Death Comes as the End (Miss Marple Mysteries)

by Agatha Christie

Volume 43 in the Agatha Christie Collection (1945) Limited edition of 800 copies worldwide It is Egypt, 2000 BC, where death gives meaning to life. At the foot of a cliff lies the broken, twisted body of Nofret, concubine to a Ka-priest. Young, beautiful and venomous, most agree that she deserved to die like a snake. Yet Renisenb, the priest's daughter, believes that the woman's death was not fate, but murder. Increasingly, she becomes convinced that the source of evil lurks within her own father's household.

• ISBN10: 0002310996
• ISBN13: 9780002310994
• Publish Date: 2 May 2000 (first published 27 August 1970)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 26 May 2006
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins Crime
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy)]

I think it conjures up a strong sense of place and culture and though I think it may disappoint a little as a detective story, I felt gripped by the way it unfolded.

Read my full review at Mysteries Ahoy!

[brokentune]

“All life is a jest, Imhotep - and it is death who laughs last. Do you not hear it at every feast? Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die.”

Death Comes as the End is Dame Agatha's only historical mystery and she makes full use of her in-depth knowledge of Ancient Egypt. The detail of Egyptian artifacts and religious beliefs Dame Agatha weaved into this was delightful and made up for the odd dalliances with annoying love triangles. What it didn't quite achieve was to give some authenticity to the characters which still seemed as if they had been copied out of an English country house setting.

I guess, in a way one could argue that the relationships between Christie's characters and their issues are universal, but I could not help imagine some of the characters having a strong London accent.

Never mind, it was a fun read.