Death on the Nile(resumo)

DEATH ON THE NILE

The major plot of the history is the investigation of a murder. Everything started with Linnet Ridgeway, one of the richest young ladies in London. She received a call of her oldest friend Jacqueline de Bellefort (a girl she had been at school together in Paris, but Jackie’s father ran off and left the family without a penny). They agreed to meet and Jackie asked Linnet for a favor: give the job of land agent at Wode Hall to Simon, her boyfriend, and so did Linnet. But they fell in love and Linnet married Simon.

So, the married couple headed off on their honeymoon to Egypt. In revenge for stealing her man, Jackie started to show up at all the locations where they were present. Simon and Linnet secretly boarded the steamer Karnak, set to tour along the Nile, to escape her, but she had learned of their plans and boarded ahead of them. Coincidentally, Hercule Poirot, a French private investigator that is famous for solving some of the world's most perplexing mysteries, was vacationing in Egypt and boards the same ship, along with other characters, like Louise (Linnet's maid), Andrew Pennington (her trustee who came to Egypt upon learning of her marriage to Simon, to trick her into signing documents that would allow him to get her inheritance).

One day, the group went to visit an ancient temple. Suddenly, there was a shout and Simon jumped to his feet and dragged Linnet with him. Not a minute too soon. An enormous rock crashed down past them. If Linnet had remained where she was, she would have been killed. Jacqueline is initially suspected, but she is found to have been aboard the steamer at the time of the incident.  Later that night, Jacqueline shot Simon in the leg with a gun. The following morning, Linnet is found dead, having been shot in the head.

        Then, the narrative focuses on who killed Linnet. Poirot started to investigate the crime and interview other passengers for clues. He interviewed the maid Louise, but was not convinced by her answer. Soon afterwards, she is found stabbed in her cabin. Mrs. Otterbourne claimed she knew who killed the maid, but before she could reveal the truth, she was also murdered.

        Finally, Poirot was able to solve the crime. Simon killed Linnet but it had been Jacqueline’s plan. They had just pretended to break up so Simon could marry Linnet. On the night of the murder, Jackie missed Simon, who faked his injury with red ink. While everyone in the lounge was distracted by Jacqueline, he took her gun and went to Linnet's cabin, and shot her. He then returned to the lounge and shot his own leg, to give himself a real injury. Louise and Mrs. Otterbourne were murdered by Jacqueline, because Louise witnessed Simon entering Linnet's cabin that night and Mrs. Otterbourne saw Jacqueline entering Louise's cabin before stabbing her.

        In the end, Jacqueline shoots herself and Simon. Poirot knew she had a gun but had sympathetically chosen to allow her to take her own life.