Which Agatha Christie novel is set chiefly at Petra in Jordan?

Which Agatha Christie novel is set chiefly at Petra in Jordan? The answer is Appointment with Death.

Published in 1938, this Hercule Poirot mystery begins in Jerusalem before moving to Petra, the ancient Nabataean city in present-day Jordan. The Boynton family’s holiday becomes a murder investigation when their tyrannical matriarch, Mrs Boynton, is found dead near the archaeological site.

Christie drew on her familiarity with the Middle East. She travelled there with her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, and the region appears in several of her works. Petra is not merely a backdrop here: its dramatic landscape and isolated setting help create the novel’s atmosphere of danger and secrecy.

A common mix-up comes from adaptations. The 1988 film changes the murder location from Petra to Qumran, while the novel itself clearly places the central crime at Petra.