Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
Tell Yarimjah, Mesopotamien, ca 1935
Historien fortælles på opfordring af dr. Reilly af miss Amy Leatheran, som var sygeplejerske for en mrs Louise Leidner.
Dr. Leidner, Louise Leidner, Mr Joseph Mercado, Mrs Marie Mercado, Miss Anne Johnson, Amy Leatheran, skrifttegnskyndig Fader Lavigny, Richard
Amy bliver tilkaldt af dr. Reilly på vegne af dr. Leidner, som er bekymret for sin kone. Hun får tilsendt anonyme breve med dødstrusler, angiveligt fra hendes tidligere mand. Manden, Frederick Bosner, var tysk spion under første verdenskrig og blev afsløret af Louise. Han blev dømt til døden, men flygtede fra fængslet og blev så dræbt i en togulykke, tror man nok. Sidenhen fik Louise trusler tilsendt hver gang hun var på intim fod med en mand. Fredericks yngre bror, William Bosner, står måske bag.
Kort efter at Amy er kommet til stedet, bliver Mrs Leidner myrdet med en hårdt slag i hovedet.
Såvidt man kan se er Mrs Leidner blevet myrdet i et kort tidsrum på 10 minutter hvor der ikke var nogen udenfor. Og det ser ud til at være en af deltagerne i udgravningen, der har gjort det, for ingen fremmede er kommet hverken ind eller ud af området.
Den lokale politichef Kaptajn Maitland overlader gladeligt sagen til Hercule Poirot, der tilfældigt er på gennemrejse.
Poirot snakker med alle deltagerne, men siger ikke noget om hvad han får ud af det. Han finder også en maske af modellervoks, som har været brugt til at forskrække Mrs Leidner med. Dvs det var ikke ren indbildning fra hendes side.
Begravelsen nærmer sig og Amy gør klar til at tage hjem, da der sker et nyt mord. Anne Johnson bliver fundet døende efter at have drukket saltsyre. Under hendes seng finder man en tung håndkværn som med stor sikkerhed var mordvåbenet, da Mrs Leidner blev myrdet. Poirot starter sin afsløring af den skyldige med ordene Bismillahi ar rahman ar rahmim, I Allahs den barmhjertiges og medfølendes navn.
Han tager de tilstedeværende med ud på en åndelig rejse. Fader Levigny er forsvundet, men det skyldes at Poirot har opdaget at han er en tyv ved navn Raoul Menier i ledtog med en halvtyrk Ali Yusuf.
Den skyldige viser sig selvfølgelig at være Dr. Leidner, som har fået sin kone til at stikke hovedet ud af vinduet, hvorefter han bokkede hende med en håndkværn i en snor. En time senere går han ned og finder hende ved vinduet, lægger hende tilrette på gulvet og tilkalder hjælp.
Faktisk elskede han hende højt, men hans gamle jeg Frederick Bosner var frygtelig jaloux og hun havde kastet sine øjne på en af de andre i ekspeditionen.
Udmærket Poirot krimi
Historien fortælles på opfordring af dr. Reilly af miss Amy Leatheran, som var sygeplejerske for en mrs Louise Leidner.
Dr. Leidner, Louise Leidner, Mr Joseph Mercado, Mrs Marie Mercado, Miss Anne Johnson, Amy Leatheran, skrifttegnskyndig Fader Lavigny, Richard
Show More
Carey, Dave Emmott, fotograf Carl Reiter 28 år, Bill Coleman er alle deltagere i en arkæologisk udgravning. Dr. Reilly og hans datter Sheila Reilly bor tæt ved.Amy bliver tilkaldt af dr. Reilly på vegne af dr. Leidner, som er bekymret for sin kone. Hun får tilsendt anonyme breve med dødstrusler, angiveligt fra hendes tidligere mand. Manden, Frederick Bosner, var tysk spion under første verdenskrig og blev afsløret af Louise. Han blev dømt til døden, men flygtede fra fængslet og blev så dræbt i en togulykke, tror man nok. Sidenhen fik Louise trusler tilsendt hver gang hun var på intim fod med en mand. Fredericks yngre bror, William Bosner, står måske bag.
Kort efter at Amy er kommet til stedet, bliver Mrs Leidner myrdet med en hårdt slag i hovedet.
Såvidt man kan se er Mrs Leidner blevet myrdet i et kort tidsrum på 10 minutter hvor der ikke var nogen udenfor. Og det ser ud til at være en af deltagerne i udgravningen, der har gjort det, for ingen fremmede er kommet hverken ind eller ud af området.
Den lokale politichef Kaptajn Maitland overlader gladeligt sagen til Hercule Poirot, der tilfældigt er på gennemrejse.
Poirot snakker med alle deltagerne, men siger ikke noget om hvad han får ud af det. Han finder også en maske af modellervoks, som har været brugt til at forskrække Mrs Leidner med. Dvs det var ikke ren indbildning fra hendes side.
Begravelsen nærmer sig og Amy gør klar til at tage hjem, da der sker et nyt mord. Anne Johnson bliver fundet døende efter at have drukket saltsyre. Under hendes seng finder man en tung håndkværn som med stor sikkerhed var mordvåbenet, da Mrs Leidner blev myrdet. Poirot starter sin afsløring af den skyldige med ordene Bismillahi ar rahman ar rahmim, I Allahs den barmhjertiges og medfølendes navn.
Han tager de tilstedeværende med ud på en åndelig rejse. Fader Levigny er forsvundet, men det skyldes at Poirot har opdaget at han er en tyv ved navn Raoul Menier i ledtog med en halvtyrk Ali Yusuf.
