Death On The Nile

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: Full Cast, John Moffatt

Linnet Ridgeway has led a charmed life. Blessed with beauty, enormous wealth and a devoted husband, she has everything anyone could wish for. But as the happy couple set out on an idyllic honeymoon cruise on the Nile, storm clouds are gathering... Linnet's former friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort, follows her and Simon wherever they go and Linnet senses she is in danger. At first her fears seem groundless. But an attempt is made first on her life and then on her husband's. Eventually the killer is successful, and Linnet is found horribly murdered. With an obvious suspect who cannot possibly have committed the crime, it is up to Hercule Poirot to probe the depths of a remarkable criminal mind and discover the dark secret behind what is only the first in a series of inexplicable deaths.

Decent, but inferior to the book

The performance of the radio play was better than I thought it might be, but it was definitely less enjoyable than listening to the unabridged novel.

Due to the time constraints of being a radio program, it sometimes jumps into a scene for just a line or two and then switches away from it. At times, it feels like the story had constantly been cut and cut until it fit into the allotted time. Then someone figures out that some bits needed to be added for it all to make sense, so some more gets cut and truncated bits of what had been previously cut are added back in.

The plot was essentially the same as the novel and held true to the essence of the story. Maybe sticking too close to the novel was the problem? Parts could have been condensed and alternate ways of presenting things would have made it flow better with fewer short scenes, but then the purists probably would have been unhappy with the result. That's always the balancing act when adapting a story from one medium into another.

Overall, the result is pleasant enough, but I know I won't be getting any more of the BBC adaptations of Christie's novels since I prefer the longer, more nuanced listen. However, if you're looking for a shorter listen than the novels and enjoy radio plays then this and the other BBC adaptations might be for you.

wonderful cast

The cast was fantastic, but the characters were a bit difficult to follow. The dialogue was somewhat rapid.

Fantastic performances all around!

So engaging that you are captivated from start to finish. A great audiobook for a long drive, the time just passes.

Good radio performance of a classic

So by now, anyone who has ever heard of Agatha Christie and/or Hercule Poirot most likely has read or seen Death On The Nile, one of her most famous works. So there is not a lot to say about this. It's always fun to have a story with Hercule in it, and in this one, he is pulled into the mystery while on personal vacation. It is interesting that in writing the book, Agatha initially has him both trying to avoid taking on a mystery during his vacation time, and still being curiously drawn into all that is happening, till, of course, he is clearly conducting the whole investigation (with the help of one other official person). A good mystery. And we'll performed. Sometimes adapting a book to radio format doesn't go smoothly, but I'd almost say that in this case, I liked it better than just reading the book. Sound effects, etc, were good, and the cast was good as well. And even the quality of the sound was surprisingly well produced.

Not for me but......

Bought this book because my mom was a fan of Agatha and maybe I would be too if it were a book.....not audio book.