History Literature / MurderInMesopotamia

* ImpersonationExclusiveCharacter: We really never learn anything about Eric Leidner, besides that he was a Swedish archeologist. That's because it's revealed he died decades ago in a train crash, and his identity was stolen by German spy Frederick Bosner. Likewise, we never find out what sort of person Father Lavigny is. All the time in the book, he has been impersonated by a jewel thief, as the real Father Lavigny fell sick and was unable to accompany the expedition at all.

* [[spoiler:DeadPersonImpersonation: Dr. Leidner is really Frederick Bosner.]]

* IfICantHaveYou: The constant threat for Louise in ''Literature/MurderInMesopotamia'' is that her supposedly dead husband will kill her for being with another man. [[spoiler:It turns out that her husband survived the train crash that supposedly killed him. When he took on the identity of Dr. Leidner, he married Louise (again) and stopped sending the threatening letters. However, when she started an affair with an another man, he decided to carry out his threat, preferring her dead than with someone else.]]

* JerkassHasaPoint: Sheila Reilly is ready to speak ill of the recently deceased, but only because they’re dead and beyond any damage that slander could do to them, while speaking ill of the living can do more harm and requires more tact.

* [[HeKnowsTooMuch She Knows Too Much]]: [[spoiler:Miss Johnson]].

* Gaslighting: [[spoiler: Dr Leidner did a bit of this to make people assume his wife made up the threats on her life.]]

* Troll: Dr Reilly can't resist taking a dig at Nurse Leatheran when she is counted as a suspect. It's in good humor though and he doesn't take it too far.

* IfICantHaveYou: The constant threat for Louise in ''Literature/MurderInMesopotamia'' is that her supposedly dead husband will kill her for being with another man. [[spoiler:It turns out that her husband survived the train crash that supposedly killed him. When he took on the identity of Dr. Leidner, he married Louise (again) and stopped sending the threatening letters. However, when she expressed interest in another man, he decided to carry out his threat, preferring her dead than with someone else.]]

* IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler:The motive for Mrs. Leidner's murder.]]

* DeathByLookingUp: [[spoiler: Miss Johnson correctly deduces that this was how the murderer killed Mrs. Leidner. Unfortunately the murderer was present when she tells this to Poirot so she ends up being killed.]]

* IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler:The motif for Mrs. Leidner's murder.]]

* LockedRoomMystery: Louise Leidner had locked her bedroom door, its only entrance, before her death, and it was also impossible to get in through the window.

* UnreliableNarrator: Nurse Leatheran narrates the story, and admits that despite her she is biased strongly towards people she likes (Mrs leidner) and against people she dislikes (Sheila Reilly). But despite her opinions, she is able to tell her story competently and objectively enough.

* CallForward: According to the epilogue, Poirot travels home on the [[MurderontheOrientExpress Orient Express]]. Also a CallBack since Murder in Mesopotamia was published two years later.

The novel was adapted into an episode of the TV series ''Series/{{Poirot}}''.

* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler:Dr. Leidner a.k.a. Frederick Bosner is an extreme example, resorting to threatening letters, a DeadPersonImpersonation, and even murder to stop his wife from straying.]]

A mystery novel by Creator/AgathaChristie, featuring HerculePoirot, and first published in 1936.

A mystery novel by AgathaChristie, featuring HerculePoirot, and first published in 1936.

Many years ago, she had been married to Mr. Bosner, a covert spy, who died tragically in a train accident. After his death, she began receiving death threats (allegedly by her former husband) warning her not to remarry. However the letters had abruptly stopped when she married Dr. Leidner.
But, sometime before her death, she had received another letter and had begun seeing visions of a face in her bedroom window at night. Poirot soon suspects that someone at the dig knows of Mrs. Leidner's past marriage and is possibly related to her late husband...

* [[spoiler:DeadPersonImpersonation]]

* Yandere: [[spoiler:Dr. Leidner is an extreme example, resorting to threatening letters, a DeadPersonImpersonation, and even murder to stop his wife from straying.]]

* PersonalEffectsReveal: [[spoiler: How Miss Johnsson discovers who the murderer is.]]

* PersonalEffectsReveal: [[spoiler: How Miss Johnsson discovers who the murderer is.]]

* AdventurerArchaelogist: Most of the main characters.
* DeathByLookingUp: [[spoiler: Miss Johnson correctly deduces that this was how the murderer killed Mrs. Leidner. Unfortunately the murderer was present when she told this to Poirot so she ends up being killed.]]

During a visit to an archaelogy dig in the Middle East, Poirot is faced with investigating the murder of Louise Leidner, the wife of famous archaelogist Dr. Eric Leidner. Before her death she had had visions of a face in her bedroom window at night, and had received a death threat, similar to the ones she had been receiving until her marriage to Dr. Leidner, all of them allegedly sent by her former husband, a spy, who died some 15 years ago in a train accident. To matters more complicated, Mrs. Leidner had locked her bedroom door that day so nobody got in or out. Poirot soom suspects that someone at the dig knows of Mrs. Leidner's past marriage and is possibly related to her late husband...

Other characters include fellow archaelogists Richard Carey, who hated Mrs. Leidner, Miss Anne Johnson, devoted friend of Dr. Leidner, David Hemmot, a young professional, and Joseph Mercado, a nervous and timid man. Besides these, there's Mrs. Mercado, who also disliked Louise Leidner, nurse Amy Leatheran, who came to treat the victim of her increasing nerves and panic attacks, Bill Coleman, an expert on ancient objects, Carl Reiter, the dig's photographer, Father Lavigny, an expert of old languages, and Dr. Reilly and his daughter Sheilla, two local residents.