Den skyldige viser sig selvfølgelig at være Dr. Leidner, som har fået sin kone til at stikke hovedet ud af vinduet, hvorefter han bokkede hende med en håndkværn i en snor. En time senere går han ned og finder hende ved vinduet, lægger hende tilrette på gulvet og tilkalder hjælp.
Faktisk elskede han hende højt, men hans gamle jeg Frederick Bosner var frygtelig jaloux og hun havde kastet sine øjne på en af de andre i ekspeditionen.
Udmærket Poirot krimi
Show Less
Genres
Publication
[Kbh.] : Carit Andersen, [1963].
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: Suspicious events at a Middle Eastern archaeological excavation site intrigue the great Hercule Poirot as he investigates Murder in Mesopotamia, a classic murder mystery from Agatha Christie. Amy Leatheram has never felt the lure of the mysterious East, but when she travels to an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert to nurse the wife of a celebrated archaeologist, events prove stranger than she could ever have imagined. Her patient's bizarre visions and nervous terror seem unfounded, but as the oppressive tension in the air thickens, events come to a terrible climax�??in murder. With one spot of blood as his only clue, Hercule Poirot must embark on a journey not just across the desert, but into the darkest crevices of the human soul to unravel a mystery which taxes even his remarkable powers.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
An archaeological dig in Iraq provides the setting for this "locked room" mystery. The circumstances are baffling to the local authorities, so when they learn that Hercule Poirot is vacationing in the vicinity they're more than happy to ask for his assistance in solving the murder. Since Poirot is
Show More
traveling alone, the role of "sidekick" is filled by Amy Leatheran, the victim's nurse. Nurse Leatheran is also the first-person narrator, writing her account of the events a few years after the fact. (The events take place about a week prior to Poirot's trip on the Orient Express.) It was fun to read her first impressions of Poirot, and to see how her opinion of him changed as the investigation progressed. I also enjoyed the references to popular literature of the era. For instance, one character was described as having stepped out of the pages of a Wodehouse novel. This is classic Christie. Recommended to all fans of the Golden Age of detective fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member davidabrams
There is always room for second chances in life. Case in point: Murder in Mesopotamia.
The first time I read Agatha Christie's 1936 novel about murder and mayhem on an archeological dig in Iraq, I dismissed it as one of her lesser efforts. The murder scene (despite a typical Christie floor plan)
That was four years ago.
Time wounds all heels, I guess; and now, after a second reading, I realize I was unjustly unkind to the book. Oh, it's still not perfect—-Christie's descriptions of the archeology compound can be quite tedious, and most of the bland characters blend into one another-—but I found myself drawn in deeper this time around. I'll admit, my heart was even pounding with anticipation in the pages leading up to Hercule Poirot's Big Reveal in the next-to-last chapter. It appears I really did forget whodunit.
I may have brain-blurred most of the book's details in the four-year interim between readings, but one thing I most certainly did not forget was the way in which the killer actually carried out the murder. Of course, I'm bound by personal oath not to reveal "how" or "who," but suffice to say Christie really cooked up an ingenious demise this time.
There's no doubt this was a book written from her heart. Christie had a long-standing love affair with the Middle East, specifically Iraq and the digs near Ur and Nineveh. It was in Iraq in 1930 when she met and consequently fell in love with the man who would become her second husband, archeologist Max Mallowan. Christie's travels and impressions of the excavations and nearby cities invariably made their way onto the pages of her novels, but you can get an even better flavor of the area from her autobiography.
Here, for instance, is a brief portrait she paints in that memoir:
I fell in love with Ur, with its beauty in the evenings, the ziggurat standing up, faintly shadowed, and that wide sea of sand with its lovely pale colours of apricot, rose, blue and mauve, changing every minute. I enjoyed the workmen, the foremen, the little basket boys, the pick men—-the whole technique and life. The lure of the past came up to grab me.
And here is what Amy Leatheran records in the pages of Murder in Mesopotamia:
It took us about four hours to get to Hassanieh, which, to my surprise, was quite a big place. Very pretty it looked, too, before we got there from the other side of the river—-standing up quite white and fairy-like with minarets.
If her description is not quite as effusive as Christie's, that's because 32-year-old Amy Leatheran is, for the most part, a woman who holds her emotions in check, only letting herself speak freely when someone questions her credibility. She's a reluctant narrator, having been urged to write the manuscript by Dr. Reilly, a friend who tells her the world needs "an unvarnished plain account of the Tell Yarimjah business."
That "business" forms the basis for Murder in Mesopotamia and Nurse Leatheran, despite her initial qualms, is soon off and running as she relates how she was hired by archeologist Dr. Eric Leidner to look after his wife who has "fits of recurring nervous terrors."
Louise Leidner has been receiving ominous, anonymous letters which threaten to dredge up a chapter from her past she'd rather forget. Then, too, she's been hearing things outside her room at night, and there have been ghastly faces appearing at the window. Her nervous fits have the whole household on edge out at the dig site and Dr. Leidner hopes that Nurse Leatheran can help restore a sense of peace and calm so the archeological work can continue without incident.
Unfortunately, soon after Nurse Leatheran arrives, there is an incident-—a deadly, gory incident—-and poor Louise is found crumpled and lifeless on her bedroom floor. There's a spot of blood where her head's been bashed in, but no apparent murder weapon; and nearly everyone on the expedition seems to have a solid alibi.
Ah, but those alibis will soon shimmer and dissolve like a desert mirage once the esteemed Hercule Poirot comes on the scene. He is, conveniently, traveling through the area ("just in the neighborhood," as they say) and he agrees to visit the Hassanieh murder scene to determine not just how Mrs. Leidner was killed, but more importantly, why.
