This edition published 22nd March 2018 by Harper Collins.
Originally published 1936.
From the cover of the book:
An archaeologist’s wife is murdered on the shores of the River Tigris in Iraq…It was clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister was going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of ‘Lovely Louise’, wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner.
In a few days’ time Hercule Poirot was due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late…
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Nurse, Amy Leatheran, is asked to join a dig on the banks of the River Tigris in Iraq, by celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner, who is concerned about the health of his wife Louise. She is excited about the prospect, but as soon as she arrives she feels there is something off about the atmosphere here - the tension amongst the party is palpable.
'Lovely Louise' is clearly suffering from acute anxiety, but whether she really has cause to fear the danger she claims has followed her from her past, or whether she is simply paranoid, is unclear. It is only when Louise is murdered that they all wonder whether she was actually telling the truth about the peril stalking her.
Fortunately, Hercule Poirot is on hand in Iraq to delve into the matter...
Murder in Mesopotamia is one of Christie's wonderfully atmospheric locked-room mysteries that thrums with lots of delicious detail garnered from her own first-hand experience of being part of an archaeological dig, at the side of her second husband Max Mallowan.
The story is narrated from the perspective of Amy Leatheran, who has been co-opted as part of an on-going dig to attend to Louise Leidner, the seemingly neurotic wife of the celebrated American archaeologist in charge. Amy introduces us to the various members of the dig, their relationships to each other, and her take on the obvious tensions running high within the party - and eventually, to the reasons why Louise is so worried for her safety at the hands of a former husband who she denounced as a spy, even though he is supposed to have died years before in a train crash.
When Louise is subsequently murdered, a victim of a fatal head injury received in a room which no one could have possibly entered without being seen, it is a total mystery. Hercule Poirot, who is serendipitously in the locale, is asked to direct the power of his little grey cells to the matter, which he unravels with the help of nurse Amy.
Amy's personality shines through this story, and really enjoyed her outsider's view of whole situation, particularly when it comes to Poirot's modus operandi, and the revelations that come as his unconventional methods blow the case wide open. Her observations of the party, and of Poirot himself, are absolute gold, and there is a lot of humour to be had from them.
The mystery itself is incredibly clever, riddled with twists that turn on secrets and psychological manipulation, and has a literally 'cracking' solution to locked room problem. As is Christie's forte, she delves into dark emotions, especially jealousy. Everything hangs of the complexities of the character of murdered woman, whose different faces are revealed through the testimonies of others, but the story is also filled out with threads about addiction and the smuggling of artifacts which add extra spice.
This was the perfect bonus book to follow my recent read, Christie's non-fiction, archaeological memoir Come Tell Me How You Live, which was my July pick for #ReadChristie2025. I listened to the audio book narrated by Anna Massey, who makes a wonderful Amy Leatheran.
Murder in Mesopotamia is available to buy now in multiple formats.
About the author:
Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.
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