woman! It's too bad no one else seems to enjoy her, except for her amiable husband - no doubt a cuckold. Poor Louise: recipient of some very nasty notes and some very nasty looks and, worst of all, a very nasty blow to the head. But Dr. Poirot has entered the operating theater and you find you enjoy your new role as his surgical assistant. But whoever could kill such a fascinating woman? And whatever can a priggish, judgmental, vaguely racist, and rather misogynist nurse like yourself do to help solve such a mystery?
If you decide that modern Africa is for bitches and prats, and you'd rather take a voyage back in time, choose
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you decide that modern Africa is best experienced as a voyage on a lovely boat with some lovely people, choose
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You are Nurse Leatheran and you are surrounded by the mud of Iraq. Ugh! So very muddy and dirty and ugly and really not very scenic at all. The Americans and British around you are mainly bitches and prats. The constant native chanting rattles your nerves. All of those pots being excavated at the archaeological dig site fail to interest you. Only your charge, the lovely Louise Leidner, impresses you. Despite being a real trouble-magnet, she's quite a take-charge sort of woman! It's too bad no one else seems to enjoy her, except for her amiable husband - no doubt a cuckold. Poor Louise: recipient of some very nasty notes and some very nasty looks and, worst of all, a very nasty blow to the head. But Dr. Poirot has entered the operating theater and you find you enjoy your new role as his surgical assistant. But whoever could kill such a fascinating woman? And whatever can a priggish, judgmental, vaguely racist, and rather misogynist nurse like yourself do to help solve such a mystery?
If you decide that modern Africa is for bitches and prats, and you'd rather take a voyage back in time, choose
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you decide that modern Africa is best experienced as a voyage on a lovely boat with some lovely people, choose
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 22, 2025
“Nurse Leatheran has been giving me valuable information about the various members of the expedition. Incidentally I have learnt a good deal - about the victim. And the victim, mademoiselle, is very often the clue to the mystery.”
And the victim was ...
“She's not sensual. She doesn't want affairs. It's just cold-blooded experiment on her part and the fun of stirring people up and setting them against each other. She dabbled in that too. She's the sort of woman who's never had a row with anyone in her life--but rows always happen where she is! She makes them happen. She's kind of female Iago. She must have drama. But she doesn't want to be involved herself. She's always outside pulling strings--looking on--enjoying it!”
Murder in Mesopotamia is one of the really good Agatha Christie novels. The great Dame is at her most brilliant with characterisation, depicting all sides of human nature, the nice and the ugly.
The book is written in 1st person, which I am not too keen on when reading a crime story, but here it is spot on. We are offered the story through nurse Amy Leatheren's unashamedly biased perspective. She is sensible and practical without being bright and too clear-sighted: a perfect sidekick to (Dr.) Poirot. She is very British and presented in the classic Agatha Christie style: half in earnest - half poking fun at her own people.
The mystery is very clever and the way AC builds up tension and presents the atmosphere is superb.
Very much recommended.
And the victim was ...
“She's not sensual. She doesn't want affairs. It's just cold-blooded experiment on her part and the fun of stirring people up and setting them against each other. She dabbled in that too. She's the sort of woman who's never had a row with anyone in her life--but rows always happen where she is! She makes them happen. She's kind of female Iago. She must have drama. But she doesn't want to be involved herself. She's always outside pulling strings--looking on--enjoying it!”
Murder in Mesopotamia is one of the really good Agatha Christie novels. The great Dame is at her most brilliant with characterisation, depicting all sides of human nature, the nice and the ugly.
The book is written in 1st person, which I am not too keen on when reading a crime story, but here it is spot on. We are offered the story through nurse Amy Leatheren's unashamedly biased perspective. She is sensible and practical without being bright and too clear-sighted: a perfect sidekick to (Dr.) Poirot. She is very British and presented in the classic Agatha Christie style: half in earnest - half poking fun at her own people.
The mystery is very clever and the way AC builds up tension and presents the atmosphere is superb.
Very much recommended.
June 28, 2008
Agatha Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan in 1930 (she was 40, he was only 26 -- Go Agatha!) and thereafter spent months at a time every year (with the exception of some years during WWII) in the Middle East on digs. She wrote many of her novels in a small mud closet with only a card table to hold her typewriter and a wooden chair to sit on. The locals actually considered her very extravagant for this. She also helped clean, sketch and photograph the artifacts they uncovered.
As she had used her knowledge gained from working in a dispensary during WWI to write very clever murders done by poisoning, she now used her experience in Iraq to write a character study of the interplay of personalities on an archaeological dig. The characters of Dr. Eric Leidner and his wife Louise were based on people Christie knew in real life, famous archaeologist Leonard Woolley and his wife Katherine. Max Mallowan worked under Woolley for several years. The mystery is, as usual, brilliant but simple and pretty much staring you in the face. Her ability to make the reader disregard the obvious is what makes Christie a master.
As she had used her knowledge gained from working in a dispensary during WWI to write very clever murders done by poisoning, she now used her experience in Iraq to write a character study of the interplay of personalities on an archaeological dig. The characters of Dr. Eric Leidner and his wife Louise were based on people Christie knew in real life, famous archaeologist Leonard Woolley and his wife Katherine. Max Mallowan worked under Woolley for several years. The mystery is, as usual, brilliant but simple and pretty much staring you in the face. Her ability to make the reader disregard the obvious is what makes Christie a master.
July 24, 2025
I have read very few novels by Christie, in general I don’t select detective stories. Whenever I have read her works was related to my interest in languages; a translation of one of her page turners, loaded with dialogues, seemed a good entry into reading in a foreign language. This time, however, I plan to read a couple of her works in relation to a Seminar I am taking on various Archaeologists from the early generations and their Memoirs. I wrote about this in this review .
This is the second of her five novels written in relation to her belonging to a digging team in Mesopotamia during the 1930s. It was written in 1936, two years after she went East with her husband Max Mallowan to Syria to excavate along the Khabur river.
While reading this then I was not so preoccupied with the murdering activity and the finding of the Doer, but with all the references to life and practices in an archaeological site. There are many, starting with the description of the almost communal living, in which in spite of living as a professional family, the chief archaeologist, (read Max Mallowan), will call the shots.
In my opinion, the state of mind of a community is always directly due to the influence of the man at the top. Dr Leidner, quiet though he was, was a man of great personality. It was due to his tact, to his judgment, to his sympathetic manipulation of human beings that the atmosphere had always been such a happy one.
The teacher of my Zoom Seminar commented that Poirot’s thinking processes offer some parallels with the deductive reasonings of archaeologists.
You would have made a good archaeologist, M Poirot. You have the gift of recreating the past.
