Death Comes As the End

#78 is Agatha Christie's Death Comes As The End. Professor Stephen R. K. Glanville suggested that Agatha Christie write a detective story that takes place in Ancient Egypt. Death Comes As The End is the result of that suggestion.

The story takes place in 2000 B. C. in Thebes. The auhtor's note explains that the characters and plot were partly inspired by letters from the XIth Dynasty found during the 1920-21 season by the Egyptian Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The family patriarch, Imhotep, is a ka-priest and is responsible for maintaining the local tomb. His family consists of his eldest son Yahmose, his wife Satipy and their children; his son Sobek, his wife Kait and their children; his widowed daughter Renisenb; and his youngest son Ipy. Also living in the house are: Imhotep's elderly and blind mother Esa; Hori, Imhotep's scribe and businessman; and Henet, the seemingly devoted housekeeper.

Imhotep decides to bring a concubine into his household. The young and beautiful Nofret stirs up trouble in the household. She is found dead at the bottom of a cliff one day. Her death is believed to be an accident, but Hori, Renisenb, and Esa suspect otherwise. Shortly after, several other family members die or fall ill. Imhotep believes Nofret has cursed his family, but our trio of detectives are now certain that a living person is causing the family's misfortunes. In all, six people die before the murderer is unmasked.