British literature summaries - 2020
Short summary - Death Comes as the End
Agatha Christie
2000 BC e. Ancient Egyptian Thebes. The daughter of Imhotep Renisenb after the death of her beloved husband returns with her little daughter to her father's house. Imhotep is away at this time. In his absence, everything in the house is controlled by the eldest son of Imhotep Yakhmos. Yakhmos’s wife, Satipi, a beautiful, stately woman, pushes her husband and believes that he, as the eldest in the family, should be his father’s right hand, and his father treats him like an irresponsible boy. Everyone in the house is afraid of her evil tongue. Satipi quarrels with Kite, the wife of Sebek, the middle son of Imhotep. Satipi believes that she, as the eldest daughter-in-law, should get all the best in the house. A cheerful and cheerful Sebek complains to Kite that his father does not trust him and does not listen to his offers on housekeeping. He is ready to leave home, but usually the obedient Kite insists that Sebek stay, otherwise he will be deprived of the inheritance. Ipi’s younger brother is also offended - he is considered a child and does not trust him. He considers himself smarter than older brothers and is trying to win over his grandmother Izu, mother of Imhotep. Grandmother advises Yakhmos not to let his wife take over.
Imhotep returns home. Unexpectedly for everyone, after many years of widowhood, he brings the concubine Nofret to the house. Iza is wary of the appearance of a young beauty in the house, because Nofret intervenes in the established order, and Imhotep supports her. He even threatens Kite to drive her and her husband out of the house for disobeying the concubine. Iza advises his son to take his wife with him on trips. Imhotep is unhappy with the way his sons did business in his absence. Satipi again reprimands her husband that he should have persuaded his father to make him his co-owner.
The son of his cousin, the scribe Kameni, comes to Imhotep. He found a fake in the accounts, and now Imhotep must urgently leave. He leaves Yakhmos senior in the house and promises to make him his co-owner upon return. Iza advises Nofret to go with Imhotep, as they hate her in the house, but the concubine refuses. Imhotep asks Kameni to help Nofret - Kameni is a good friend of her father.
Renisenb, daughter of Imhotep, complains to Hori, the managing director of his father. It seems to her that evil has settled in the house, and Nofret brought it. Satipi and Kite had quarreled before, but their quarrels were not so evil. Now her daughter-in-law is fighting, Yakhmos looks tired, because Satipi scolds him all the time, Sebek meets with other women. He incites everyone to quarrels Nofret, and helps her Henet, the girlfriend of the late wife Imhotep, who monitors everyone in the house, overhears and informs.
Suddenly, Renisenb is imbued with pity for Nofret. She is completely alone in a strange house, the concubine of the old man, and none of them has done anything for this girl. She decides to make friends with Nofret, but receives an angry rebuff. Then Nofret quarrels with Kite and asks Kameni to write a letter of complaint to Imhotep.
A hidden war begins between Nofret and family members. They try to spoil Nofret's clothes and food. Iza warns women that power is still on the side of Nofret, and urges them to end the war.
Suddenly a letter comes from Imhotep, in which he calls Nofret his wife and sovereign mistress in the house. He does not take Ahmos and Sebek into co-owners. Satipi insults Yakhmos by saying that he is not a man and calls for the death of Nofret. Renisenb warns the concubine about the danger, but she laughs and says that she is not afraid of threats.
One evening, Renisenb decides to take a walk. On a path that rises to the tomb, she meets a frightened Satipi. Women see the dead Nofret lying not far from the tomb. They decide that Nofret walked along the path and fell off.
After Nofret's death, everything changed. Satipi begins to behave strangely: she no longer reproaches her husband and submits to him in everything. Kite begins to teach everyone, and Yakhmos controls everything and demands that he be obeyed.
In conversation with Hori, Renisenb regrets Nofret. Hori suggests that Nofret could have been killed, and his suspicions fall on the rude and unrestrained Sebek.
Ahmosa worries about Satipi. After the death of Nofret, she looks bad and eats almost nothing, screaming in a dream. Now all the best in the house was taken to herself by Kite. After listening to his brother, Renisenb decides to have a heart-to-heart talk with his daughter-in-law, but she denies everything and throws a tantrum. Renisenb consults with his grandmother, but Iza believes that Yakhmos finally fucked up his wife and she became submissive. Isa hints that Nofret hated Renisenb because of Kameni, who was not indifferent to her.
Perplexed Renisenb consults with Hori. Nofret and Kameni were from one place. Maybe they knew each other before? Suddenly they see Satipi coming down the path, and Yakhmos following her. Having reached the place where Nofret died, Satipi falls and breaks up, pronouncing the name of the concubine.
Now the suspicions of Renisenb and Hori fall on Satipi, because she changed dramatically after the death of the concubine.
Maid Henet informs Ize that a jewelry box was found in Nofret's chambers. Isa does not attach any importance to this - the embalmers simply forgot to put the box in the tomb. But Henet says that the casket was not there before.
Imhotep makes co-owners of all three of his sons. Ahmos and Sebek want to drink for success, Sebek's wine is poisoned, and he dies. Ahmos, who drank less wine, remains alive. One of the servant boys says that he saw a woman in a Nofret clothes and jewelry near a jug of wine.
In the morning it becomes known about the death of the boy - he drank some drink and did not wake up.
While Imhotep appeals to the dead for protection, since he believes that this is Nofret's revenge, Isa thinks about the living. She calls in to her younger grandson Ipi and asks why he has such joy on his face, while his brother is embalmed. Or offended by the fact that he is not trusted to manage the household. He tells his grandmother that Sebek was opposed to Ipi becoming a co-owner of his father. Iza says that she was against it, and warns Ipi to be careful.
Iza decides to talk to Hori and Renisenb. She does not believe that dead Nofret kills people. Iza believes that the killer is among them.
Frightened Renisenb is talking to Eli. The younger brother rejoices that Sebek is dead, and Yakhmos is unlikely to recover, and soon he will be the master of the house.
Kameni confesses to Renisenb in love, but she refuses him.
Ipi is found dead near a pond. Someone kept him in the water until he choked. Isa tries to explain to Imhotep that this is not Nofret's revenge.
Imhotep agrees to marry his daughter to Kameni, but for Yakhmos the main thing is that the sister be happy and he will support her. Renisenb is ready to give in to her father. Kameni confesses to her that Nofret was in love with him, but she was indifferent to him.
Iza collects all the household. She believes that Henet knows something, but she denies everything with fear. Iza is closely watching everyone present, guessing who the killer is. Now she realizes that they can kill her, and her slave checks her food, but they pour the poison into the balm with which she rubs the body.
After the death of his mother, Imhotep draws attention to Henet, who always pleased him, and she declares herself the mistress. But she is immediately found dead in the pantry - someone strangled Heneth with a canvas.
Near the tomb, Renisenb reflects on what happened and his marriage to Kameni when Yakhmos approaches her. Renisenb does not recognize his gentle kind brother. Ahmose reaches out to strangle her, but Hori kills him with an arrow.
Yakhmos tried to please his father, but Imhotep was about a son of low opinion, and Sapiti always kept her husband awake. Unable to bear the taunts of Nofret, Yahmos threw the concubine from the cliff. Satipi saw this and got scared of her husband. She began to talk in a dream, and Yahmos, sensing danger, killed her. Having drunk enough wine so as not to die, Yahmos poisoned Sebek, then killed Ipi. Other deaths followed. Hori guessed who the killer was and came to save Renisenb, because if she gets married, Ahmos will have to share the management of the possessions with her husband. Hori confesses to Renisenb love and asks to choose him or Kameni. Renisenb chooses Hori. They will be together until death do them part.