At the end of the novel, Poirot declares: "The pattern of this case, to my mind, all revolved round the personality of Mrs. Leidner. Until I knew exactly what kind of a woman Mrs. Leidner was I should not be able to know why she was murdered and who murdered her. That, then, was my starting point-—the personality of Mrs. Leidner."
Poirot takes on Nurse Leatheran as his ad hoc Watson—-a rather transparent plot device on Christie's part, since this allows the reader more mobility throughout the investigation. With her assistance, Poirot questions the rest of the archeological dig's entourage about who Louise Leidner really was.
One character says, "She was a clever woman and she was bored and she experimented—-with people—-like other people experiment with chemicals." Another admits to Poirot, "Well, of course, she was temperamental. A lot of ups and downs. Nice to people one day and perhaps wouldn't speak to them the next. She was very kind, I think. And very thoughtful for others. All the same you could see she had been spoilt all her life." Nurse Leatheran, on the other hand, is quite taken with Mrs. Leidner from their first meeting: "Her eyes....were lovely. They were the only eyes I've ever come across that you might truly describe as violet. They were very large, and there were faint shadows underneath them. She was very thin and fragile-looking, and if I say that she had an air of intense weariness and was at the same time very much alive, it sounds like nonsense—-but that's the feeling I got. I felt, too, that she was a lady through and through. And that means something—-even nowadays."
Amy Leatheran proves to be an enjoyable Watson (I can't fathom what I didn't like about her the first time I read Murder in Mesopotamia) and thoroughly plunges into the role of playing second fiddle to Poirot. At one point, she asks Poirot if he's going to tell one of the suspects that he's caught her in a lie, but the detective turns to the nurse with a twinkle in his eye and says,
"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!"
As always, the Big Reveal erupts in a cacophony of consternation and emotions. By now, anyone who has read more than two of Christie's mysteries will recognize the precise symphony her detectives conduct in the closing pages: a slow and patient unfolding of the case facts, punctuated by several sharp jabs of hypothetical accusations, followed by much huffing and puffing from the much-maligned suspects ("Lies! It's all damned lies, I tell you!")....and then slowly and cleverly the detective slips the noose over the real murderer's neck and pulls the rope tight against the throat.
None of which we readers have seen coming. At least, I didn't. Not even the second time around.
The first time I read Agatha Christie's 1936 novel about murder and mayhem on an archeological dig in Iraq, I dismissed it as one of her lesser efforts. The murder scene (despite a typical Christie floor plan)
Show More
was hard to figure out, the characters were stiff and dusty as mummified corpses, and the narrator-—nurse Amy Leatheran-—was a babbling idiot. That was four years ago.
Time wounds all heels, I guess; and now, after a second reading, I realize I was unjustly unkind to the book. Oh, it's still not perfect—-Christie's descriptions of the archeology compound can be quite tedious, and most of the bland characters blend into one another-—but I found myself drawn in deeper this time around. I'll admit, my heart was even pounding with anticipation in the pages leading up to Hercule Poirot's Big Reveal in the next-to-last chapter. It appears I really did forget whodunit.
I may have brain-blurred most of the book's details in the four-year interim between readings, but one thing I most certainly did not forget was the way in which the killer actually carried out the murder. Of course, I'm bound by personal oath not to reveal "how" or "who," but suffice to say Christie really cooked up an ingenious demise this time.
There's no doubt this was a book written from her heart. Christie had a long-standing love affair with the Middle East, specifically Iraq and the digs near Ur and Nineveh. It was in Iraq in 1930 when she met and consequently fell in love with the man who would become her second husband, archeologist Max Mallowan. Christie's travels and impressions of the excavations and nearby cities invariably made their way onto the pages of her novels, but you can get an even better flavor of the area from her autobiography.
Here, for instance, is a brief portrait she paints in that memoir:
I fell in love with Ur, with its beauty in the evenings, the ziggurat standing up, faintly shadowed, and that wide sea of sand with its lovely pale colours of apricot, rose, blue and mauve, changing every minute. I enjoyed the workmen, the foremen, the little basket boys, the pick men—-the whole technique and life. The lure of the past came up to grab me.
And here is what Amy Leatheran records in the pages of Murder in Mesopotamia:
It took us about four hours to get to Hassanieh, which, to my surprise, was quite a big place. Very pretty it looked, too, before we got there from the other side of the river—-standing up quite white and fairy-like with minarets.
If her description is not quite as effusive as Christie's, that's because 32-year-old Amy Leatheran is, for the most part, a woman who holds her emotions in check, only letting herself speak freely when someone questions her credibility. She's a reluctant narrator, having been urged to write the manuscript by Dr. Reilly, a friend who tells her the world needs "an unvarnished plain account of the Tell Yarimjah business."
That "business" forms the basis for Murder in Mesopotamia and Nurse Leatheran, despite her initial qualms, is soon off and running as she relates how she was hired by archeologist Dr. Eric Leidner to look after his wife who has "fits of recurring nervous terrors."
Louise Leidner has been receiving ominous, anonymous letters which threaten to dredge up a chapter from her past she'd rather forget. Then, too, she's been hearing things outside her room at night, and there have been ghastly faces appearing at the window. Her nervous fits have the whole household on edge out at the dig site and Dr. Leidner hopes that Nurse Leatheran can help restore a sense of peace and calm so the archeological work can continue without incident.