There is also, however, a distancing from the materiality with which Archaeologists have to engage themselves. We cannot forget that Christie had created Poirot and had become a famous writer before she met Mallowan. In this novel, she wishes to provide her Poirot with a psychological depth that goes beyond appearances.
From the very beginning I have felt that to understand this case one must seek not for external signs or clues, but for the truer clues of the clash of personalities and the secrets of the heart.
While reading this I was also interested in her comments on literary issues. There are a few also. I was curious about her selection of books that she has placed in the shelves in one of her characters. I fully agree with Christie that the book choice of any one person is an excellent indicator of this person’s character. .
I was tickled when I detected a jab directed at another female writer of detective stories, the New Zealander Ngaio Marsh, with her comment on the latter’s The Nursing Home Murder.
I was Reading “Death in a Nursing Home” – really – a most exciting story—though I don’t think the author know much about the way nursing homes are run! At any rate I’ve never known a nursing home like that! I really felt inclined to write to the author and put him right about a few points.
For one of Christies’s strengths was her power of observation, which together with her precaution of writing of settings she knew (apart from archaeology, she had joined the Red Cross during WW1, so she was very familiar with the world of nurses), as well as her acute comments on the human condition, all of this adds to her entertaining stories and plots. This is so to the point that even if I found the unravelling of the mystery and the ending unconvincing, I greatly enjoyed reading this.
January 7, 2022
Asesinato en mesopotomia no me sorprendió en ningún momento, pero siempre que me pregunten porqué me gusta tanto Agatha Christie diré que es por la manera ingeniosa con la que inventa nuevos asesinatos y como ninguno de sus libros se tornarán jamás pesados por su corta extensión. Es entretenida y adictiva como pocas, no me he cruzado con un solo caso de ella que me haya aburrido o generado indiferencia.
Ahora bien, no sé si es porque llevo catorce libros leídos de Poirot o si es acaso porque veo que hay un mismo patrón que se repite en cada uno de los libros por muy pequeñas que sean las diferencias entre un caso y otro, pero me he dado cuenta que he desarrollado con esta historia una facilidad para encontrar al culpable y por si fuera poco, los motivos que le llevaron a cometer tal crimen.
No diré más de la cuenta porque reseñar este tipo de género siempre me ha costado y nunca sé si suelto algo importante, así que lo poco que diré para no repetirme es que la manera en qué fue asesinada la mujer me ha parecido un tanto rebuscada. No diría que imposible pero no tan probable como parece. De resto, el libro está bastante bien, una vez que lo empiezas lo terminas; la protagonista también me ha gustado, de hecho me sentí muy identificado porque justo como ella actuaba y pensaba ese sería yo tal cual si estuviera en su posición, por lo que no he echado tanto en falta la presencia de Poirot como en otros casos. Aunque está claro que aparece y al final desentraña todo el embole punto por punto. Ah, y mucho menos he echado en falta a Hastings ya que la enfermera Amy es una buena narradora y con una gran personalidad.
Ahora bien, no sé si es porque llevo catorce libros leídos de Poirot o si es acaso porque veo que hay un mismo patrón que se repite en cada uno de los libros por muy pequeñas que sean las diferencias entre un caso y otro, pero me he dado cuenta que he desarrollado con esta historia una facilidad para encontrar al culpable y por si fuera poco, los motivos que le llevaron a cometer tal crimen.
No diré más de la cuenta porque reseñar este tipo de género siempre me ha costado y nunca sé si suelto algo importante, así que lo poco que diré para no repetirme es que la manera en qué fue asesinada la mujer me ha parecido un tanto rebuscada. No diría que imposible pero no tan probable como parece. De resto, el libro está bastante bien, una vez que lo empiezas lo terminas; la protagonista también me ha gustado, de hecho me sentí muy identificado porque justo como ella actuaba y pensaba ese sería yo tal cual si estuviera en su posición, por lo que no he echado tanto en falta la presencia de Poirot como en otros casos. Aunque está claro que aparece y al final desentraña todo el embole punto por punto. Ah, y mucho menos he echado en falta a Hastings ya que la enfermera Amy es una buena narradora y con una gran personalidad.
December 12, 2024
Nurse Amy Leatheran goes to an archaeological dig in Iraq to assist an archaeologist with his wife. It quickly becomes clear that his wife is convinced that someone wants to kill her. When she dies, Poirot is called to investigate the crime scene.
The unusual narrator gives Agatha Christie the opportunity to play with us like a cat toying with a piece of string in the beginning of this story. She has us hanging on her lips with every word the narrator says, as it’s clear from the start that we’re being kept in the dark about something.
One of the things I was looking forward to was the setting. Because it’s inspired by Agatha Christie’s own experience as her husband was an archeologist. The setting comes alive here, though it feels like the setting doesn’t actually play as big a role in the story as I expected it to.
The plot is a solid murder mystery. The story first focuses on the characters and the events leading up to the murder, before we move on to the unraveling of the mystery through the murder investigation. This means that Poirot doesn’t arrive until we’re one third into the story. Since his presence isn’t necessary in the beginning, this allows nurse Amy Leatheran in particular to shine more as a character.
The mystery plot is pretty solid, as is expected from Agatha Christie. Though I will admit I guessed the culprit rather quickly. I’m hoping this is just a case of my own sleuthing skills improving after reading so many Agatha Christie mysteries. The book has an interesting setting and narrator, which makes this an interesting read that stands out a bit from the other Poirot books.
The unusual narrator gives Agatha Christie the opportunity to play with us like a cat toying with a piece of string in the beginning of this story. She has us hanging on her lips with every word the narrator says, as it’s clear from the start that we’re being kept in the dark about something.
One of the things I was looking forward to was the setting. Because it’s inspired by Agatha Christie’s own experience as her husband was an archeologist. The setting comes alive here, though it feels like the setting doesn’t actually play as big a role in the story as I expected it to.
The plot is a solid murder mystery. The story first focuses on the characters and the events leading up to the murder, before we move on to the unraveling of the mystery through the murder investigation. This means that Poirot doesn’t arrive until we’re one third into the story. Since his presence isn’t necessary in the beginning, this allows nurse Amy Leatheran in particular to shine more as a character.
The mystery plot is pretty solid, as is expected from Agatha Christie. Though I will admit I guessed the culprit rather quickly. I’m hoping this is just a case of my own sleuthing skills improving after reading so many Agatha Christie mysteries. The book has an interesting setting and narrator, which makes this an interesting read that stands out a bit from the other Poirot books.
