This is a unique Agatha Christie because it is set in Ancient Egypt. I was curious about how that would play out, but I must say that it was not my favourite.

The story takes place on an estate where a large family lives with the servants, tending to the agricultural business and sacred places as well - the head of the family is a priest on top of this other duties. When he returns from his travels one day with a beautiful concubine, many things that have been lurking among the surface come to light, and terrible events follow.

Although the setting and time are so alien, the plot and writing style are typically Agatha Christie. To me this did not really work - I would have preferred another style, more descriptions and a slower pace. I also had a hard time getting into it, and even might have abandoned it if not for my goal of reading everything Agatha Christie wrote. The story picked up in the second half and became more exciting, and I enjoyed the ending and the romantic subplot. But overall, it was too sinister and bleak for me, there were hardly any characters I liked, and just too much malice and ill feelings. It lacked a character like Poirot or Marple to lighten things up a bit.

However, it is interesting that the novel is based on original letters that were written around 1950BC and were found in a tomb in Thebes.
I don't know much about Ancient Egypt, so maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I did. ( )

Unique among Christie’s novels and yet it has a typical Christie plot featuring a family eaten up with jealousy and ambition. The setting of Ancient Egypt makes it one of her best. The details of life and culture in Ancient Egypt can be trusted because of her experience in the area with her archaeologist husband. Highly recommended. ( )

My first Agatha Christie read when I was a preteen! Never to be forgotten! A murder mystery taking place in Egypt 2000 BC. I remember my head spinning with the death of a concubine and also the names! Not your typical Agatha Christie, this book is responsible for my love of murder mystery. ( )

Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie does not follow her normal mystery writing. This story happens in ancient Egypt in 2000 BC. The story centers on three generations of a power hungry family. The older father brings home a concubine and sets her on a pedestal much to chagrin of his adult children. The father must travel to other areas in Egypt and while he is gone, his beloved concubine falls to her death, or has she been pushed. The killer strikes six times before discovery. This story falls into a dark, morbid scenery. The information concerning ancient Egypt and family relationships stimulates the mind, but the tempo clouds this dysfunctional family. No fun or amusing Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, and each is greatly missed. ( )

This is not the first time I've read this novel - I am re-reading it with my U3A Agatha Christie Reading Group. See my previous review.

When Imhotep, the Ka-priest, returns to his family, he brings with him an unwelcome surprise, a concubine from the North, who is in fact younger than his recently widowed daughter. None of his household like the concubine, and she plainly does not like them. She tries to turn the family against their father and seems determined to stir up trouble.

But what Nofret, the concubine, does, as one of the family remarks, is reveals where trouble and evil already are present.

In the introductory Author's Note Agatha Christie points out that the fact that the action of the book takes place on the West bank of the Nile at Thebes in Egypt about 2000 BC is actually incidental to the story. It is a story that could have been played out against any setting. It is a story of jealousy, a father who dominates too much, and children who are chafing against the bit. The murder of the concubine is just the first in a series of incidents, and the author holds various characters up for us to scrutinise.

We see the action mainly through the eyes of Imhotep's daughter Renisenb, who is not always the most reliable judge if character, and she is bewildered as various members of the household are killed, and she is not sure who to trust.

The author puts her knowledge of Egyptian funerary rites and procedures to good use in providing the reader with an authentic background for a solid murder mystery. In all there are 5 murders, enough to overwhelm even the most vigilant family. ( )