Unfortunately, soon after Nurse Leatheran arrives, there is an incident-—a deadly, gory incident—-and poor Louise is found crumpled and lifeless on her bedroom floor. There's a spot of blood where her head's been bashed in, but no apparent murder weapon; and nearly everyone on the expedition seems to have a solid alibi.
Ah, but those alibis will soon shimmer and dissolve like a desert mirage once the esteemed Hercule Poirot comes on the scene. He is, conveniently, traveling through the area ("just in the neighborhood," as they say) and he agrees to visit the Hassanieh murder scene to determine not just how Mrs. Leidner was killed, but more importantly, why.
At the end of the novel, Poirot declares: "The pattern of this case, to my mind, all revolved round the personality of Mrs. Leidner. Until I knew exactly what kind of a woman Mrs. Leidner was I should not be able to know why she was murdered and who murdered her. That, then, was my starting point-—the personality of Mrs. Leidner."
Poirot takes on Nurse Leatheran as his ad hoc Watson—-a rather transparent plot device on Christie's part, since this allows the reader more mobility throughout the investigation. With her assistance, Poirot questions the rest of the archeological dig's entourage about who Louise Leidner really was.
One character says, "She was a clever woman and she was bored and she experimented—-with people—-like other people experiment with chemicals." Another admits to Poirot, "Well, of course, she was temperamental. A lot of ups and downs. Nice to people one day and perhaps wouldn't speak to them the next. She was very kind, I think. And very thoughtful for others. All the same you could see she had been spoilt all her life." Nurse Leatheran, on the other hand, is quite taken with Mrs. Leidner from their first meeting: "Her eyes....were lovely. They were the only eyes I've ever come across that you might truly describe as violet. They were very large, and there were faint shadows underneath them. She was very thin and fragile-looking, and if I say that she had an air of intense weariness and was at the same time very much alive, it sounds like nonsense—-but that's the feeling I got. I felt, too, that she was a lady through and through. And that means something—-even nowadays."
Amy Leatheran proves to be an enjoyable Watson (I can't fathom what I didn't like about her the first time I read Murder in Mesopotamia) and thoroughly plunges into the role of playing second fiddle to Poirot. At one point, she asks Poirot if he's going to tell one of the suspects that he's caught her in a lie, but the detective turns to the nurse with a twinkle in his eye and says,
"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!"
As always, the Big Reveal erupts in a cacophony of consternation and emotions. By now, anyone who has read more than two of Christie's mysteries will recognize the precise symphony her detectives conduct in the closing pages: a slow and patient unfolding of the case facts, punctuated by several sharp jabs of hypothetical accusations, followed by much huffing and puffing from the much-maligned suspects ("Lies! It's all damned lies, I tell you!")....and then slowly and cleverly the detective slips the noose over the real murderer's neck and pulls the rope tight against the throat.
None of which we readers have seen coming. At least, I didn't. Not even the second time around.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BeckyJG
Louise Leidner--"Lovely Louise," as she is known to the ex-pat communnity in Iraq--is a compelling woman. She is beautiful, intelligent, and confident--but she's also a quivering bundle of nerves. She hears tapping on her window, sees ghostly faces hovering outside, and receives threatening letters
It's really no surprise when Louise is murdered early one afternoon. After all, this charismatic woman has been adored and reviled in equal measure--often by the same person!--by everyone on her husband's archaeological dig. All have a motive, all have the opportunity...and most have an alibi.
What's the local constabulary to do but call in Hercule Poirot, passing through on his way to Baghdad. Poirot, always up for an intriguing case, enlists Nurse as his assistant (scrub nurse to his surgeon, as she thinks of it), and together they suss out the facts. And the facts, of course, lead to a most surprising conclusion.
Thoroughly satisfying, Murder in Mesopotamia is charming, clever, and funny. A must read, particularly as M. Poirot, after his visit to Baghdad, is heading off on the Orient Express, where he will surely find himself embroiled in another baffling crime.
Show More
which may or may not be written by her supposedly dead former husband. Nurse Amy Leatheran--sensible, experienced, kind but tough, has been hired to be her companion, and acts as our narrator as well.It's really no surprise when Louise is murdered early one afternoon. After all, this charismatic woman has been adored and reviled in equal measure--often by the same person!--by everyone on her husband's archaeological dig. All have a motive, all have the opportunity...and most have an alibi.
What's the local constabulary to do but call in Hercule Poirot, passing through on his way to Baghdad. Poirot, always up for an intriguing case, enlists Nurse as his assistant (scrub nurse to his surgeon, as she thinks of it), and together they suss out the facts. And the facts, of course, lead to a most surprising conclusion.
Thoroughly satisfying, Murder in Mesopotamia is charming, clever, and funny. A must read, particularly as M. Poirot, after his visit to Baghdad, is heading off on the Orient Express, where he will surely find himself embroiled in another baffling crime.
Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
I love the archeological detail in this one - based on Christie's own experiences on digs with her second husband. The first victim is another interesting woman and is based on someone Christie met on a dig. The plot twists and turns in Christie's usual style, but is very plausible.
LibraryThing member Figgles
Nice Poirot, Christie's experience with archaeological digs makes a nice background to an otherwise fairly mundane murder tale.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Not one of my personal favorites among the cases of Hercule Poirot, but still quite engaging.
Told from the perspective of Amy Leatheran, a nurse hired by a Dr. Eric Leidner to take care of his wife Louise at an archaeolgical excavation out in the deserts of Iraq. The nurse arrives to find that
As I said, not one of my particular favorites, but it was still fun to see Poirot unraveling a rather twisted plot. The ending is a bit of a surprise, so it's well worth the ride.
