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Linnet Ridgeway was a young, beautiful, and immensely wealthy woman whose charm drew attention wherever she went. When she announced her engagement to Simon Doyle, it sent waves of surprise through her social circle, especially because Simon had been engaged to her friend Jacqueline de Bellefort. Jacqueline was deeply in love with Simon and had introduced him to Linnet, never imagining that her best friend would steal his heart. Heartbroken and betrayed, Jacqueline vowed to haunt the couple wherever they went.
After their wedding, Linnet and Simon went on a luxurious honeymoon trip to Egypt, sailing on the steamer Karnak along the Nile River. Their fellow passengers included several interesting figures: Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective; Colonel Race, an intelligent and observant man; Mrs. Salome Otterbourne, an eccentric romance novelist, and her serious daughter Rosalie; the wealthy American Andrew Pennington, Linnet’s trustee; a timid English lady named Miss Van Schuyler with her nurse Miss Bowers and cousin Cornelia Robson; the outspoken socialist Mr. Ferguson; and Dr. Bessner, a German physician. Each had their own secrets and motives, but all appeared to be enjoying the cruise—except Linnet, who seemed increasingly anxious.
Jacqueline, true to her word, had followed them to Egypt. Everywhere the couple went, she appeared—always watching, always reminding them of her pain. Poirot noticed the tension building and even tried to counsel Jacqueline, urging her to let go of her obsession. She listened politely but her eyes burned with determination. Linnet confided to Poirot that she was frightened, feeling that Jacqueline might do something desperate. Poirot advised her to be cautious and keep calm, but danger was already closing in.
One evening aboard the Karnak, the atmosphere was strained. Linnet and Simon appeared troubled, and Jacqueline drank heavily in the saloon with Ferguson and Tim Allerton, another guest traveling with his mother, Mrs. Allerton. When Simon entered the room, Jacqueline’s emotions exploded. She confronted him bitterly, accusing him of betraying her. Overwhelmed by anger and despair, she pulled a small pistol from her bag and shot him in the leg before collapsing into hysterical sobs. The doctor was called immediately, and Simon’s wound was treated. Jacqueline was sedated and kept under watch for the night, while her pistol was supposedly taken away.
The next morning, horror spread through the ship. Linnet Doyle was found dead in her cabin, shot in the head while she slept. Her valuable pearl necklace was missing. Everyone was shocked—except Poirot, who quietly began observing the passengers, realizing that nearly everyone had something to hide. The only clear fact was that Jacqueline couldn’t have done it—she had been under supervision all night after shooting Simon. But Poirot knew that things were rarely as simple as they seemed.
Poirot and Colonel Race took charge of the investigation. They began by examining Linnet’s room. The door had been locked from the inside, and a pistol was found in the Nile—similar to the one Jacqueline had used but not identical. On the floor near the bed was a small, round hole in the carpet and traces of wet nail varnish. Poirot noted every detail carefully. He then began questioning the passengers, slowly peeling back layers of secrets.
Andrew Pennington claimed he was in Egypt by coincidence, though Poirot discovered he had been trying to get Linnet to sign some legal papers that would have covered up his own misuse of her money. Rosalie Otterbourne was nervous and withdrawn, seemingly hiding something. Miss Van Schuyler’s nurse, Miss Bowers, revealed that her employer suffered from kleptomania—explaining why Linnet’s pearls had been found in Miss Van Schuyler’s possession, though they later turned out to be an imitation set. Tim Allerton, too, seemed suspiciously interested in jewels, and Poirot learned that he and his cousin Joanna had been involved in smuggling jewelry.
As Poirot interviewed each person, the puzzle pieces began to connect in strange ways. The maid, Louise Bourget, mentioned that she had seen someone enter Linnet’s cabin late that night, but she wouldn’t reveal who it was. Poirot sensed that she was planning to use her knowledge for blackmail. Later, Louise was found dead—stabbed in her cabin. The killer had struck again to silence her. Soon after, Mrs. Otterbourne rushed in, declaring that she had seen who murdered the maid. Before she could name the person, a shot rang out, and she fell dead, killed instantly. Panic erupted among the passengers.
Poirot realized that these killings were all connected, not random acts of violence. He pieced together the timing, the gunshots, and the behavior of Simon and Jacqueline. It became clear to him that the first shooting—the one Jacqueline had committed—was not as straightforward as it appeared. He called everyone together in the saloon for his famous revelation.
Poirot began calmly, recounting the sequence of events. On the night Linnet was murdered, Jacqueline’s public act of shooting Simon had been part of a clever deception. She had only pretended to shoot him with live ammunition; Simon had staged his injury with red ink and a bandage. When everyone rushed to care for Jacqueline, Simon had taken the pistol, gone to Linnet’s cabin, and shot his wife as she slept. He then returned to the saloon, fired another shot into the wall to make it appear he was still there, and truly wounded his leg this time to complete the illusion. He threw the pistol into the Nile, using a handkerchief to avoid fingerprints. Jacqueline had later retrieved and discarded the weapon.
Poirot revealed that the motive was simple but powerful—greed and love. Jacqueline and Simon had planned the murder together before Linnet even married him. They wanted her fortune and had plotted every step carefully. The marriage, the honeymoon, and the stalking were all parts of an elaborate plan to deflect suspicion. But their perfect plan unraveled because of small details—Simon’s mistake in pretending too much pain, the varnish Poirot found in Linnet’s room, and Jacqueline’s impulsive behavior.
When Poirot finished, silence filled the room. Jacqueline and Simon looked at each other—two lovers trapped by their own crime. They confessed quietly, realizing there was no escape. Poirot, deeply saddened, arranged for them to be placed under guard until the authorities could take over. That night, however, Jacqueline found a final way to stay with Simon forever. She asked to see him alone, and when granted permission, she took a concealed pistol from her handbag and shot him before turning the gun on herself. The sound of two shots ended the tragic story of love twisted into murder.
After their deaths, the passengers aboard the Karnak tried to return to normalcy, but the shadow of what had happened lingered. Colonel Race quietly arranged the necessary reports, and Poirot stood on the deck, gazing at the calm Nile waters that had carried so much passion, greed, and death. He thought of Linnet’s beauty, Jacqueline’s despair, and the destructive power of love when it turns into obsession.
Rosalie Otterbourne and Tim Allerton, who had grown close during the voyage, found some comfort in each other’s company. Poirot, watching them, hoped that perhaps love, when pure, could heal the wounds left by tragedy. Miss Van Schuyler returned to her routines, Miss Bowers remained composed, and the rest of the passengers prepared to disembark, each carrying with them the haunting memory of what had occurred on that seemingly peaceful journey down the Nile.
As the steamer moved slowly toward its final destination, the sun dipped behind the desert cliffs, casting long golden reflections across the river. Poirot stood quietly, his heart heavy yet resolute, knowing that justice had been served—but also that it had come at a terrible price. The river flowed on, indifferent to human sorrow, carrying with it the secrets of passion, jealousy, and the fatal consequences of betrayal.