Death on the Nile

Yes, yes, yes!

This is what I'm talking about! Give us more David Suchet doing Agatha Christie's Poirot books and short stories. Any and all of them. It's that plain and simple. He's a perfect narrator for ANY Christie story really but he's the master of performing Poirot. He's always been great onscreen and now he's great on audiobook. If you've ever wanted to read a Poirot adventure or one of Christie's classics, buy one of the full Hercule Poirot audiobooks read by David Suchet and you will not be disappointed.

31 people found this helpful

Suchet is the Best

Having David Suchet read Hercule Poirot is heaven. He knows his character so well. Death on the Nile is a great listen. Even though I had the bad guy/gal figured out before the denouement, it was a fun ride getting there. Christie provides a great cast of potential killers and victims.

21 people found this helpful

Suchet is a master

Full disclosure: I am pretty biased when it comes to David Suchet. I think he's brilliant in every way and love him to death. He was going to have to work hard to disappoint me with this book. First, it's one of my favorite Christie stories, though this is my first experience with the book (all my previous exposure was to films). Second, it's David Suchet.

So, it was wonderful. BUT, I can at least honestly admit that some of Mr. Suchet's voices didn't quite work for me. BUT, this was completely understandable given that he had completely created/fleshed out different voices for every single female in this book. This is the first time I have heard a male narrator accomplish this very difficult feat. Let's be honest, 80% of the best male narrators sound utterly ridiculous when reading female voices - and for the most part, they only have one female voice to work with - some weird falsetto that makes the character sound dumb, no matter how smart she's written. I give a lot of grace on this because I know how hard it is to do. With David Suchet's DOZEN or more female voices, I found myself saying, well I'm not as crazy about that *one*. It was so nice to hear so many GOOD female characters performed, and since they outnumber male characters in this book, that's important. And when he reads various males...well, he does this SO WELL, that my brain forgets it's him - that it's all him.

Did I mention that Suchet is the best? (actor, in the history of ever?)

And, oh yes, the story is good. While there's a lot that can be called implausible about this ending, you won't care, because it's just incredibly imaginative and compelling. Christie always focuses much on the psychological and this is one of the novels in which she seems to dig deep into every character, rather than just a tiny few. You are rewarded with a wonderful intertwining of stories which you care about as much as the central story. And when Poirot brings up David and Uriah, I just...it's so good.

5 people found this helpful

Wonderful story! Recording needs to be fixed in spots

The story is fantastic! Agatha Christie does it again. The narrator did a good job but the recording quality is inconsistent. There's an entire patch towards the end where the sound isn't good at all and I found it very distracting.

8 people found this helpful

David Suchet for the WIN

The fact that this is read by my favorite incarnation of the character makes it all the better. It's a great book itself and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I pride myself on being able to guess who the murderer will be but this time I was wrong. I like being wrong and when the real answer was found out I found myself giggling because I felt like an idiot for missing the clues. They were all right there! What a ride. Can't wait to go on more adventures with Hercule Poirot

2 people found this helpful

Absolutely fantastic mystery novel

What made the experience of listening to Death on the Nile the most enjoyable?

I'm becoming a huge Agatha Christie fan and I continue to be blown away by her amazing knack for intricate plotting and her deep understanding of human beings. Her mysteries work because you can't spot an easy solution due to the incredible depth she gives to each character. Not everyone on the boat trip down the Nile is a murderer, but most of them are hiding *something* and Christie once again masterfully places clues and hints, takes her time and eventually comes to an extremely satisfying and revealing conclusion. I was stunned and hooked and listened to the last 2.5 hours all in one go because I couldn't "put the book down."

What other book might you compare Death on the Nile to and why?

Well, we can compare it to Murder on the Orient Express (which I listened to recently). I actually found this one to be slightly better with more going on in the cast and a better conclusion. Both books are fantastic, though and Poirot is such a wonderful character and detective.