Recommended for those who are fans of Hercule Poirot, or of Agatha Christie, or for readers of British mysteries in general.
Told from the perspective of Amy Leatheran, a nurse hired by a Dr. Eric Leidner to take care of his wife Louise at an archaeolgical excavation out in the deserts of Iraq. The nurse arrives to find that
Show More
there is a somewhat strained attitude among the members of the expedition, and most of that has to do with Mrs. Leidner. However, Mrs. Leidner is murdered, and it is established that the murderer could only have come from among the group. Enter Mr. Poirot, whose work is cut out for him when it seems that each and every member of the expedition has a motive for Mrs. Leidner's death. As I said, not one of my particular favorites, but it was still fun to see Poirot unraveling a rather twisted plot. The ending is a bit of a surprise, so it's well worth the ride.
Recommended for those who are fans of Hercule Poirot, or of Agatha Christie, or for readers of British mysteries in general.
Show Less
LibraryThing member prosfilaes
Warning: major spoilers follow.
This story never really worked for me. As usual for a Christie, a lot of the story is tied up in the conclusion, and I suspected the villain from the start. Real-life police work tells us that the husband is one of the first suspects, and you can always dig up a
This story never really worked for me. As usual for a Christie, a lot of the story is tied up in the conclusion, and I suspected the villain from the start. Real-life police work tells us that the husband is one of the first suspects, and you can always dig up a
Show More
motive for the husband...and once you get under all the fancy back-story that Christie stacks on, this case comes down to jealousy, one of the most common motives for spousal murder. Given that he had a motive, and no one else did, he was pretty obvious. On the other hand, and perhaps this says more about my reading style of classic mysteries, and partially my mood at the time, the fact that he had an ironclad alibi didn't mean much; Poirot has a habit of explaining away even the most ironclad of alibis, in a way I can never predict. The other characters weren't interesting and never provided good red herrings, which left me with the murderer in my sights the whole book. The world around them wasn't terribly interesting, so the book didn't work for me on any level. Show Less
LibraryThing member dk_phoenix
Wonderful, as usual… Agatha Christie never disappoints, especially with a Poirot. I loved that this novel was narrated by someone else (a nurse on the dig) and thought that gave a fun & often amusing perspective on Poirot and the people around him.
A fun, comfortable read.
A fun, comfortable read.
LibraryThing member Cassandra2020
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie - very good
A nice quirk to this particular book is that it's written from the Nurse's perspective rather than Poirot. She is engaged to attend to the wife of an Archeaologist digging in Iraq whose nerves are 'bad'. She thinks her first husband has come back
It just so happens that Poirot will be passing on his way to Baghdad and he is persuaded to call in and investigate.
Of course, if you've seen the TV adaptation, you know what happens, but the nice thing about actually reading the book is that it isn't exactly the same and the way the nurse's attitudes to the people and to Poirot change as the book progresses is nicely played.
As always, reading Agatha Christie, you are reminded why she is still the 'Queen of Crime Writers'. Beautifully done.
A nice quirk to this particular book is that it's written from the Nurse's perspective rather than Poirot. She is engaged to attend to the wife of an Archeaologist digging in Iraq whose nerves are 'bad'. She thinks her first husband has come back
Show More
from the dead and will murder her. Of course, everyone thinks she is delusional until she is found dead in her room.....and no one could have entered and committed the crime without being seen!It just so happens that Poirot will be passing on his way to Baghdad and he is persuaded to call in and investigate.
Of course, if you've seen the TV adaptation, you know what happens, but the nice thing about actually reading the book is that it isn't exactly the same and the way the nurse's attitudes to the people and to Poirot change as the book progresses is nicely played.
As always, reading Agatha Christie, you are reminded why she is still the 'Queen of Crime Writers'. Beautifully done.
Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
Nurse Amy Leatheran is at the Tigris Palace Hotel, about to return to London, when she is recommended by friend Dr Reilly to Dr Leidner who is heading an archaeological dig in Iraq. Leidner's wife is in need of a companion/nurse although the archaeologist is a bit reticent in his interview with
The investigating officer Captain Maitland learns that the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot will be travelling through Baghdad from Syria. Poirot is persuaded to assist in the investigation. He treats Nurse Leatheran as his confidante, and she becomes his "Hastings". It is her account of the investigation that we read.
I really read this too close to watching the latest TV production with David Suchet as Poirot. (see the Youtube video embedded below)
If you watched that television production, you will remember that Poirot visits the dig quite early in the story because his friend Captain Arthur Hastings is there. There is a "memorable" scene at dinner where Hastings makes an absolute mess of explaining the meaning of the word Mesopotamia.
Well, it may not surprise you to find that Hastings is not actually in the original book.
In actual fact in the book Poirot does not arrive until well over half way through the story. Mrs Leidner is already dead.
I think that in MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie toyed with the concept of the unreliable narrator. You will remember that she had already done this previously in THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD.
Nurse Leatheran prides herself as being an excellent judge of character, she says nurses generally are, and so there are times when we need to take her conclusions with a pinch of salt. In fact Poirot does come to recognise that because Nurse Leatheran is so observant she may also be in real danger from the murderer.
Several aspects of the way that Poirot works are highlighted for us: the way he encourages people to "gossip" with him; the way he whittles down the list of suspects; his romantic streak; his liking for young women.
After I learnt that the novel had originally been published in serial form, I looked for signs of fragmentation, perhaps discontinuity from one part to another, but I didn't find any.
It is quite a detailed novel, showing how much Christie undestands about life on an archaeological dig, and a number of side stories run simultaneously with the main murder mystery.
