📖 Publication Day! Following Agatha's Footsteps Along the Nile

A huge thank you to everyone who has been sharing publication day with me by pre-ordering The Nile Cruise. It’s such a delight to hear that it’s arrived on your e-reader or popped through your letterbox today.

The run-up to publication has been busy. One of the highlights was a lovely event at The Berwyn Bookshop with fellow author Katy Watson, who is also celebrating the launch of her new book, Death on a Lively Sea this week. It was such a pleasure to meet readers, sign books and chat about all things writing.

My short story A Fitting Tribute was published in My Weekly this week. The story has an Egyptian theme and, reading it again in the magazine, I was transported back to Luxor while researching The Nile Cruise. It is set in the famous Gaddis book and gift shop that nestles alongside The Winter Palace hotel, a place that made a lasting impression on me during my travels.

Congratulations also to Helen Cooper, whose name was drawn to receive my publication day gift box of Lily O’Brien’s chocolates. I hope they bring a little extra sweetness to your reading.

As The Nile Cruise reaches the shelves, keep an eye out for the special edition Fern Picks copies in Tesco. You’ll also find the book in Sainsbury’s, and in bookshops everywhere. The Nile Cruise.

Looking back, one of the greatest pleasures of writing this novel was the research trip itself. Hattie, the main character, my hotelier-turned-amateur sleuth, is a devoted reader whose literary heroine is Agatha Christie. In the story, she travels the Nile to follow in Agatha’s footsteps, and I was lucky enough to do the same.

One unforgettable moment came when our boat paused alongside the Old Sudan, the historic steamer on which Agatha Christie once sailed. It felt like stepping into literary history.

Another magical experience was taking afternoon tea at the legendary Old Cataract Hotel before being so fortunate to have a peek at the room where Agatha stayed while writing Death on the Nile. The hotel is now a luxurious five-star retreat, and the room will certainly not have been so luxurious in Agatha’s day, but when I stepped onto the elegant wrought-iron balcony overlooking the Nile, I couldn’t help imagining Agatha sitting in a rattan chair with her typewriter, the river stretching out before her as she tapped away at the keys. That timeless view has scarcely changed, and for a moment it felt as though the past was wonderfully close.

I’ve been lucky enough to receive some delightful publication gifts over the past few weeks, but this one may just be my favourite. You simply can’t beat a kitsch candlestick—every home should have one! My heartfelt thanks to Barry and Pamela Holmes for such a thoughtful and memorable surprise.

The Nile cruise was a truly magical journey for me. From the timeless beauty of the river at sunrise and sunset to the awe-inspiring temples and ancient tombs that whisper stories from thousands of years ago, every day brought another unforgettable moment. Walking in the footsteps of history, and of Agatha Christie, was an experience I’ll always treasure.

I hope that, as you travel alongside Hattie through the pages of The Nile Cruise, you’ll feel as though you’re visiting these remarkable places too. It was a pleasure to weave my own memories of Egypt into the story, and I hope you enjoy discovering the landscapes, history and atmosphere that inspired the book every bit as much as I enjoyed writing it.

So, from me, and from Hattie, Alf, Drake and all the gang aboard the SS Nefertari, we wish you many happy hours of reading. I hope you’ll lose yourself in the mystery, fall in love with the magic of the Nile, and enjoy every twist, turn and adventure along the way.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for helping to make publication day so very special.

Happy reading - with love

Caroline

xx