Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Come on board the Queen of Egypt and discover this new murder mystery full of witty dialogs, funny situations, and blooming love! Already short-listed for the French Gay Book Award 2020!

When Auntie Agathe invites Raphaël Poireaut, a young Parisian bartender, on a Nile cruise, he isn’t really thrilled. To stare at old stones together with a bunch of old codgers—why, thanks for the gift. Unsurprisingly the trip starts off badly enough. Not only does Raphaël have an unnerving confrontation with a handsome but standoffish and haughty Italian guy, but he has barely stepped on board the cruise ship when he stumbles upon a tourist… who has been stabbed to death.

The young Venetian Stefano di Angeli agrees to spend his vacation in Egypt with his best friend Grazia. He hasn’t had holidays for six years. But his first encounter with a young, angel-faced, curly-haired Frenchie brings back painful memories. Besides, what could be worse to start a Nile cruise than to discover a murder has been committed on board? Cazzo—fate seems to bear him a grudge!

While the Egyptian police led by Colonel Al-Qaïb are investigating the murder, Raphaël and Stefano find themselves swept away by the events… and by the blooming feelings that inexorably draw them closer. Will they manage to sort out the truth from the lies and find the murderer? Will they be able to resist this mutual attraction that seems to overwhelm them against their wills?

Book Review

‘Till Death do us Part’ feels a lot like a traditional Agatha Christie murder mystery – though never having read one myself, I can only use what I have heard from others and a couple of movies based on her books to come to this conclusion. The setting on The Queen of Egypt (s a fitting name fo a cruise ship on the Nile) the variety of characters, and a gruesome murder in chapter one are all par for the course, yet this story has a style all its own. For one, it is told in present tense and alternating points of view with Raphaël narrating in first person and Stefano in third – which took me a few chapters to get used to. The other difference is the multitude of modern-day characters who populate the cruise ship, some out and some less open about their preferences. So while there are lots of similarities with Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Nile’ (which I have never read, but I admit I checked out the blurb), the storyline, the murder, and the characters are very different, giving this novel a more contemporary feel.

Raphaël is an out and proud French bartender with an artistic bent, a man who is determined to stay single, and (at least initially) not very enthusiastic about accompanying his resolute aunt on a cruise. He quickly becomes enthusiastic about discovering some of the ancient temples, but Stefano’s presence interferes with that. The men initially rub each other in entirely the wrong way (pun intended) and it takes quite a while for Raphaël to open up. His innate arrogance, a self-protective mechanism if I’ve ever seen one, is not easy for him to overcome. His determination to solve the murder, however, is excellent at building a bridge to better understanding Stefano.

Stefano is a closeted Italian sales manager in his father’s company, he has a tragic loss in his past, and he believes in preparation and planning as his main defense against anything life throws at him. He has looked forward to this cruise for a while and comes well informed, having read several guide books and watched more than one documentary. His main initial issue with Raphaël is the Frenchman’s similarity to the man Stefano loved and lost, but he is determined to overcome that. And when he does? The sparks between them begin to fly and soon ignite!

While the murder is intriguing all by itself, it was the characters who kept pulling me back in. And not just the two protagonists, either. The motley assortment of secondary personages ranged from entertaining to annoying and from mysterious to obvious – or so I thought. There were more suspects than should be allowed and watching Raphaël and Stefano gradually figuring out who was a real contender for the title “murderer” and who was merely a distraction kept me turning the pages. As usual with me and murder mysteries, I did not guess whodunit, and that did not reduce my enjoyment of the story in the least!

If you can’t go on a cruise yourself (especially in times of COVID), reading this suspenseful story is the next best thing. The sights and sounds and smells of Egypt all come very much alive in the author’s writing. I could feel the oppressive heat the tourists encountered on their excursions, almost taste the frequent coffees everyone consumed, and see the colors of the sunsets and the landscapes they passed as the ship made its way up the Nile. Very engaging!

If a touch of romance adds to your enjoyment of a well-crafted murder mystery, if you enjoy exotic settings and quirky characters, and if you’re looking for an engaging, suspenseful story with a satisfying resolution, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 298 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	24-June-2020
Price	$4.90 ebook, $12.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Till-Death-Part-Poireaut-Angeli-ebook/dp/B088TMR45N