Show More
Nurse Leatheran about what is actually wrong with his wife. Nurse Leatheran joins the party at the dig and learns that Mrs Leidner has been receiving threatening letters. Nurse Leatheran finds the whole atmosphere at the dig is quite uncomfortable and then, rather predictably, Mrs Leidner is murdered. It becomes obvious that the murderer has to be one of the party, but who? There are plenty of suspects.The investigating officer Captain Maitland learns that the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot will be travelling through Baghdad from Syria. Poirot is persuaded to assist in the investigation. He treats Nurse Leatheran as his confidante, and she becomes his "Hastings". It is her account of the investigation that we read.
I really read this too close to watching the latest TV production with David Suchet as Poirot. (see the Youtube video embedded below)
If you watched that television production, you will remember that Poirot visits the dig quite early in the story because his friend Captain Arthur Hastings is there. There is a "memorable" scene at dinner where Hastings makes an absolute mess of explaining the meaning of the word Mesopotamia.
Well, it may not surprise you to find that Hastings is not actually in the original book.
In actual fact in the book Poirot does not arrive until well over half way through the story. Mrs Leidner is already dead.
I think that in MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie toyed with the concept of the unreliable narrator. You will remember that she had already done this previously in THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD.
Nurse Leatheran prides herself as being an excellent judge of character, she says nurses generally are, and so there are times when we need to take her conclusions with a pinch of salt. In fact Poirot does come to recognise that because Nurse Leatheran is so observant she may also be in real danger from the murderer.
Several aspects of the way that Poirot works are highlighted for us: the way he encourages people to "gossip" with him; the way he whittles down the list of suspects; his romantic streak; his liking for young women.
After I learnt that the novel had originally been published in serial form, I looked for signs of fragmentation, perhaps discontinuity from one part to another, but I didn't find any.
It is quite a detailed novel, showing how much Christie undestands about life on an archaeological dig, and a number of side stories run simultaneously with the main murder mystery.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lizzybeans11
Having only read a few of Agatha Christie's works I appreciate that she tried something new, writing the book as one of the characters in the story.
Nurse Leatheran is called to a dig in Iraq to care for the wife of the head archaeologist. Mrs Leidner is afraid she will be murdered and eventually
I did enjoy the last few passages that wrap-up what happened to everyone in the crew. Poirot is said to have be traveling home via the Orient Express and had to solve another case. I thought it was nice tie-in to one of Christie's more famous novels.
Nurse Leatheran is called to a dig in Iraq to care for the wife of the head archaeologist. Mrs Leidner is afraid she will be murdered and eventually
Show More
she is. Poirot happens to be in the Middle East and is brought on to the case. After a few days he's gotten everyone in the dig crew to spill their secrets and of course solve the case.I did enjoy the last few passages that wrap-up what happened to everyone in the crew. Poirot is said to have be traveling home via the Orient Express and had to solve another case. I thought it was nice tie-in to one of Christie's more famous novels.
Show Less
LibraryThing member RubyScarlett
This is my least favourite Christie novel so far, due for the most part to the narrator whom I just couldn't warm up to. Her borderline racist comments about Poirot didn't help but really her whole personality was puzzling to me. It was interesting to explore another setting though the mystery
Show More
isn't the most inspired. Show Less
LibraryThing member chevalierdulys
Another Poirot book read. I read these books in portuguese or else I would never read anything in my native language.
Some Poirot books are great and others and interesting. There are few that I didn't enjoy. I think the only one was The Big Four.
In this tale Poirot arrives at the scene of the crime
I personally enjoy Captain Hastings narration but we work with what we have.
A nurse is hired by a archaeologist to take care of his wife not because she is sick but because she of mental health. She is receiving some letters from the brother of her previous husband. Eventually she is killed and Poirot arrives at the scene. And it seems that someone from the expedition is the culprit and everyone has it's motifs.
As I learn, Agatha Christie was married to archeologist so this novel but be a special one in her career. I enjoyed the novel and it's a good one. But the ending is not as solid as other novels by her.
Some Poirot books are great and others and interesting. There are few that I didn't enjoy. I think the only one was The Big Four.
In this tale Poirot arrives at the scene of the crime
Show More
only a third of the book and Captain Hasting doesn't appear at all.I personally enjoy Captain Hastings narration but we work with what we have.
A nurse is hired by a archaeologist to take care of his wife not because she is sick but because she of mental health. She is receiving some letters from the brother of her previous husband. Eventually she is killed and Poirot arrives at the scene. And it seems that someone from the expedition is the culprit and everyone has it's motifs.
As I learn, Agatha Christie was married to archeologist so this novel but be a special one in her career. I enjoyed the novel and it's a good one. But the ending is not as solid as other novels by her.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bbbart
As good a Poirot-mystery as ever. I found a cast of over 10 characters in a 300 page book a little overwhelming however. The setting in early 20th century Mesopotamia was nicely done. I almost discovered the murderer this time! :-)
LibraryThing member benfulton
My wife's favorite Christie ever. I liked it; the narrator seems like a stereotype that I'm not really familiar with; I think she's supposed to come across as rather unintelligent as well as commanding and no-nonsense, a certain sort of nurse character that pops up a lot in English mysteries with
Not quite a puzzle in the traditional Christie sense - not that you really ever have much chance of solving them - but Poirot takes pains to point out that his entire reconstruction of the crime is based on personality rather than direct evidence. I was pretty taken in though, and didn't really have an inkling of the murderer's identity until the denouement. I never really got a feel for the personality of the victim that seemed to be all-important to the case - maybe we Midwesterners don't have enough experience with that sort of person. But an excellent mystery, and one of Dame Agatha's finest IMO.
