Nevertheless, it’s a nasty business to witness and serves no apparent purpose in the narrative. The tale is voiced by a new one-off protagonist who sees Poirot himself as more bumbling and inarticulate than usual, so if we were to be very charitable, perhaps the bigotry is an intentional piece of characterization for her and not a full reflection of the Queen of Crime’s own feelings. There’s the expected exoticizing of the setting and its local population, but also plenty of slurs and casually derogatory remarks about dark-skinned and non-English-speaking people in general. I’ve read over two dozen Christie books by now, and this one is the worst offender I’ve seen. Moreover, the entire text is incredibly racist, even by the standards of this writer and her era. But it’s hardly the only possible explanation that would, which renders the offered certainty of the affair pretty unsatisfying.

Does the answer fit the available facts? Sure, more or less.

It’s an instance too of the investigator making deductions that seem like interpretive guesswork instead of reasoned entailments of particular clues on the ground. Yet I don’t feel bad, because it really is supremely ridiculous. Despite spotting the culprit early on, I didn’t come anywhere near figuring out the whole extended motive. (The action actually starts a bit earlier, as the story is narrated by a different character already at the scene - more on her below.) What ensues is a fairly standard case for the little Belgian detective, with two critical caveats.įirst, the ultimate solution to the mystery is one of author Agatha Christie’s most outlandish yet. This 1936 novel sends Hercule Poirot to the site of an archaeological dig in Iraq, where a member of the expedition has just been murdered. There is only one way into her room, through the main courtyard, a very public place, and nobody saw anyone enter her room.Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #14) The next day, Mrs Leidner is found dead in her room, having received a savage blow to the head. They are purported from her long-dead first husband but she suspects they are from his brother.

A short time after arriving the site, Mrs Leidner is spooked by a mask at her window, leading her to confide to Poirot that she is receiving death threats. The night before Poirot arrives one of the locals is murdered on the dig site. He is accompanied by his beautiful wife, her nurse - Amy Leatheran, his long-time archaeological partner - Richard Carey, his assistant - Anne Johnson, a priest - Father Lavigny, another archaeologist - Joseph Mercado, his wife and a team of local workers.

The dig is being led by famed archaeologist, Dr Leidner. Hercule Poirot is in Baghdad, Iraq, to meet an old acquaintance when he is invited to a nearby archaeological dig by his old friend Captain Hastings.

Hercule poirot murder in mesopotamia