Death on the Nile Character Analysis

Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is an eccentric and brilliant detective, from Belgium, who also happens to have a spectacular mustache. By the time Death on the Nile takes place, Hercule Poirot is already internationally famous and many… read analysis of Hercule Poirot

Linnet Doyle

Linnet Doyle (formerly Ridgeway) is the wife of Simon Doyle, the one-time friend of Jacqueline De Bellefort, and one of the wealthiest heiresses in England. She is also the first and most significant… read analysis of Linnet Doyle

Jacqueline De Bellefort

Jacqueline is one of the primary antagonists of the novel, originally a friend to Linnet and the fiancé lover of Simon. All that changes, however, when Linnet offers Simon a job (at Jacqueline’s request)… read analysis of Jacqueline De Bellefort

Simon Doyle

Simon is the youngest son of a well-to-do family, and as a result has no real money of his own but has a taste for the good life. He is physically capable, but not actually… read analysis of Simon Doyle

Colonel Race

Colonel Race is an acquaintance of Hercule Poirot going back to before the events of Death on the Nile. In Death on the Nile, he comes aboard the Karnak Nile steamer because he… read analysis of Colonel Race

Andrew Pennington

Andrew Pennington is one of the two remaining American trustees for Linnet Ridgeway (the other being his partner Sterndale Rockford, another tall, graying, clean-shaven man who resembles Pennington). He works in an office in… read analysis of Andrew Pennington

Mrs. Salome Otterbourne

Though Mrs. Otterbourne is portrayed as a ridiculous, out-of-touch old British lady, even going so far as to wear a turban blend in with the local culture while on vacation, she ends up playing a… read analysis of Mrs. Salome Otterbourne

Rosalie Otterbourne

Rosalie Otterbourne is a frequently sulky girl who can also be bright and kind-hearted. She is the daughter of Salome Otterbourne (who embarrasses her). Throughout the story, she is often portrayed as a keeper of… read analysis of Rosalie Otterbourne

Mrs. Allerton

Mrs. Allerton is the mother of Tim Allerton, and she doesn’t approve of his correspondence with his cousin Joanna Southwood. She is very interested in the detective work of Hercule Poirot, inviting… read analysis of Mrs. Allerton

Tim Allerton

Tim Allerton is the son of Mrs. Allerton, the cousin of Joanna Southwood, and the eventual lover of Rosalie Otterbourne. Initially, he dislikes Hercule Poirot with an intensity that surprises his mother… read analysis of Tim Allerton

Miss Marie Van Schuyler

Miss Van Schuyler is a wealthy American spinster who travels with her cousin Cornelia Robson and her nurse, Miss Bowers. She is a stereotypical spoiled old rich lady who disdains most of the other… read analysis of Miss Marie Van Schuyler

Cornelia Robson

Cornelia Robson is the cousin of Miss Van Schuyler (who also travels with her nurse, Miss Bowers). She is largely a passive character, putting up with the controlling behavior of her older cousin throughout… read analysis of Cornelia Robson

Mr. Ferguson (Lord Dawlish)

Ferguson is a dark-haired young man who looks like he wants to pick a fight with everyone around him. Poirot first meets him and Signor Richetti during an excursion near their hotel. An avowed communist… read analysis of Mr. Ferguson (Lord Dawlish)

Miss Bowers

Miss Bowers is the nurse of Miss Van Schuyler (who also travels with her cousin Cornelia Robson). Miss Van Schuyler doesn’t suffer from any specific medical condition—she’s just a very wealthy woman who prefers… read analysis of Miss Bowers

Signor Richetti

Signor Richetti is a slightly overweight, middle-aged Italian archaeologist that Poirot meets on an excursion near the hotel (which Ferguson also came on). He gets extremely angry at Linnet when she opens a telegram addressed… read analysis of Signor Richetti

Louise Bourget

As the maid to Linnet and Simon Doyle, Louise initially appears to be a minor character, until suddenly she takes center stage when she becomes the second murder victim. As is revealed in time… read analysis of Louise Bourget

James Fanthorp

James Fanthorp is a young English lawyer for Linnet Ridgeway, the nephew of the lawyer William Carmichael. Linnet’s marriage to Simon Doyle causes Carmichael to send Fanthorp down to Egypt to find the… read analysis of James Fanthorp

Dr. Bessner

Dr. Bessner is a middle-aged European doctor on board the Karnak who takes care of Simon after his leg injury and who eventually proposes to Cornelia Robson. He identifies the weapon used to kill… read analysis of Dr. Bessner

Fleetwood

Fleetwood is an engineer on the Karnak who attempted to marry one of Linnet’s old chambermaids, despite the fact that he was already married to an Egyptian woman. Linnet intervened to stop the marriage, angering… read analysis of Fleetwood

Joanna Southwood

A friend to Linnet and Lord Windlesham, as well as a cousin to Tim Allerton, Joanna is well-connected to the central events of the story, though she plays a small role. Mrs. Allerton… read analysis of Joanna Southwood

Mr. Burnaby

Mr. Burnaby is the landlord of a pub in Malton-under-Wode, the country village where Linnet recently bought an estate that she plans to upgrade. He appears at the beginning of the novel as he hopes… read analysis of Mr. Burnaby

Sir George Wode

Sir George Wode is one of Linnet’s many enemies—he resents her after she bought his house (because he fell on hard times financially). Mrs. Allerton has sympathy for him, although her son, Tim, doesn’t… read analysis of Sir George Wode

William Carmichael

William Carmichael is one of the senior lawyers at Linnet’s English law firm. After he receives a letter from Linnet revealing that she and her new husband Simon Doyle ran into Andrew Pennington during their… read analysis of William Carmichael

M. Gastin Blondin

M. Gastin Blondin owns a famous London restaurant called Chez Ma Tante, where Hercule Poirot enjoys excellent service because he once helped Blondin by solving a crime that would have put him in a jam… read analysis of M. Gastin Blondin

Minor Characters

Lord Charles Windlesham

Lord Windlesham proposes to Linnet at the beginning of the story—local gossip has it that they’re practically already engaged—but she rejects him, despite all his qualifications. He leaves for Canada, and despite having a possible motive for murder, is never heard from again.

Sterndale Rockford

Sterndale Rockford is one of Linnet’s American trustees, and a partner of Andrew Pennington. His physical resemblance to Andrew Pennington may be a red herring (since mistaken identities are a common theme in mystery stories), but ultimately, he doesn’t play a big role in the story.

Mrs. Leech

Mrs. Leech is a woman who has some jewelry stolen from her in Mallorca while the Allerton’s are vacationing there. She is an early clue that Tim Allerton (along with his cousin Joanna) is involved in jewelry theft.

Death on the Nile Characters