Show More
only a few lines.Not quite a puzzle in the traditional Christie sense - not that you really ever have much chance of solving them - but Poirot takes pains to point out that his entire reconstruction of the crime is based on personality rather than direct evidence. I was pretty taken in though, and didn't really have an inkling of the murderer's identity until the denouement. I never really got a feel for the personality of the victim that seemed to be all-important to the case - maybe we Midwesterners don't have enough experience with that sort of person. But an excellent mystery, and one of Dame Agatha's finest IMO.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SueinCyprus
A cleverly written story which left me guessing until the inevitable moment when Poirot unmasked the murderer. Rather racist in places, perhaps indicative of what Brits were like in the 1930s. Fast-moving and exciting - great light reading.
LibraryThing member DirtPriest
These Christie mysteries are really neat. This one is a little too happenstance, having Poirot just happen to be passing through the town on his way to Baghdad, but hey-its fiction, right?
LibraryThing member BrokenTune
In Murder in Mesopotamia, Christie takes us again to a location she's very familiar with - an archaeological dig near Hassanieh, Iraq.
To go into the details of this Poirot story would spoil the read for some so I won't.
However, there is one question I have that has driven me nuts every single time
How did she not know?!?!?
To go into the details of this Poirot story would spoil the read for some so I won't.
However, there is one question I have that has driven me nuts every single time
Show More
I have read or re-read this book:How did she not know?!?!?
Show Less
LibraryThing member MrDickie
Pages 171-3 of "Where God Was Born," by Bruce Feiler lead me to this book. He wrote about the 1928 trip of Agatha Christie to Iraq. There she visited the archaeology dig of Sir C.L. Woolley. At the site Ms. Christie met her 2nd husband as well as Katherine, the wife of C.L. Woolley. The two women
Show More
didn't hit it off and after the marriage Ms. Christie was banned from the site by Katherine who said, "There is room for only one woman at Ur." Agatha Christie got her revenge when she wrote this murder mystery and modeled the victim after Katherine Woolley. It's always fun when one book leads to another. Show Less
LibraryThing member wdwilson3
One of the most preposterous Christie plots, with Poirot exceedingly pompous and long-winded, as ever.
LibraryThing member nordie
Poirot joins a dig part way through (on his way to solving the "Murder on the orient express") after Mrs Liedner dies. Usual red herrings and underlying passions, secrets and lies are uncovered before the murderer is found
LibraryThing member funstm
Poirot gently uncrossed his knees, withdrew his gaze from the ceiling, and looked the young man full in the face. “My name is Hercule Poirot,” he said quietly, “and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.
Christie, Agatha. The Mystery of the Blue Train: Hercule Poirot Investigates
Murder in Mesopotamia finds Nurse Amy Leatheran travelling abroad to keep Mrs Louise Leidner company while her husband archaeologist, Dr Leidner leads the dig. But a nervous tension stalks the party and then there's a murder and Poirot is called in to solve the case.
Unfortunately Hercule Poirot doesn't make much of an appearance in this one. It wasn't until about a third of the way through that he enters which isn't a dealbreaker as such - when the other characters are interesting. When they are merely tolerable, it becomes more a struggle. I liked Nurse Leatheran but the rest of them were bland. The mystery was average. Like usual, I guessed some parts and totally missed others. Not the best Poirot book. 3 stars.
Christie, Agatha. The Mystery of the Blue Train: Hercule Poirot Investigates
Show More
(Hercule Poirot series Book 6) (p. 149). William Morrow Paperbacks. Kindle Edition.Murder in Mesopotamia finds Nurse Amy Leatheran travelling abroad to keep Mrs Louise Leidner company while her husband archaeologist, Dr Leidner leads the dig. But a nervous tension stalks the party and then there's a murder and Poirot is called in to solve the case.
Unfortunately Hercule Poirot doesn't make much of an appearance in this one. It wasn't until about a third of the way through that he enters which isn't a dealbreaker as such - when the other characters are interesting. When they are merely tolerable, it becomes more a struggle. I liked Nurse Leatheran but the rest of them were bland. The mystery was average. Like usual, I guessed some parts and totally missed others. Not the best Poirot book. 3 stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
If you can get over the rampant colonialism and very British Empire 1930s depiction of the region and the people in the region (thankfully not described much, unlike in certain other Christie books), this one is pretty good.
Bonus points for the narrator being a nurse. Despite being almost 100 yearsPoirot has her get out of the way to interview a suspect alone, and she's like "yeah but I'm listening in because while the doctor might make the decisions the nurse needs to know everything about the case." And like, have there been times I've listened outside the door when the doctor got to a room to talk to a patient without me so I knew how the conversation went because I was going to be the one who hit all the follow-up questions? Yes there have. That was spot on. .
Bonus points for the narrator being a nurse. Despite being almost 100 years
Show More
later, some incidental observation she made about being a nurse were still dead accurate to the present day. My very favorite was when Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
What fun with Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie as Nurse Amy Leatheran narrates an investigation by Hercule Poirot. The wife of the archaeologist, Louise Leidner, dies by trauma to the head. No weapon can be found and supposedly no one entered the enclave. In his usual method, Hercule Poirot
Show More
methodically investigates the crime. So many possible suspects. Louise Leidner is an American and married to Dr. Erich Leidner only two years. Her beauty and intelligence both provoke and stimulate the other people at the dig. But who would actually kill Louise and for what reason? Agatha Christie creates a delightful story with her diverse cast of characters and the detailed setting. I love all the phrases, such as: It is one way of calling a goose a swan AND Remember, the pudding proves itself only when you eat it. Agatha Christie provides great characters and funny scenes. Show Less
LibraryThing member MrLloydSpandex
This was my first Agatha Christie book, and now I'm hooked! An inevitable murder that kept me guessing right till the end.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1936-07-06
Physical description
182 p.; 18.5 cm
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en arabisk udseende mand med arabisk hovedbeklædning
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Murder in Mesopotamia" af Poul Ib Liebe
De trestjernede kriminalromaner, Agatha Christie, bind 23
Side 28: Arkæologer ser kun hvad der ligger under fødderne på dem. Himlen og himmerige eksisterer slet ikke for dem.
