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A character in Death on the Nile

Colonel Race

Poirot's old friend, on the Karnak to catch a political agitator travelling under another name, who ends up questioning a boatload of suspects instead.

What they want

His agitator, and afterwards a straight answer from his friend.

The book

Death on the NileAgatha Christie, 1937

An heiress, her new husband and the friend she took him from, on a Nile steamer with nowhere to go but the next temple.

View the book

At a glance

In the book
British officer in government service; Poirot's friend
Where he appears
From the Karnak's departure to the last page

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Race is a soldier in government service, tall, grey, quiet and impossible to rattle. He boards the Karnak on his own business, which is a man who has been stirring up trouble across the Middle East and is aboard under a false name. When Linnet is killed, the captain hands the boat to him, and he hands the thinking to Poirot.

He is the book's second listener, the role Bouc plays on the Orient Express, but sharper. He asks the questions Poirot does not, and the last question in the book is his.

How Colonel Race Is Portrayed

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • The quarryA political agitator with several names, believed to be on the boat; Race finds him among the passengers.
  • The authorityThe captain gives him charge of the inquiry, and the passengers accept it.
  • The mannerBronzed, grey-haired, and unhurried; he gives orders without raising his voice.
  • The searchHe organises the search of the cabins that turns up the stole and the pistol.
  • The lawyerHe works out why Fanthorp is on board before Fanthorp admits it.
  • The questionOn the landing stage he asks Poirot if he knew about the second pistol.
Their ending, and the commentary — spoilers aheadHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

Race's agitator turns out to be Signor Richetti, the archaeologist. Race arrests him and then watches Poirot let Jacqueline finish the story her own way.

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