William Carmichael

In the novel Death on the Nile, William Carmichael is the uncle of James Fanthorp. He was one of Linnet Ridgeway's English solicitors. He is a senior partner in the firm Carmichael, Grant & Carmichael.

At the beginning of the novel Carmichael receives a letter from Linnet, telling him of how she had run into Andrew Pennington in Egypt, while on her honeymoon. In the letter, Linnet mentions that Pennington had no idea that she was in Egypt or that she was married, and that he is going up the Nile on the same trip as her and her husband. Carmichael does not think this is a coincidence.

Carmichael had been suspicious of Pennington, as "certain plausible explanations of the disposal of funds" aroused his distrust. When he heard that Linnet had unexpectedly run across Pennington, his suspicions became acute. He felt sure that Pennington was going to try to obtain signatures from Linnet which would "cover his own defalcations". However, he had no evidence of any kind. The only thing he could think of was to send his nephew, James Fanthorp, to Egypt, with instructions to "discover what was in the wind", keep his eyes open, and "act summarily if necessary".