Side 36: Der lå en masse ting og flød - hovedsagelig knuste potteskår, forekom det mig - eller også ting, der var blevet klinket og sat sammen. Det hele kunne uden skade være smidt ud, tænkte jeg.
Side 61: Kendsgerningerne? Løgnehistorier, fortalt af en indisk kok og et par arabiske hustjenere. ... Sandhed som sådan betyder intet for dem. De siger, hvad man ønsker, de skal sige - af ren og skær høflighed.
Side 65: Glem ikke, at buddingen først beviser sin kvalitet, når man spiser den!
Side 69: en byaraber.
Side 80: I en sag som denne må man gå til værks med orden og metode. Det er for øvrigt min regel i enhver sag. Efter at have bortelimineret visse muligheder nærmer vi os nu et meget vigtigt punkt. Det er af vital betydning, at kortene lægges på bordet, som man siger - at intet holdes tilbage.
Side 96: Han rejste sig og sagde, at en vink var lige så godt som et nik til en blind hest.
Side 100: Der findes en uskreven lov om, at man aldrig taler ondt om de døde. Den er efter min mening dum. Sandheden er altid sandheden. I det store og hele er det bedre at tie stille om de levende. Man kunne let komme til at såre dem. De døde er ude over den slags. Men den skade, de har gjort, overlever dem ofte.
Side 117: Hun er ikke ligefrem den type, man ville opsøge for at høre sandheden.
Side 132: Kvinder kan finde sig i meget, når de har fået, hvad de vil have.
Side 158: En af disse kvinder, som af naturen ikke blot er forlenet med skønhed, men også med den farlige fortryllelse, som ofte følger med skøned, men også kan forekomme uafhængigt af den. Sådanne kvinder efterlader sig gerne et kølvand af volsomme begivenheder. De bringer ulykker - ofte til andre - somme tider til sig selv.
Side 167: De er en mand. Opfør Dem derfor som et mandfolk! Det er imod naturen for en mand at krybe i støvet. Kvinder og naturen har næsten nøjagtigt de samme reaktioner! Husk, at det er bedre at tage det største fad indenfor rækkevidde og kaste det i hovedet på en kvinde, end det er at vride sig som en orm, hver gang hun kigger på én!
Omslaget viser en arabisk udseende mand med arabisk hovedbeklædning
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Murder in Mesopotamia" af Poul Ib Liebe
De trestjernede kriminalromaner, Agatha Christie, bind 23
Side 28: Arkæologer ser kun hvad der ligger under fødderne på dem. Himlen og himmerige eksisterer slet ikke for dem.
Side 36: Der lå en masse ting og flød - hovedsagelig knuste potteskår, forekom det mig - eller også ting, der var blevet klinket og sat sammen. Det hele kunne uden skade være smidt ud, tænkte jeg.
Side 61: Kendsgerningerne? Løgnehistorier, fortalt af en indisk kok og et par arabiske hustjenere. ... Sandhed som sådan betyder intet for dem. De siger, hvad man ønsker, de skal sige - af ren og skær høflighed.
Side 65: Glem ikke, at buddingen først beviser sin kvalitet, når man spiser den!
Side 69: en byaraber.
Side 80: I en sag som denne må man gå til værks med orden og metode. Det er for øvrigt min regel i enhver sag. Efter at have bortelimineret visse muligheder nærmer vi os nu et meget vigtigt punkt. Det er af vital betydning, at kortene lægges på bordet, som man siger - at intet holdes tilbage.
Side 96: Han rejste sig og sagde, at en vink var lige så godt som et nik til en blind hest.
Side 100: Der findes en uskreven lov om, at man aldrig taler ondt om de døde. Den er efter min mening dum. Sandheden er altid sandheden. I det store og hele er det bedre at tie stille om de levende. Man kunne let komme til at såre dem. De døde er ude over den slags. Men den skade, de har gjort, overlever dem ofte.
Side 117: Hun er ikke ligefrem den type, man ville opsøge for at høre sandheden.
Side 132: Kvinder kan finde sig i meget, når de har fået, hvad de vil have.
Side 158: En af disse kvinder, som af naturen ikke blot er forlenet med skønhed, men også med den farlige fortryllelse, som ofte følger med skøned, men også kan forekomme uafhængigt af den. Sådanne kvinder efterlader sig gerne et kølvand af volsomme begivenheder. De bringer ulykker - ofte til andre - somme tider til sig selv.
Side 167: De er en mand. Opfør Dem derfor som et mandfolk! Det er imod naturen for en mand at krybe i støvet. Kvinder og naturen har næsten nøjagtigt de samme reaktioner! Husk, at det er bedre at tage det største fad indenfor rækkevidde og kaste det i hovedet på en kvinde, end det er at vride sig som en orm, hver gang hun kigger på én!
Similar in this library
Series
Pages
182
DDC/MDS
| 823.912 |