Death on the Nile by Rubab Tariq

Who is Colonel Race, why is he on the boat beginning at Abu Simbel, and what is his relationship to Hercule Poirot like? 

Colonel Race had been seen by Hercule Poirot in London a year before. They had been guests at a weird dinner party, one that had ended in death for the eccentric man who had hosted it. Race was a man of unannounced comings and goings, as Poirot knew. He was frequently seen in one of the Empire’s outposts where danger was brewing.Colonel race was seeking murder among the pessanger on the board, he was looking for the man who has committed five or six cold-blooded murders. He’s one of the most astute hired agitators in history and it was reported that the person was on this board.