September 15, 2025
„Убийство в Месопотамия“ е страхотно криминале! Агата Кристи е заплела поредната вълнуваща мистерия около убийство, този път пренасяйки читателите в доста любопитната атмосфера на Близкия изток. От гледна точка на медицинската сестра Ейми Ледърън научаваме за събитията, случили се по време на археологическа експедиция в Ирак. Със сложното разследване се заема Еркюл Поаро...
„В този миг всички се намирахме тук, но не можах да се отърва от мисълта, че щом Поаро приключи, ще се озовем съвсем другаде…
Това беше много странно усещане…
Той продължаваше да говори със своя спокоен глас, наподобяващ река, която се носи между бреговете си — чак до морето:
— Още от самото начало осъзнах, че за да се проумее този случай, човек не бива да търси само външните признаци и улики, а да се насочи към по-истинните неща за конфликтите между личностите и тайните на техните сърца.“
„В този миг всички се намирахме тук, но не можах да се отърва от мисълта, че щом Поаро приключи, ще се озовем съвсем другаде…
Това беше много странно усещане…
Той продължаваше да говори със своя спокоен глас, наподобяващ река, която се носи между бреговете си — чак до морето:
— Още от самото начало осъзнах, че за да се проумее този случай, човек не бива да търси само външните признаци и улики, а да се насочи към по-истинните неща за конфликтите между личностите и тайните на техните сърца.“
May 8, 2022
A Hercule Poirot mystery, Murder in Mesopotamia, is narrated by a nurse who has been hired to look after a gorgeous woman who's been under a nervous strain. The setting is an archaeological dig of ancient Assyria and the sick woman's husband is the leader of the group.
Unlike most of Christie's murder mysteries, I was able to figure out who did it, but not the deeper mystery, so it kept my interest throughout. Not as full of unique personalities as I like in her books, so not as much fun. In fact, the nurse's musings sort of annoyed me.
Unlike most of Christie's murder mysteries, I was able to figure out who did it, but not the deeper mystery, so it kept my interest throughout. Not as full of unique personalities as I like in her books, so not as much fun. In fact, the nurse's musings sort of annoyed me.
September 15, 2025
Прилична история, на която обаче липсват блясъкът и напрегнатата фабула на някои от по-известните криминални романи на Агата Кристи.
Става да се прочете, но интригата няма да се запомни дълго.
Цитат:
"Животът е бойно поле, а не пикник."
Става да се прочете, но интригата няма да се запомни дълго.
Цитат:
"Животът е бойно поле, а не пикник."
June 15, 2024
Murder in Mesopotamia … what an exotic title to roll off the tongue; conjuring up intrigue and mystery, in a faraway place and a bygone age.
Mesopotamia was an ancient region located in the eastern Mediterranean, which no longer exists as a country. The literal translation is “between two rivers”, and these rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates. Mesopotamia corresponds mostly to today’s Iraq, but also includes parts of modern-day Iran, Syria and Turkey.
Such facts may destroy the dreamlike romance and mystery of the name “Mesopotamia”. Agatha Christie, could of course not have known the air of nostalgia and mystery she conjured up for 21st century readers, by this title. She just happened to be in the area at the time.
In 1936, Agatha Christie’s husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowen, was working on the settlement mound, at Chagar Bazar in Northern Syria. It was a productive dig, resulting in the find of 70 cuneiform tablets from the Assyrian Royal family around the year 1800 BC.
The Mallowans took many photographs of their daily life, which show Agatha Christie’s interest and involvement, but primarily she was a writer. The glass plates and and celluloid film, all in monochrome, show a clear picture of life in the desert at that time. For much of the time, however, while Agatha Christie’s husband and his team were busy excavating nearby, she would be tapping away at her portable typewriter in her tent.
Perhaps other writers, feeling homesick, would distance themselves from this, and write stories to remind them of their English home, but that was not Agatha Christie’s way. Well established now as the Queen of Crime, she knuckled down and used the material to hand, both of her environment, the daily routine, (and even most extraordinarily, some of the individuals). She created Murder in Mesopotamia.
The original cover design was by Robin McCartney, a colleague on Max Mallowen’s digs. He designed four of Agatha Christie’s dust-jackets in all. In this one from 1936, he depicts a stylised version of a dig in historic times:
But which of her detectives would be well-placed at an archaeological dig? Agatha Christie did not want to invent a new detective, but Miss Marple would certainly feel out of place here. The well-travelled Hercule Poirot, with his many connections and language skills, would surely be a far better choice.
Sadly though, Captain Arthur Hastings is not in evidence. Presumably he is attending to his ranch in South America. To take his place as chronicler, for the first part of the novel, Agatha Christie invents a new narrator, the nurse Amy Leatheran. For reasons we do not know at the beginning, she has been asked to record the events of the past few days, by a Dr Giles Reilly – the doctor in the nearest small town of Hassanieh, (and also an old friend of Poirot).
We may not know the reason, but we can have a good guess!
Dr Reilly has asked Amy Leatheran if she would be willing to take on an unusual position. Dr Eric Leidner, a Swedish-American archaeologist, is concerned about his wife, Louise. He would like to employ a nurse to be a companion and carer for her. Nobody is quite sure what her function is to be, least of all the nurse herself. Everyone at the dig has an opinion about Louis Leidner. Nurse Leatheran finds her to be likeable and charismatic, but some others seem to either detest or despise her. Her husband may be devoted to her, but Louise Leidner is generally considered to be hysterical and delusional, even claiming that someone is out to kill her.
At other times Louise Leatheran does seem to like to exert her authority. Is she cruelly manipulating the male members of the dig, or are the heightened feelings of the expedition simply due to having to live in such close proximity in spartan conditions for an extended period of time? There are anonymous letters, to be sure, but might she have written these herself? Nurse Leatheran is not sure, and neither are we.
As we read on, we learn of the various members. Firstly there are Eric and Louise Leidner, and Dr Leidner’s assistant and colleague Anne Johnson, from Yorkshire. Dr Leidner’s main assistant is the handsome Richard Carey. There is another archaeological colleague of his, Joseph Mercado, who has assisted Dr Leidner on his dig for the past two years, although now he often seems fatigued and worn. His wife Marie Mercado seems devoted to Joseph Mercado, and particularly hostile to Louise Leidner.
“I hate her so ... She's the sort of woman who's never had a row with anyone in her life - but rows always happen where she is. She makes them happen ... She must have drama!”
There are four other members of the team. David Emmott is a quiet young American man, whom Nurse Leatheran has summed up as being calm and self-possessed, and probably good in a crisis. He has been with the team for two years. Another young man is Bill Coleman, who has only been there for a year, as has Carl Reiter, a young American from Chicago. Carl Reiter is there as a photographer, and his youth and social awkwardness mean he is an easy target for Louise Leidner’s ridicule. The fourth member of the extended team is Father Lavigny, a French cleric, who has not been there long. He is a specialist in epigraphy, and studies the inscriptions on any discoveries they make. Sheila Reilly, the confident and outspoken daughter of Dr Reilly, is a frequent visitor. She clearly expects all the young men to pay her court.
