Murderous Travels by Daniela M. Hartinger

Next Stop: The Nile (Egypt)

Welcome aboard, my murderous travel companions. As the northern countries slip into winter, our next destination will offer us warmth and thrills to take on the chillier days ahead.

A dahabeah, a traditional shallow-bottomed, barge-like vessel with two sails, aptly named The Mystery of the Nile, will serve as our swaying abode for the duration of this imaginary trip (pic created with AI). Find yourself a seat on the sundeck and prepare for a legendary voyage down the Nile River.

As crime fiction enthusiasts, we may have packed our suitcases with more books than clothes. What are the odds that we have all decided to bring along the same title? I'm speaking, of course, about the iconic Death on the Nile, written by none other than the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie.

Did you know, though, that Christie set another story on the banks of the Nile? Parker Pyne, one of her less famous detectives, takes a trip up the Nile in search of serenity, only to be confronted with murder. Just like the famous novel, the short story about Parker Pyne’s journey is titled Death on the Nile.

Before our dahabeah sets sail from Luxor, we are to witness one of Egypt’s most iconic sights: the Valley of the Kings. Jeeps brought us here across the barren dessert, and we now find ourselves meandering through the famous necropolis of the pharaohs. The air is thick with tales: whispers of treachery, deceit, and timeless power struggles fill the space. We can almost hear the distant rumble of chariots, the conspiratorial hush of courtiers, and the funeral proceedings of great kings. The tombs entice us with their exquisite hieroglyphs, each chamber containing a mysterious story waiting to be deciphered.

After long hours exploring in the heat, and finding ourselves covered in sand and dust, we were looking forward to boarding the ship again and enjoying a good book in the shade. Wouldn’t it be the perfect moment to check out a series set in Ancient Egypt, like Lynda S. Robinson’s Lord Meren Mysteries?

Refreshed and restored, we disembark the boat again before sunset to explore the famous and mesmerising Karnak Temple. We walk around in awe of its unique architecture and grandiosity. The tall stone walls create a portal between us and the past. As we move further inside, away from other tourists, a mysterious character appears at the end of a long stone wall: a hooded man. He does not seem to fit in with his surroundings, and yet he looks familiar. He smiles as he turns around and vanishes as quickly as he appeared.

Back on our boat, we savour a wonderful dinner of freshly caught fish. While we share stories of the day, the boat departs from Luxor, and the cruise along the Nile truly begins. Sipping colourful cocktails in the lounge after dinner, we discuss the Mamur Zapt series by Michael Pearce, set in Egypt during the early 1900s, and other novels which take place near the Nile. Amidst our literary discussions, one of our travel companions claims to feel unwell, gripping the table with a sweaty hand before retreating to their cabin. A chill of apprehension spreads through the space ‒ could this be the prelude to a mystery akin to those we cherish in our novels?

Luckily, we continue our trip without further incident and spend peaceful days on the Mystery of the Nile. We pass the lock at Esna and visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu, as well as the impressive sight of the Kom Ombo Temple, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris.

Further along the river, we dock to marvel at the Temple of Philae, a gem of ancient architecture rescued from the floodwaters of Lake Nasser. This site, dedicated to the goddess Isis, showcases intricate carvings that are
illuminated by the golden hues of the setting sun. 

 As we approach Assouan, we are ready to visit some famous places that are  particularly enticing for crime fiction enthusiasts. We are eager to see the Temples of Abu Simbel, but unlike Hercule Poirot, we cannot make the journey on our boat – the temple lies beyond the Assouan High Dam, which was built in the 1960s.  Instead, we take a private bus tour through the desert in a convoy protected by the

Egyptian military, as the temple sits near the border with Sudan. The sight of heavy
weaponry reminds us of more adventurous, fast-paced crime novels, such as The Labyrinth of Osiris by Paul Sussman.

We conclude our excursion on the terrace of the famed Old Cataract Hotel (AI pic). The distinguished list of erstwhile guests includes
high-ranking politicians and renowned artists from all eras. It is also the birthplace of the famous Death on the Nile, which we – by now – know almost by heart.

 

Many mystery authors have been inspired by the famous cruise and had their detective characters sleuth along the banks of the Niles:
Isabella Bassett’s Secret of the Scarab 
or Janice Hamrick’s Death on Tour,

A sturdy fellow traveler with a receding hairline is about to praise Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody series set in Egypt in the early 1900s when we hear a scream from behind our backs. We whip our heads around just in time to witness a black hood dashing around the corner…

 And thus, the end of our imaginary cruise is yours to decide, my dear travel companions. As always, feel free to share your ideas with me, and do not hesitate to recommend further mystery titles set along the Nile or suggest other murderous travel destinations.

In the meantime, happy reading!

Daniela M. Hartinger grew up raiding the shelves of her local library for children’s detective novels and ended up devouring Agatha Christie and the like. She has combined her literary passion with her enthusiasm for foreign languages to work as a freelance book translator. She also dabbles with writing and can’t resist a bar of chocolate – which, nowadays, she must share with her ever-hungry toddler son.

www.danielahartinger.com