@Agatha Christie
Death comes as the End was the only historical whodunit that Dame Agatha Christie wrote. Considering the fact that her husband, Sir Max Mallowan, was an archaeologist in Egypt, it is easy to see what inspired it. During her stay in Egypt Agatha Christie read some ancient letters (translated by Battiscombe Gunn) by a man who wrote home frequently complaining about the behavior of his family and the mistreatment by them of his concubine. These letters formed the basis of the plot of this book.
Imhotep is a Ra-priest in charge of a tomb that is to be maintained by a large farmhouse surrounding it. He is aided in his work by his adviser Hori who has been with his family for a long time and is devoted to them. Imhotep has three sons, Yahamose, Sobek and Ipy. His daughter Renisenb is recently widowed and has returned to her father's house. She is still grieving and wants to find comfort in the well known patterns of her family home.
Things change very soon when her father returns from a business trip with a beautiful young concubine, Nofret, in tow. The family is unhappy at this new development. Things take a nasty turn when Nofret is found dead, fallen (or thrown?) from a high path. Things do not rest here and there are other deaths that cannot be wished away as accidents. Are these deaths the work of some evil spirit or some disgruntled family member or employee? Suddenly, everyone is a suspect.
From the Wikipedia entry I learn that Agatha Christie had a different ending in mind. For one wild moment I also thought of an ending that was much darker and involved the main protagonists. Even so, the ending is satisfactory and is explained well. Agatha Christie brings out the life in the times of 2000 BC Thebes very well. The novel is fast paced and you race along, loth to put it down. You are made to swing between various suspects and wonder who really did it.