It is clear that this is a hot-house of emotional tensions. There is underlying resentment of various kinds. Some of the members of the dig are overly formal and polite with one another, and others barely conceal their dislike. Moods swing from one extreme to the other. Yet Nurse Leatheran is assured by several people that the atmosphere used to be friendly and informal. What has been the catalyst for this? Has Dr Leidner made an unsuitable marriage? And is his wife as scared out of her wits as she seems to be? Or is everyone just tired and stressed?
We have been presented with a plan of the living accommodation, with all the rooms adjacent in a square, around a centre courtyard. This is Agatha Christie! We know that this is material, and that something will happen before too long, and it does.
There is a murder, in a locked room of course. And everyone seems to have an alibi. A Captain Maitland arrives; he is the British policeman in charge of the murder investigation, and Dr Reilly assists him. The reader is likely to suspect that they will not get very far in their investigations.
Sure enough, chapter 13 (there are 29 chapters) is entitled “Hercule Poirot Arrives”. We sit up. Nurse Amy Leatheran’s account has been entertaining enough – she seems a good body, honest and sensible, quick-witted but not overly bright – but now the real fun begins. Here is her account of him:
“I don’t know what I’d imagined – something rather like Sherlock Holmes – long and lean with a keen, clever face. Of course I knew he was a foreigner, but I hadn’t expected him to be quite as foreign as he was, if you know what I mean.
When you saw him you just wanted to laugh! He was like something on the stage or at the pictures. To begin with, he wasn’t above five foot five, I should think – an odd, plump little man, quite old, with an enormous moustache, and a head like an egg. He looked like a hairdresser in a comic play.
And this was the man who was going to find out who killed !”
And we have plenty of clues to play with. Everyone has secrets to hide, and more than one person is not who they seem. There are intriguing hidden back stories, one dating back to the First World War. There are switched identities, disguises, anonymous letters, thefts, forgeries, masks, hydrochloric acid, and at least two murders. It is an exciting audacious tale, which will keep you guessing right until the end.
However, although the explanations is as original and ingenious as we have come to expect of Agatha Christie, I do not consider Murder in Mesopotamia to be one of her best novels. There were occasions where I did not quite feel that the characters were behaving in a believable fashion. One may have been a little too hysterical; one a little too sullen. One a little too off-hand, or a little too jaunty, or stubborn, or un-noticing, or a host of other emotions. The hand of the puppeteer was perhaps a little too much in evidence.
Nurse Amy Leatheran was a delight, and the first dozen chapters narrated by her were lively and amusing, with observations such as:
“Poirot scrutinised [the letters] carefully as he did so. I was rather disappointed that he didn’t dust powder over them or examine them with a microscope or anything like that - but I realised that he wasn’t a very young man and that his methods were probably not very up to date. He just read them in the way that anyone might read a letter.”
I enjoyed the back story too, about Louise Leidner’s first husband Frederick Bosner,
It did not ring true either, that all the male members of the archaeological team were in love with Louise, who seemed to enjoy making people look small. Neither did I believe a rivalry could exist between such a sophisticated woman and a far younger one, Sheila Reilly. She was spoilt, certainly, this daughter of the doctor, but too mannered and keen to strike a pose, to be cleverly manipulative.
But worst was the far-fetched method of the main murder, which I found barely credible.
Murder in Mesopotamia was a risky novel for Agatha Christie to publish, for other reasons. It was to some extent a roman-à-clef, and she must have worried that it could result in a libel suit. According to Max Mallowen in his autobiography, Agatha Christie had written herself as nurse Amy Leatheran, and himself as the cheerful dependable David Emmott. These pictures from life were not too much to worry about.
However the Leidner couple were instantly recognisable. The character of Dr Eric Leidner was based on Leonard Woolley, the leading archaeologist of the expedition Max Mallowen was working on. In real life, his overbearing wife Katherine apparently made life difficult for everyone around her, and unbearable for some. She was clearly the prototype for Louise Leidner. Yet neither of these ever commented on Agatha Christie’s inclusion of them into her latest murder mystery!
Murder in Mesopotamia is an entertaining puzzle, but this fourteenth entry into the Hercule Poirot oeuvre is, I feel, just a little too melodramatic to be in the top rank of Agatha Christie’s novels.
“Murder is a habit. The man or woman who kills once will kill again.” - Hercule Poirot
“'Always it is unwise to parade one’s knowledge. Until the last minute I keep everything here,’ he tapped his forehead. At the right moment – I make the spring – like the panther – and, mon Dieu! the consternation!'
I couldn’t help laughing to myself at little M. Poirot in the role of a panther.” - Nurse Amy Leatheran
Mesopotamia was an ancient region located in the eastern Mediterranean, which no longer exists as a country. The literal translation is “between two rivers”, and these rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates. Mesopotamia corresponds mostly to today’s Iraq, but also includes parts of modern-day Iran, Syria and Turkey.
Such facts may destroy the dreamlike romance and mystery of the name “Mesopotamia”. Agatha Christie, could of course not have known the air of nostalgia and mystery she conjured up for 21st century readers, by this title. She just happened to be in the area at the time.
In 1936, Agatha Christie’s husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowen, was working on the settlement mound, at Chagar Bazar in Northern Syria. It was a productive dig, resulting in the find of 70 cuneiform tablets from the Assyrian Royal family around the year 1800 BC.
The Mallowans took many photographs of their daily life, which show Agatha Christie’s interest and involvement, but primarily she was a writer. The glass plates and and celluloid film, all in monochrome, show a clear picture of life in the desert at that time. For much of the time, however, while Agatha Christie’s husband and his team were busy excavating nearby, she would be tapping away at her portable typewriter in her tent.
Perhaps other writers, feeling homesick, would distance themselves from this, and write stories to remind them of their English home, but that was not Agatha Christie’s way. Well established now as the Queen of Crime, she knuckled down and used the material to hand, both of her environment, the daily routine, (and even most extraordinarily, some of the individuals). She created Murder in Mesopotamia.
The original cover design was by Robin McCartney, a colleague on Max Mallowen’s digs. He designed four of Agatha Christie’s dust-jackets in all. In this one from 1936, he depicts a stylised version of a dig in historic times:
But which of her detectives would be well-placed at an archaeological dig? Agatha Christie did not want to invent a new detective, but Miss Marple would certainly feel out of place here. The well-travelled Hercule Poirot, with his many connections and language skills, would surely be a far better choice.