What does David Suchet bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Overall, I found Suchet to be a very good narrator who provided good voices for most of the characters in the cast (many of whom have different accents). However, he did two voices that I found unpleasant and not suitable to the characters which made me drop a star. His voice for Colonel Race sounded rude and unpleasant, though the character was supposed to be an ally for Poirot and a good man. And his voice for Mr. Ferguson was WAY over the top and made it impossible for me to take the character seriously. That said, all the rest of the voices were great and his general narration was very good as well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved the conclusion of the plots involving Tim Allerton and Rosalie Otterbourne. It was emotional, surprising and very satisfying. The conclusion of the Jackie / Simon Doyle plot was less moving than shocking, but also great and very memorable. I also loved Cornelia growing a spine throughout the book.

Any additional comments?

My version (not sure if this is a problem for everyone) experienced a significant quality drop off at chapter 23. The audio became fuzzy, distorted and sounded far-away. It also felt less well-edited and I could hear Suchet's swallows. It seemed to right itself after awhile but it was distracting.

2 people found this helpful

Fantastic Story, 1 Poorly Narrated Character

Classic, wonderful Agatha Christie! Poirot performed perfectly by Suchet, the others characters were for the most part well done also, except Colonel Race. Why he was performed so nasally & with a bit of a speech impediment was beyond me. Not at all how I imagined Race to sound. Hugh Fraser does a MUCH better Colonel Race.

2 people found this helpful

SO DISAPPOINTED!!!

How could the performance have been better?

I love Hugh Frasier because his characters are easy to differentiate and the voices are pleasant. David Suchet however is not as talented in this area. I'm sure he has many good talents but after listening to the first chapter, I thought my ears were bleeding. Poirot sounded like Speedy Gonzales from the Sat. a.m. cartoon shows. The other "investigator" sounded like the clergy from a Princess Bride but at full volume. Then there was the old woman who was nasal, SCREECHING and just plain obnoxious to listen to. I'll never get a book by David Suchet again. Back to Hugh Frasier for me.

11 people found this helpful

5* for Christie 3* for Suchet

Nothing has surprised me more than the fact I don’t like David Suchet’s narration of the two full-length Audible mysteries I’ve bought. Death on the Nile is my favorite of Christie’s Egypt series, and my complaint about his narration is the that as other reviewers. He doesn’t do any characters well but his own. I could hardly believe I was listening to David Suchet in “Sad Cypress”. He does the short stories very well, but, frankly, if I had to choose between Hugh Fraser and David Suchet for my next Christie Audible, it would be Hugh Fraser. I’m still stunned at how much I didn’t like Suchet as the narrator of these two books. Two of my favorites, and he ruined the experience for me.

6 people found this helpful

David Suchet Does It All (With One Exception)

If you could sum up Death on the Nile in three words, what would they be?

Clever, Atmospheric, Tricky

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hercule Poirot is the greatest fictional detective ever, Sherlock be damned. Poirot has character to spare, his foibles are human, he is funny as anything, and yet he maintains dignity, the proper reverence for human life, and the proper revulsion for murder.

Which scene was your favorite?

The reveal of whodunit is extraordinary. Even for Christie (the queen of intriguing yet plausible solutions), this is an outstanding denouement.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It is excellent, but I have read it several times, so I did not have an extreme reaction, just enjoyed the new medium for drinking it in.

Any additional comments?

Suchet's characterizations are mostly on-point, and his Poirot (as anyone who saw his performances on BBC/A&E/PBS can attest) is the best there is, the closest I've seen anyone come to capturing the witty little Belgian. While the vocalizations of the "natives" in this book could be questionable/offensive to a modern reader, that is mostly Christie's doing. It was a different time.

What really needs addressing is Suchet's Colonel Race. For some reason, his vocal characterization is both nasal AND with a lisp. And since he's the character who speaks second-most (I'm guessing) in the book, this is problematic. I alternately wanted to giggle at the strange choice or strangle Suchet for the choice (or perhaps the director/producer for not saying, "Uh, David, pick nasal or lisp, not both"). "I say, Pwoiwot, do you weawwy think that's the wight thing to do?" I'm exaggerating a little, but not by much. Strange choice, to make the seemingly level-headed Colonel Race a cross between Steve Urkel and Barbara Walters.

10 people found this helpful