thunderstorm,experienced floods,heating breakdowns,border delays and hardships of every kind and eventually arrived on Wednesday instead of Monday...Never was hardship put to better use." The characters on the train and indeed the train itself were moulded into one of the most evocative stories she ever wrote.What do I admire most about this?Two things-first the meticulous accuracy of the plot welded around the layout of the train and people moving around it;and then the tolerance and understanding with which all the characters on the train are treated,whether they are royalty or restaurant-car conductors.Somehow it makes the eventual denouement much more plausible.Murder on the Orient Express was a classic,and in many ways Death on the Nile was similarly conceived except of course this time the crime scene was on a boat-allied with the background of Egyptian splendour.Once again,the layout on board the boat is meticulously observed and crucial for a proper understanding of the plot. In the mid 1970s,of course,two splendid films of these books were made.Their producers, script-writers,directors and actors led by Lord John Brabourne,himself a fanatical train enthusiast, co-operated wholeheartedly in the recreation not only of the stories themselves but of the oriental atmosphere that pervades them.Nobody who has seen the film of Orient Express will forget the scenes of Stanboul station,with oranges falling off carts and merchants chasing passengers,or the heart-stopping moment when the whistle blows and the magnificent old steam engine belches smoke and draws out the station Inspired by archaeology Appointment with Death and Murder in Mesopotamia were created from the surroundings of the archaeological digs themselves.The first one is based in Petra and was nicknamed Rose Red Murder and the second revolves around Chagar Bazar and Ur.Both books contain many characters loosely based on Nima and Max's archaeological friends and helpers,and apparently the books,when they appeared,were eagerly scanned by the participants.Murder is Mesopotamia is indeed dedicated to"my many archaeological friends in Irag and Syria".Not all were pleased, but history does not relate whether this was because the people concerned were,or were not, characterised in the books! Undoubtedly the tour de force of Nima's oriental writings was Death Comes as the End(written in 1943 as I was born!)This is a story set in ancient Egypt with ancient Egyptian characters and is a dark,brooding tale with a family that falls into disarray when Imhotep,a wealthy widowed priest and farmer from ancient Thebes,imports a new and thoroughly evil concubine called Nofret.The book is full of violent murder,cunning poisoning and intrigue.It is impeccably researched,with the help of an old friend of Max's called Stephen Glanville,and is particularly clever because although there is quite enough authenticity to transport the reader convincingly back to ancient Thebes,the intrigue and plotting would certainly not be out of place in the twentieth century Without Hercule Poirot,or Miss Marple,this book has never been famous,nor the fastest seller, but I think it is one of Nima's finest achievements. See more about Christie,please click http://www.agathachristie.com If you love games and puzzles,please click http://www.worldoffreegames.com/thunderstorm, experienced floods, heating breakdowns, border delays and hardships of every kind and eventually arrived on Wednesday instead of Monday... Never was hardship put to better use.” The characters on the train and indeed the train itself were moulded into one of the most evocative stories she ever wrote. What do I admire most about this? Two things – first the meticulous accuracy of the plot welded around the layout of the train and people moving around it; and then the tolerance and understanding with which all the characters on the train are treated, whether they are royalty or restaurant-car conductors. Somehow it makes the eventual denouement much more plausible. Murder on the Orient Express was a classic, and in many ways Death on the Nile was similarly conceived except of course this time the crime scene was on a boat - allied with the background of Egyptian splendour. Once again, the layout on board the boat is meticulously observed and crucial for a proper understanding of the plot. In the mid 1970s, of course, two splendid films of these books were made. Their producers, script-writers, directors and actors led by Lord John Brabourne, himself a fanatical train enthusiast, co-operated wholeheartedly in the recreation not only of the stories themselves but of the oriental atmosphere that pervades them. Nobody who has seen the film of Orient Express will forget the scenes of Stanboul station, with oranges falling off carts and merchants chasing passengers, or the heart-stopping moment when the whistle blows and the magnificent old steam engine belches smoke and draws out the station. Inspired by archaeology Appointment with Death and Murder in Mesopotamia were created from the surroundings of the archaeological digs themselves. The first one is based in Petra and was nicknamed Rose Red Murder and the second revolves around Chagar Bazar and Ur. Both books contain many characters loosely based on Nima and Max’s archaeological friends and helpers, and apparently the books, when they appeared, were eagerly scanned by the participants. Murder is Mesopotamia is indeed dedicated to “my many archaeological friends in Iraq and Syria”. Not all were pleased, but history does not relate whether this was because the people concerned were, or were not, characterised in the books! Undoubtedly the tour de force of Nima’s oriental writings was Death Comes as the End (written in 1943 as I was born!) This is a story set in ancient Egypt with ancient Egyptian characters and is a dark, brooding tale with a family that falls into disarray when Imhotep, a wealthy widowed priest and farmer from ancient Thebes, imports a new and thoroughly evil concubine called Nofret. The book is full of violent murder, cunning poisoning and intrigue. It is impeccably researched, with the help of an old friend of Max’s called Stephen Glanville, and is particularly clever because although there is quite enough authenticity to transport the reader convincingly back to ancient Thebes, the intrigue and plotting would certainly not be out of place in the twentieth century. Without Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple, this book has never been famous, nor the fastest seller, but I think it is one of Nima’s finest achievements. See more about Christie, please click http://www.agathachristie.com If you love games and puzzles, please click http://www.worldoffreegames.com/