Sadly though, Captain Arthur Hastings is not in evidence. Presumably he is attending to his ranch in South America. To take his place as chronicler, for the first part of the novel, Agatha Christie invents a new narrator, the nurse Amy Leatheran. For reasons we do not know at the beginning, she has been asked to record the events of the past few days, by a Dr Giles Reilly – the doctor in the nearest small town of Hassanieh, (and also an old friend of Poirot).
We may not know the reason, but we can have a good guess!
Dr Reilly has asked Amy Leatheran if she would be willing to take on an unusual position. Dr Eric Leidner, a Swedish-American archaeologist, is concerned about his wife, Louise. He would like to employ a nurse to be a companion and carer for her. Nobody is quite sure what her function is to be, least of all the nurse herself. Everyone at the dig has an opinion about Louis Leidner. Nurse Leatheran finds her to be likeable and charismatic, but some others seem to either detest or despise her. Her husband may be devoted to her, but Louise Leidner is generally considered to be hysterical and delusional, even claiming that someone is out to kill her.
At other times Louise Leatheran does seem to like to exert her authority. Is she cruelly manipulating the male members of the dig, or are the heightened feelings of the expedition simply due to having to live in such close proximity in spartan conditions for an extended period of time? There are anonymous letters, to be sure, but might she have written these herself? Nurse Leatheran is not sure, and neither are we.
As we read on, we learn of the various members. Firstly there are Eric and Louise Leidner, and Dr Leidner’s assistant and colleague Anne Johnson, from Yorkshire. Dr Leidner’s main assistant is the handsome Richard Carey. There is another archaeological colleague of his, Joseph Mercado, who has assisted Dr Leidner on his dig for the past two years, although now he often seems fatigued and worn. His wife Marie Mercado seems devoted to Joseph Mercado, and particularly hostile to Louise Leidner.
“I hate her so ... She's the sort of woman who's never had a row with anyone in her life - but rows always happen where she is. She makes them happen ... She must have drama!”
There are four other members of the team. David Emmott is a quiet young American man, whom Nurse Leatheran has summed up as being calm and self-possessed, and probably good in a crisis. He has been with the team for two years. Another young man is Bill Coleman, who has only been there for a year, as has Carl Reiter, a young American from Chicago. Carl Reiter is there as a photographer, and his youth and social awkwardness mean he is an easy target for Louise Leidner’s ridicule. The fourth member of the extended team is Father Lavigny, a French cleric, who has not been there long. He is a specialist in epigraphy, and studies the inscriptions on any discoveries they make. Sheila Reilly, the confident and outspoken daughter of Dr Reilly, is a frequent visitor. She clearly expects all the young men to pay her court.
It is clear that this is a hot-house of emotional tensions. There is underlying resentment of various kinds. Some of the members of the dig are overly formal and polite with one another, and others barely conceal their dislike. Moods swing from one extreme to the other. Yet Nurse Leatheran is assured by several people that the atmosphere used to be friendly and informal. What has been the catalyst for this? Has Dr Leidner made an unsuitable marriage? And is his wife as scared out of her wits as she seems to be? Or is everyone just tired and stressed?
We have been presented with a plan of the living accommodation, with all the rooms adjacent in a square, around a centre courtyard. This is Agatha Christie! We know that this is material, and that something will happen before too long, and it does.
There is a murder, in a locked room of course. And everyone seems to have an alibi. A Captain Maitland arrives; he is the British policeman in charge of the murder investigation, and Dr Reilly assists him. The reader is likely to suspect that they will not get very far in their investigations.
Sure enough, chapter 13 (there are 29 chapters) is entitled “Hercule Poirot Arrives”. We sit up. Nurse Amy Leatheran’s account has been entertaining enough – she seems a good body, honest and sensible, quick-witted but not overly bright – but now the real fun begins. Here is her account of him:
“I don’t know what I’d imagined – something rather like Sherlock Holmes – long and lean with a keen, clever face. Of course I knew he was a foreigner, but I hadn’t expected him to be quite as foreign as he was, if you know what I mean.
When you saw him you just wanted to laugh! He was like something on the stage or at the pictures. To begin with, he wasn’t above five foot five, I should think – an odd, plump little man, quite old, with an enormous moustache, and a head like an egg. He looked like a hairdresser in a comic play.
And this was the man who was going to find out who killed !”
And we have plenty of clues to play with. Everyone has secrets to hide, and more than one person is not who they seem. There are intriguing hidden back stories, one dating back to the First World War. There are switched identities, disguises, anonymous letters, thefts, forgeries, masks, hydrochloric acid, and at least two murders. It is an exciting audacious tale, which will keep you guessing right until the end.
However, although the explanations is as original and ingenious as we have come to expect of Agatha Christie, I do not consider Murder in Mesopotamia to be one of her best novels. There were occasions where I did not quite feel that the characters were behaving in a believable fashion. One may have been a little too hysterical; one a little too sullen. One a little too off-hand, or a little too jaunty, or stubborn, or un-noticing, or a host of other emotions. The hand of the puppeteer was perhaps a little too much in evidence.
Nurse Amy Leatheran was a delight, and the first dozen chapters narrated by her were lively and amusing, with observations such as:
“Poirot scrutinised [the letters] carefully as he did so. I was rather disappointed that he didn’t dust powder over them or examine them with a microscope or anything like that - but I realised that he wasn’t a very young man and that his methods were probably not very up to date. He just read them in the way that anyone might read a letter.”
I enjoyed the back story too, about Louise Leidner’s first husband Frederick Bosner,
It did not ring true either, that all the male members of the archaeological team were in love with Louise, who seemed to enjoy making people look small. Neither did I believe a rivalry could exist between such a sophisticated woman and a far younger one, Sheila Reilly. She was spoilt, certainly, this daughter of the doctor, but too mannered and keen to strike a pose, to be cleverly manipulative.
But worst was the far-fetched method of the main murder, which I found barely credible.
Murder in Mesopotamia was a risky novel for Agatha Christie to publish, for other reasons. It was to some extent a roman-à-clef, and she must have worried that it could result in a libel suit. According to Max Mallowen in his autobiography, Agatha Christie had written herself as nurse Amy Leatheran, and himself as the cheerful dependable David Emmott. These pictures from life were not too much to worry about.
However the Leidner couple were instantly recognisable. The character of Dr Eric Leidner was based on Leonard Woolley, the leading archaeologist of the expedition Max Mallowen was working on. In real life, his overbearing wife Katherine apparently made life difficult for everyone around her, and unbearable for some. She was clearly the prototype for Louise Leidner. Yet neither of these ever commented on Agatha Christie’s inclusion of them into her latest murder mystery!
