Agatha Christie: Death Comes As the End

I think this book is unique among Angatha Christie's detective novels. It isn't a Poirot-story but it's not a Miss Marple-story either. There isn't an actual detective in it but there are two characters that serve as casi-detectives. They are very observant and eventually are able to figure out who the murderer is.

The story takes place 4000 years ago in the Ancient Egypt. This isn't usual either. It is basically about a wealthier family, their everyday lives, their relationship to one another, their fights and, of course, the tragic deaths that occur among them. It is more or less told from the point of view of the daughter who, after becoming a widow, moves back to her father's house and is determined to behave as if those eight years she had spent away never would have happened, and as if nothing would have changed since then. She has to realise, though that in reality many things did change.

I really liked this book. This is one of those better Agatha Christie novels where at the beginning you are kind of sure who the murderer is but as you progress in the story you are less and less sure and eventually end up suspecting every single character. Even the obviously innocent ones. I also liked that it was set in the distant past. It is obvious that she did a thorough research before writing the book. At least for me everything seemed credible.