Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "sophie-hannah"

The Mystery Of Three Quarters: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery by Sophie Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another ingenious mystery for Hercule Poirot to solve in Sophie Hannah's third novel featuring Agatha Christie's famous detective.

Returning home after an enjoyable lunch, Poirot is accosted in the street by a woman who claims to have received a letter from him accusing her of murder. Poirot assures her he has written no such letter, but she does not listen. Puzzled and aggrieved, Poirot soon receives a second visitor who makes the same claim. It soon transpires that four such letters have been sent, all accusing the recipients of murder, all claiming to have been sent by Hercule Poirot.

So begins another complex puzzle for Poirot to solve, along with the assistance of his friend Inspector Catchpool of Scotland Yard. The man whom the letters claim was murdered is believed to have died as the result of an accident, but is this true, or has someone got away with murder? Who is the mysterious letter writer and for what purpose were the letters written?

Masterfully plotted, 'The Mystery of Three Quarters' moves at a lightning-speed, unspooling twists and turns, leading to a conclusion in Poirot's own inimitable style - the gathering of the players and the final revelation of the guilty party.

Hannah has again perfectly captured the character of Poirot and the style and pitch of the series, so beautifully crafted by Christie herself across the numerous novels, short stories and play in which Poirot appears.

The Poirot stories, both in print and the television series starring David Suchet, were my introduction to adult crime fiction almost two decades ago. I was delighted when, four years ago, I was able to experience a brand new Poirot novel in 'The Monogram Murders', followed by 'Closed Casket' two years later. This equally brilliant third novel is a fantastic addition to Hannah's series and to the Poirot canon as a whole. I very much hope there will be a fourth.



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The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An absolute joy, full of intriguing mystery, with Poirot as brilliant as ever!




Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another delightful new case for Hercule Poirot from Sophie Hannah.

I had been anticipating reading this for months after enjoying 'The Monogram Murders' two years ago, and this certainly did not disappoint. This is a classic mystery with the interactions of the characters and the chain of events taking the story on many twists and turns, skilfully tied together by Poirot in the final chapters.

A fantastic read.



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The Understudy by Sophie Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Four authors. Four mothers. Four daughters – and a fifth girl around whom the mystery knits together. ‘The Understudy’, a serial from Serial Box, written by Sophie Hannah, B.A. Paris, Clare Mackintosh and Holly Brown, is an intriguing mystery, a gripping thriller and an insight into the complexities of human relationships.

Thank you to Serial Box for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy, which I devoured across the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Jess, Ruby, Bel and Sadie are pupils at the Orla Flynn Academy, studying musical theatre, who form an apparently close-knit friendship group. Their mothers, Carolyn, Kendall, Bronnie and Elise, also became friends, until an incident of bullying the previous year shattered this illusion. This year’s troubles begin with the discovery of a music box in Jess’ locker, featuring a bloody and broken ballerina, which can only be interpreted as a threat.

In an effort to prevent trouble before it escalates, the academy’s headmaster suggests a new girl is introduced to the group – Imogen, strange and at times almost otherworldly. The four girls make her feel welcome, but soon it is clear that this has simply put a new strain on them and cracks begin to appear. Told from the perspectives of the four mothers, the tension, the paranoia and the incidents escalate. The women know their daughters are in danger – but which of the girls is responsible and where will it end?

Formed of ten parts, with writing duties for each of the four mothers split between the four authors, I couldn’t wait to move on to the next episode as I finished the last, as bingeworthy as a TV serial. Serial Box presents fiction in eBook and audio formats, split into episodes that you can enjoy in the same way as novels serialised as radio plays or in magazines, with the ability to binge as you would series via streaming services.

Secrets are revealed, lies are uncovered, and the lives of both mothers and daughters are exposed to scrutiny and judgement. I particularly enjoyed the way the story was told from differing perspectives, whilst still driving the plot forward. Prior to this, I have only read work by Sophie Hannah, so will definitely also be looking to read the other three authors in the future.

Light, refreshing and fast-paced, ‘The Understudy’ makes a perfect summer read.

The Understudy will be available from SerialBox.com in May 2019 - The Understudy

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The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot returns to unravel another complex mystery in the fourth novel in Sophie Hannah’s continuation series.

Poirot has received a request to investigate a murder for which someone has already been convicted. Not only that, he has been asked to do this without anyone knowing that he is doing so. Along with his friend, Inspector Catchpool of Scotland Yard, Poirot is preparing to travel via luxury coach to the Kingfisher Hill estate, where the murder took place.

But before they even embark on their journey, Catchpool and Poirot encounter a woman behaving strangely, who declares that, if she takes this journey, she will be murdered. Stranger still, whilst travelling, Poirot is told a confession to an unknown murder by a stranger. Before they arrive at the Devonport family home, Poirot is deeply intrigued to find he already has three mysteries to solve.

Whilst concealing their true motives for being there, Poirot and Catchpool endeavour to begin their investigation. But the mystery is to become more complex still – only Poirot’s deductive genius can unravel the tangled web and find the truth behind the killings at Kingfisher Hill.