Murder in Mesopotamia is an entertaining puzzle, but this fourteenth entry into the Hercule Poirot oeuvre is, I feel, just a little too melodramatic to be in the top rank of Agatha Christie’s novels.
“Murder is a habit. The man or woman who kills once will kill again.” - Hercule Poirot
“'Always it is unwise to parade one’s knowledge. Until the last minute I keep everything here,’ he tapped his forehead. At the right moment – I make the spring – like the panther – and, mon Dieu! the consternation!'
I couldn’t help laughing to myself at little M. Poirot in the role of a panther.” - Nurse Amy Leatheran
January 12, 2026
In this 14th book in the Hercule Poirot series the author takes her famous character to an area she knew well herself from visiting with her archeologist husband.
The story begins with Nurse Amy Leatheran accepting a position to attend the wife of Dr. Leidner who is heading up an archeological dig. No one is quite sure what ails Louise Leidner but everyone has an opinion and she is certainly causing trouble among members of the team. When a murder occurs it is very lucky that Hercule Poirot is visiting the area and is quick to offer his help.
The book is written as though Nurse Leatheran is scribing the events as she saw them from her arrival at the dig to Poirot's eventual solution to the case. Poirot is his usual buoyant self, ever prone to making enigmatic comments and always searching for clues. A few reviews of this book point out that the method of the first murder is melodramatic and maybe not worthy of Agatha Christie. Probably true but it certainly did not spoil the book for me. Overall it was a great read. Five stars.
The story begins with Nurse Amy Leatheran accepting a position to attend the wife of Dr. Leidner who is heading up an archeological dig. No one is quite sure what ails Louise Leidner but everyone has an opinion and she is certainly causing trouble among members of the team. When a murder occurs it is very lucky that Hercule Poirot is visiting the area and is quick to offer his help.
The book is written as though Nurse Leatheran is scribing the events as she saw them from her arrival at the dig to Poirot's eventual solution to the case. Poirot is his usual buoyant self, ever prone to making enigmatic comments and always searching for clues. A few reviews of this book point out that the method of the first murder is melodramatic and maybe not worthy of Agatha Christie. Probably true but it certainly did not spoil the book for me. Overall it was a great read. Five stars.
April 8, 2022
April 2022 Appointment with Agatha
In this novel, Nurse Leatheran fulfills the role of Hastings, becoming the confidante of Poirot and giving the reader insight into his thought processes. Unlike Hastings, she is able to follow his reasoning more easily, although not completely. But then she isn't being distracted by attractive women or overly impressed by people's social class. She is a nurse, so she is used to seeing everyone as a potential patient, a great leveler. She is similar to Hastings in her very ingrained Englishness, persisting in seeing people in Iraq as “foreign” despite the fact that she is the foreigner in Iraq. (She also displays a certain judginess concerning Poirot’s self confidence that Hastings frequently expresses).
It was only four years ago that I first read this novel and the identity of the killer had been purged from my memory banks. It was the setting and the atmosphere that had stuck with me. At the point that this book was published, Christie had been married to Max Mallowan for six years. She had been accompanying him to dig sites in the Middle East, giving her first hand experience to inform her fiction. No wonder the archaeological setting is so well realized.
Well worth a second reading, as are so many of Dame Agatha's mysteries. I continue to be amazed at how she accomplished so much in such short novels.
Original Review
***2018 Summer of Spies***
It must have been the exotic Middle Eastern location, but this Hercule Poirot mystery really made me think about M.M. Kaye’s series of mysteries, set in similarly foreign settings. Last summer, I read both Death in Zanzibar and Death in Cyprus, and I have a feeling that Murder in Mesopotamia may have been one of the influences on Kaye. Perhaps it was the English nurse as narrator—an Englishwoman in an alien environment, applying her standards of judgement to the events (and to Hercule Poirot as investigator).
The solution to the crime was suitably obscure. Christie fools me more often than any other mystery writer that I’ve encountered so far. She is expert at the art of misdirection!
Christie portrays the archaeological setting so accurately—the reader can tell that she went to many dig sites with her second husband. She gets the surroundings, the finds, the group dynamics, etc. just right. You can taste the dust and feel the heat as you read.
I could also appreciate her confidence as a writer. This is a Poirot mystery, but the man himself doesn’t appear until well into the book and we see him only through the eyes of Nurse Leatheran. Altogether a very skillfully assembled mystery story, perfect for summer reading.
In this novel, Nurse Leatheran fulfills the role of Hastings, becoming the confidante of Poirot and giving the reader insight into his thought processes. Unlike Hastings, she is able to follow his reasoning more easily, although not completely. But then she isn't being distracted by attractive women or overly impressed by people's social class. She is a nurse, so she is used to seeing everyone as a potential patient, a great leveler. She is similar to Hastings in her very ingrained Englishness, persisting in seeing people in Iraq as “foreign” despite the fact that she is the foreigner in Iraq. (She also displays a certain judginess concerning Poirot’s self confidence that Hastings frequently expresses).
It was only four years ago that I first read this novel and the identity of the killer had been purged from my memory banks. It was the setting and the atmosphere that had stuck with me. At the point that this book was published, Christie had been married to Max Mallowan for six years. She had been accompanying him to dig sites in the Middle East, giving her first hand experience to inform her fiction. No wonder the archaeological setting is so well realized.
Well worth a second reading, as are so many of Dame Agatha's mysteries. I continue to be amazed at how she accomplished so much in such short novels.
Original Review
***2018 Summer of Spies***
It must have been the exotic Middle Eastern location, but this Hercule Poirot mystery really made me think about M.M. Kaye’s series of mysteries, set in similarly foreign settings. Last summer, I read both Death in Zanzibar and Death in Cyprus, and I have a feeling that Murder in Mesopotamia may have been one of the influences on Kaye. Perhaps it was the English nurse as narrator—an Englishwoman in an alien environment, applying her standards of judgement to the events (and to Hercule Poirot as investigator).
The solution to the crime was suitably obscure. Christie fools me more often than any other mystery writer that I’ve encountered so far. She is expert at the art of misdirection!
Christie portrays the archaeological setting so accurately—the reader can tell that she went to many dig sites with her second husband. She gets the surroundings, the finds, the group dynamics, etc. just right. You can taste the dust and feel the heat as you read.
I could also appreciate her confidence as a writer. This is a Poirot mystery, but the man himself doesn’t appear until well into the book and we see him only through the eyes of Nurse Leatheran. Altogether a very skillfully assembled mystery story, perfect for summer reading.
