Part of Hercule Poirot, book 14
First published 2001
Nurse Amy Leatheran arrives at the Hassanieh archaeological excavation along the Tigris River in Iraq. She tends to Louise Leidner, the beautiful wife of the dig's leader Dr. Leidner. Something feels wrong at the remote site. Louise suffers from frightening visions and claims someone wants to kill her. The other members of the archaeological team grow increasingly hostile toward each other. Amy watches the tension build but cannot identify its source. Louise's terror seems real, yet no clear threat emerges. Hercule Poirot plans to visit the excavation soon, but events move faster than expected. When Louise turns up dead, Amy realizes her instincts were correct. Murder has come to Mesopotamia. The killer walks among the archaeologists, and Poirot must uncover which member of this isolated community committed the crime.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, mystery, crime, archaeology, thriller, detective, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: isolated-community, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Hassanieh, Iraq, Mesopotamia, Tigris River
Period: 20th-century
264 pages · Paperback · Harper