Sophie Hannah’s previous three novels featuring Poirot were superb, and this is yet another fantastic story. Engrossing, thrilling and well-written, it is driven equally by the increasing complexity of the mystery and the well-developed characters – the Devonport family is both entitled and troubled, some of them at times obnoxious and deeply frustrating for the detectives. Alongside Catchpool, we witness Poirot work, applying order and method to decipher the clues. As all the best mysteries are, this is an emotional and intellectual journey, with moments of perplexity, humour and danger along the way.

It would not be a Poirot novel without the final ‘drawing room revelation’ as Poirot gathers all the players together and reveals the truth behind the case. These are my favourite moments – Poirot always displaying his passion, morality, sheer brilliance and ingenuity with theatrical flair.

Once again, I loved this novel and long may these new cases continue. Sophie Hannah has already announced she is working on a fifth in the series, which I eagerly await. When I first encountered Poirot many years ago, I never imagined I would experience the joy of a brand new novel in the series. To have experienced this four times is truly a gift.

Full of devious twists and intriguing turns, ‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ is a perfectly plotted puzzle to stimulate and entertain the little grey cells. I cannot recommend this series enough.



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Afraid of The Christmas Lights by Miranda Jewess

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A charity anthology of festive short stories from a variety of crime writers.

'Afraid of the Christmas Lights' is the second collection in 'Afraid of the Light', a series of charity anthologies that began in the lockdown of the 2020 pandemic. This seasonal selection from later the same year, edited by Victoria Selman and Miranda Jewess, with a foreword by Val McDermid, features eighteen stories; Mark Billingham opens the collection with DI Tom Thorne investigating the murder of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, the list of contributors also including Sophie Hannah and Harriet Tyce as special guests for this second volume.

My personal favourites were:
"Bad Guy" by Kate Simants, for its keen characterisation and devastating twist;
"Heavenly Peace" by Heather Critchlow, for its psychological and gothic undertones;
"The Switch" by James Delargy, for its moral dilemma and emotional turmoil;
"Driving Home for Christmas" by Rachael Blok, for its twisty thriller plot;
"Bloody Christmas" by Harriet Tyce, a seasonal splash of the author’s domestic/legal blend.

Overall, 'Afraid of the Christmas Lights' is an enjoyable compendium of festive morsels to partake of during Advent evenings; entertaining slices of murder and malice with plenty of splashes of blood and dashes of snowfall. As Val McDermid notes, perfectly capturing the essence of everything this book was about, “the comfort of reading is constant. It’s a salve for isolation and a haven when we need to escape into someone else’s imagination.”

Crucially, all profits from sales of this second volume go towards supporting two charities - East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services; and Rights of Women. Both organisations do incredible work to support people suffering domestic violence, which alarmingly became a shadow pandemic at the time when we all remained in our homes to fight the COVID pandemic, victims stranded with their abusers and little avenue for escape. Even as the world returned to normality, the work of both these charities remains vitally important and a truly worthy cause for a seasonal anthology of crime fiction.



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Hercule Poirot's Silent Night by Sophie Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A Yuletide mystery for Agatha Christie's most famous detective.

A bizarre request from an unexpected visitor finds Poirot and Catchpool journeying to stay at Frellingsloe House with the Laurier family in the days leading up to Christmas.

Poirot seems particularly intrigued by the case of the murder victim – a man who appeared to be truly happy and one whom no one would appear to want dead. Meanwhile, all the Laurier family wish is for the case to be solved to prevent a dying man from attempting to track the killer.

Having no desire to spend Christmas away from home, Poirot and Catchpool have only a few days to identify a murderer, but it may already be too late to prevent a chain of events that will result in further deaths.

'Hercule Poirot's Silent Night' is the fifth of Sophie Hannah's Poirot novels, continuing the series by Agatha Christie. Set in 1931, it takes place during Poirot's time as a consulting detective based in London between the world wars. Assisting Poirot is Scotland Yard Inspector Edward Catchpool, who has co-starred in each of Hannah's Poirot novels so far. Once again narrated by Catchpool, we are drawn into a twisty mystery with a dark philosophical edge and psychological depth.

With the primary setting of an isolated house, one in a state of dilapidation and impending destruction in a rather gothic approach to the classic mystery setting of the English country mansion, we are presented with the classic limited and specific list of suspects of Golden Age crime fiction. The residents of Frellingsloe House are a bizarre crowd; on the surface their behaviour appearing somewhat erratic and unexpected, while beneath the skin their relationships are fraught with emotional tension and unease. Amongst them is Catchpool’s mother, further complicating matters with emotional turmoil for our narrator and a deeper insight into his character and history.

Christie was always exceptional at writing the darkness simmering beneath the surface; Hannah emulates this effectively, bringing that darkness closer to the surface – much like some of the more recent screen adaptations have – akin to the tone of Christie’s later Poirot novels. The identity of the perpetrator reveals itself slowly and carefully, the explanation steadily rising to the surface and culminating in a stark and emotional revelation, steered by Poirot’s usual theatrical presentation of the investigation, the evidence and the solution. Once again, Sophie Hannah delivers a gripping and entertaining novel, demonstrating the sheer brilliance of the detective we know and love.

Poirot will always hold a special place in my heart – on both page and screen, he and Christie’s wider work were my true discovery of crime and detective fiction. These five new mysteries have been a gift, and I hope for more to come.



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