December 2, 2020
Narrated by the mildly stupid Nurse Amy Leatheran, this Poirot from 1936 is a complete farrago. The crime hinges on a circumstance that is, frankly, absurd. But you know what? This is a thumping good read.
You need to know that, if you look under the following spoiler tag, there will be absolutely no point in reading the book.
So no, not credible. Not even a little bit. We do have a seriously sick case of stalking on our hands. We do have "love" curdled into obsession. We do have antiquities theft...a problem quite pressing in the Mesopotamia of today...we do have lots of drug use. We do not have any of Christie's longueurs of style that curse later efforts, that can make the later Poirots feel as though one is reading pastiche. We have a bracing, heady draft of prime-of-life Dame Agatha that draws heavily on her time as Lady Mallowan, wife of an archaeologist. She observes so clearly and sees so much and is unbelievably economical with her verbiage.
I'm so glad I had three and a half hours in the waiting room to read the Overdrive-borrowed Kindlebook!
Agatha Christie's Poirot: S08E02 Murder in Mesopotamia
Rating: 4* of five
Hastings gets chucked into the proceedings. Drug use is not treated as lightly as Christie did, resulting in a final solution much more unpleasant than the books. Poirot meets the victim while alive, and learns her Dark Secret (weird first marriage) from her own lips. He is part of the atmosphere, going into the dig to meet with a suspect, which isn't in the book. Antiquities theft, on the other hand, is sort of hand-waved away. No serious action is taken.
But really now...we're led to believe that Countess Vera Rossakoff telegraphs Poirot from Baghdad and he picks up sticks and comes to this hot, dusty, yucky place?! She's nowhere in the book, I assure you, because Dame Ags wouldn't've done such a foolish thing. Even in a story predicated on such a ridiculous premise.
Still. Pretty pictures, Poirot as he was Divinely Ordained to Be (read: Played by David Suchet), and a very satisfyingly absurd climactic scene. Fun, fun, fun.
You need to know that, if you look under the following spoiler tag, there will be absolutely no point in reading the book.
So no, not credible. Not even a little bit. We do have a seriously sick case of stalking on our hands. We do have "love" curdled into obsession. We do have antiquities theft...a problem quite pressing in the Mesopotamia of today...we do have lots of drug use. We do not have any of Christie's longueurs of style that curse later efforts, that can make the later Poirots feel as though one is reading pastiche. We have a bracing, heady draft of prime-of-life Dame Agatha that draws heavily on her time as Lady Mallowan, wife of an archaeologist. She observes so clearly and sees so much and is unbelievably economical with her verbiage.
I'm so glad I had three and a half hours in the waiting room to read the Overdrive-borrowed Kindlebook!
Agatha Christie's Poirot: S08E02 Murder in Mesopotamia
Rating: 4* of five
Hastings gets chucked into the proceedings. Drug use is not treated as lightly as Christie did, resulting in a final solution much more unpleasant than the books. Poirot meets the victim while alive, and learns her Dark Secret (weird first marriage) from her own lips. He is part of the atmosphere, going into the dig to meet with a suspect, which isn't in the book. Antiquities theft, on the other hand, is sort of hand-waved away. No serious action is taken.
But really now...we're led to believe that Countess Vera Rossakoff telegraphs Poirot from Baghdad and he picks up sticks and comes to this hot, dusty, yucky place?! She's nowhere in the book, I assure you, because Dame Ags wouldn't've done such a foolish thing. Even in a story predicated on such a ridiculous premise.
Still. Pretty pictures, Poirot as he was Divinely Ordained to Be (read: Played by David Suchet), and a very satisfyingly absurd climactic scene. Fun, fun, fun.
September 27, 2023
Este quizás no es uno de los títulos más famosos de Agatha pero sin duda debería serlo porque es original, la ambientación en una excavación arqueológica es fantástica y super interesante y la manera en que está contado por uno de los personajes aunque no sea la primera vez que lo hace en sus libros, le da un toque de frescura.
Como podéis ver me ha gustado muchísimo y se sitúa en mi TOP5 de los leídos hasta ahora (que aun no son muchos la verdad sea dicha).
En este caso la historia comienza sin Poirot, una enfermera llega al campamento para cuidar de la esposa del que podríamos llamar director de proyecto o de la exacavación, últimamente la mujer parece tener los nervios a flor de pie e incluso piensan que sufre alucinaciones. Cuando la enfermera se incorpora como un miembro más a la expedición irá conociendo a los peculiares personajes que la forman.
Como imaginareis, adivinar el final de nuevo es casi imposible, esta autora es una artista del despiste y por eso nos hace disfrutar tanto creando posibles tramas y resoluciones en nuestra cabeza hasta que llega el final y ¡Puuum!
En definitiva que he disfrutado mucho esta lectura y espero poder leer algún título más antes de que acabe el año.
Por cierto, hay adaptación cinematográfica, ¿la habéis visto? ¿me la recomendais? He de decir que no he visto ninguna de las adaptaciones de sus libros…. Para matarme lo se…
Como podéis ver me ha gustado muchísimo y se sitúa en mi TOP5 de los leídos hasta ahora (que aun no son muchos la verdad sea dicha).
En este caso la historia comienza sin Poirot, una enfermera llega al campamento para cuidar de la esposa del que podríamos llamar director de proyecto o de la exacavación, últimamente la mujer parece tener los nervios a flor de pie e incluso piensan que sufre alucinaciones. Cuando la enfermera se incorpora como un miembro más a la expedición irá conociendo a los peculiares personajes que la forman.
Como imaginareis, adivinar el final de nuevo es casi imposible, esta autora es una artista del despiste y por eso nos hace disfrutar tanto creando posibles tramas y resoluciones en nuestra cabeza hasta que llega el final y ¡Puuum!
En definitiva que he disfrutado mucho esta lectura y espero poder leer algún título más antes de que acabe el año.
Por cierto, hay adaptación cinematográfica, ¿la habéis visto? ¿me la recomendais? He de decir que no he visto ninguna de las adaptaciones de sus libros…. Para matarme lo se…
June 8, 2022
Murder in Mesopotamia is an enjoyable between the world wars "closed room" mystery that Agatha Christie does so well.
The reader is brought along by Amy Leatheran a qualified nurse who is on assignment from England to look after a person associated with an Archeological Dig.
Nurse Leatheran is a capable and likeable narrator who shares her thoughts as she settles in. These thoughts turn to worries and horror when one of the Dig's community is murdered.
Hercule Poirot, who is in the vicinity, is called in to help. This, his fourteenth adventure, taxes the formidable and great man's little grey cells. There is much to consider with many avenues and possibilities on both the motive and the circumstances.
