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Africa's Top Ten Crime Novels list by Michael Stanley


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Hello All,

First off, I have no idea who Michael Stanley is. But, I figure any list of books concerning Africa or written by authors from Africa is interesting to know. I have some questions about a few selections on the list, like Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. But, take a look and let me know what you think. Top Ten African Crime Novels

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Christie says the action in Death on the Nile takes place on the African continent, but other than a brief visit the all-white cast makes to an Egyptian temple, there really is nothing African at all in the story. It's about Americans and Europeans shut up in boat. Place matters so little that she could have had them sail up the Hudson and stop to visit the Temple of Dendur at the Met without any meaningful difference.

dendur2.jpg

Except that the Temple of Dendur was still actually on the Nile when Christie wrote the story, of course.

Temple_of_dendur_drawing_by_henry_salt.jpg

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Interesting (to me) facts about Dendur Temple:



  • built by the Roman emperor Augustus but dedicated to the local Nubian gods
  • later used later as a Coptic (Christian) church
  • Nile fish used to swim where NY museumgoers now walk: the temple was completely submerged at times after the first Aswan dam was built
  • given to the U.S. by the government of Egypt
  • the Smithsonian lost out to the Met in a bid to re-construct it on the bank of the Potomac (that would have been cool!)

metropolitan_NY%20807.jpg

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