Throughout Nurse Leatheran provides the reader with useful information and a interesting commentary of events, which culminate with Poirot with his usual, expert attention to detail and skill in listening to others solving the case.
A fun read in the spirit of 1930s Christie with a backdrop of the period's interest in archeological digs in the Middle East (in this case modern day Iraq).
The reader is brought along by Amy Leatheran a qualified nurse who is on assignment from England to look after a person associated with an Archeological Dig.
Nurse Leatheran is a capable and likeable narrator who shares her thoughts as she settles in. These thoughts turn to worries and horror when one of the Dig's community is murdered.
Hercule Poirot, who is in the vicinity, is called in to help. This, his fourteenth adventure, taxes the formidable and great man's little grey cells. There is much to consider with many avenues and possibilities on both the motive and the circumstances.
Throughout Nurse Leatheran provides the reader with useful information and a interesting commentary of events, which culminate with Poirot with his usual, expert attention to detail and skill in listening to others solving the case.
A fun read in the spirit of 1930s Christie with a backdrop of the period's interest in archeological digs in the Middle East (in this case modern day Iraq).
December 29, 2019
After a few months of break, I'm continuing yet again with the Poirot series. This time Agatha Christie takes the readers to Iraq and archaeology and excavation. It is novel setting and it provided an interesting background for the murder-mystery.
A murder occurs within the house where which a party of archaeologists are residing while carrying out their digging. And conveniently Poirot is crossing the borders and passing through Baghdad, so he was summoned to help with the investigation. With a little assistance from an unusual quarter, Poirot solves the mystery behind the murder and exposes the criminal.
While this is not one of the best murder-mystery stories by Agatha Christie, yet it was interesting enough. And as in all Agatha Christie murder-mysteries, the story is quite engaging keeping the readers in suspense and inviting them to the guessing game of discovering the culprit. But what really struck me in this particular story is the Christie's choice of a victim whom the reader finds difficult in sympathizing.
All in all, this is pretty good read though not one of her best.
A murder occurs within the house where which a party of archaeologists are residing while carrying out their digging. And conveniently Poirot is crossing the borders and passing through Baghdad, so he was summoned to help with the investigation. With a little assistance from an unusual quarter, Poirot solves the mystery behind the murder and exposes the criminal.
While this is not one of the best murder-mystery stories by Agatha Christie, yet it was interesting enough. And as in all Agatha Christie murder-mysteries, the story is quite engaging keeping the readers in suspense and inviting them to the guessing game of discovering the culprit. But what really struck me in this particular story is the Christie's choice of a victim whom the reader finds difficult in sympathizing.
All in all, this is pretty good read though not one of her best.
August 26, 2025
no hugh fraser for this one :(
February 23, 2021
Agatha Christie es fabulosa y mientras más la leo, más me gusta, en está ocasión nos lleva a Bangladesh en medio de una expedición arqueológica y a través de la narración de una enfermera que llega ahí para cuidar a la esposa del jefe de la expedición nos enteraremos de todos los hechos.
Sin duda, sobre la historia no hay mucho que pueda decir que no haya dicho antes, la mejor palabra para definirla es, ingeniosa, por muchos autores que lea, creo que nadie le gana en este rubro a Agatha, no es solo el que se le ocurran asesinatos ciertamente diferentes y ocurrentes, es también que no es de esas autoras donde una vez leído, has leído todos, fue una escritora fuera de serie por su enorme capacidad inventiva, pero sobre todo narrativa.
Eso es lo que me llama la atención, lo mismo puede escribir un libro en primera persona, que en tercera persona o con un narrador desconocido, aunque este último es el que menos me he encontrado, pero más allá de eso es que a pesar de que sus libros tienen, por supuesto, un sello característico, una manera muy peculiar siempre de, sobre todo, desenredar y desvelar los acontecimientos y al asesino, todo lo demás resulta siempre refrescante, en este caso ha sido precisamente conocer los hechos a través de los ojos y la mirada de un espectador que ni es cercana a Poirot y una completa desconocida para quienes leemos regularmente a Agatha, no es la primera vez que me encuentro con esto en los libros de Agatha, claro, pero aun así el que nunca sepas que te vas a encontrar a la hora de abrir uno de sus libros, me encanta.
Tengo una pequeña apuesta conmigo misma siempre que comienzo uno de los libros de Agatha y es si sabré adivinar quien es el asesino, debo confesar que me va ganando Agatha por goleada, pero en está ocasión si que adivine que era, lo que no me esperaba eran las motivaciones y lo que había detrás del asesino, solo Poirot habría sido capaz de deducir una cosa así.
Sin duda, sobre la historia no hay mucho que pueda decir que no haya dicho antes, la mejor palabra para definirla es, ingeniosa, por muchos autores que lea, creo que nadie le gana en este rubro a Agatha, no es solo el que se le ocurran asesinatos ciertamente diferentes y ocurrentes, es también que no es de esas autoras donde una vez leído, has leído todos, fue una escritora fuera de serie por su enorme capacidad inventiva, pero sobre todo narrativa.
Eso es lo que me llama la atención, lo mismo puede escribir un libro en primera persona, que en tercera persona o con un narrador desconocido, aunque este último es el que menos me he encontrado, pero más allá de eso es que a pesar de que sus libros tienen, por supuesto, un sello característico, una manera muy peculiar siempre de, sobre todo, desenredar y desvelar los acontecimientos y al asesino, todo lo demás resulta siempre refrescante, en este caso ha sido precisamente conocer los hechos a través de los ojos y la mirada de un espectador que ni es cercana a Poirot y una completa desconocida para quienes leemos regularmente a Agatha, no es la primera vez que me encuentro con esto en los libros de Agatha, claro, pero aun así el que nunca sepas que te vas a encontrar a la hora de abrir uno de sus libros, me encanta.
Tengo una pequeña apuesta conmigo misma siempre que comienzo uno de los libros de Agatha y es si sabré adivinar quien es el asesino, debo confesar que me va ganando Agatha por goleada, pero en está ocasión si que adivine que era, lo que no me esperaba eran las motivaciones y lo que había detrás del asesino, solo Poirot habría sido capaz de deducir una cosa así.
July 23, 2022
Nurse Leatheran's approachable narrative of this Poirot case was refreshing. Sometimes, Poirot steals all the thunder when he appears, and since he tends to hide cards up his sleeve, it was nice to participate in the sleuthing alongside Ms. Leatheran. Christie infused this one with plenty of twists, and while the murder depended on a fact that felt pretty ridiculous to me, I still enjoyed the book. I do wish there'd been more tidbits about the actual dig and local culture, and we only get the briefest glimpse of this fascinating setting along the Tigris River.
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