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New Hercule Poirot Mysteries #5
Hercule Poirot's stille nacht
19 december 1931. Hercule Poirot en inspecteur Edward Catchpool moeten de moord op een man in een ziekenhuis in Norfolk onderzoeken. Catchpools moeder Cynthia staat erop dat Poirot bij hen verblijft zodat ze de feestdagen samen door kunnen brengen terwijl hij de zaak oplost. Cynthia's kennis Arnold staat op het punt opgenomen te worden in het ziekenhuis en zijn vrouw is ervan overtuigd dat haar man het volgende slachtoffer wordt. Poirot heeft minder dan een week om zaak op te lossen als hij thuis kerst wil vieren. Ondertussen is er iemand die heel andere plannen heeft met Poirot.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2023
1235 people are currently reading
15878 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Hannah
106 books4,505 followersSophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling writer of psychological crime fiction, published in 27 countries. In 2013, her latest novel, The Carrier, won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards. Two of Sophie’s crime novels, The Point of Rescue and The Other Half Lives, have been adapted for television and appeared on ITV1 under the series title Case Sensitive in 2011 and 2012. In 2004, Sophie won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her suspense story The Octopus Nest, which is now published in her first collection of short stories, The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets.
Sophie has also published five collections of poetry. Her fifth, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the 2007 T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the UK. From 1997 to 1999 she was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and between 1999 and 2001 she was a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. She is forty-one and lives with her husband and children in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College. She is currently working on a new challenge for the little grey cells of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective.
Sophie has also published five collections of poetry. Her fifth, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the 2007 T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the UK. From 1997 to 1999 she was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and between 1999 and 2001 she was a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. She is forty-one and lives with her husband and children in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College. She is currently working on a new challenge for the little grey cells of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,367 reviews
January 26, 2025
As indicative of the times as they are, I have fond memories of Poirot and Miss Marple. When I first learned about the continuation of this series, I wondered how it continued? Have we not all read CURTAIN?
So I didn't walk in with high hopes, and here we are. Maybe I should've started with the first in the series. As evidenced by my other reviews, I obviously wasn't paying attention. Who is Catchpool? Where is Hastings? As dumb as he was, I miss his antics.
That's not to say that Catchpool also isn't dumb. He is. His mother is flighty and annoying. Calling your family home Frelly is so cringe. All of these people are so cringe. By the end of it, I didn't even care who the murderer was. The reveal wasn't exciting. In fact, it didn't even make that much sense.
I will not be continuing this series, but you do you.
📖 Thank you to Goodreads and William Morrow
So I didn't walk in with high hopes, and here we are. Maybe I should've started with the first in the series. As evidenced by my other reviews, I obviously wasn't paying attention. Who is Catchpool? Where is Hastings? As dumb as he was, I miss his antics.
That's not to say that Catchpool also isn't dumb. He is. His mother is flighty and annoying. Calling your family home Frelly is so cringe. All of these people are so cringe. By the end of it, I didn't even care who the murderer was. The reveal wasn't exciting. In fact, it didn't even make that much sense.
I will not be continuing this series, but you do you.
📖 Thank you to Goodreads and William Morrow
October 24, 2023
CAN HERCULE POIROT SOLVE A BAFFLING MURDER MYSTERY IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS?
This is book #5 in the new Hercule Poirot mystery series, authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie and penned by New York Times bestselling author, Sophie Hannah, but it is the first of the series that I have read, and it works just fine as a stand-alone.
It’s 19 December 1931.
Hercule Poirot is once again teaming up with Inspector Edward Catchpool from Scotland Yard-a character that Sophie Hannah created and introduced to the World in “The Monogram Murders”-the first in this series.
Although Edward’s mother, Cynthia is usually busy trying to marry him off, this time she appears at Poirot’s home-uninvited- to summon Poirot to a mansion which could literally crumble into the sea, at any given moment.
She needs Edward, and Poirot to accompany her to Norfolk, to solve the case of a man who was murdered in what was supposed to be the safe haven of Ward 6 at St. Walstan’s hospital.
Cynthia is invested in the case because her friend’s husband Arnold Laurier is soon to be admitted to that same hospital, and his wife, Vivienne is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to offer an explanation of WHY.
But, Arnold who is an AVID fan of Poirot’s thinks the idea is ludicrous, and he would like to prove that, by helping Poirot to solve the case-from the inside.
Always up for a challenge, Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime if he wants to be home for Christmas-which he most definitely does. Their accommodations leave much to be desired-as the food served at Frellingsloe House is inedible and it’s hard to sleep when you fear you might fall into the sea.
Catchpool will keep a log of the findings which may, or may not, help you to follow the clues.🕵🏼♂️
I am not an expert on Agatha Christie (or Hercule Poirot) but from the few that I have read, I feel that Sophie Hannah seems to have captured the spirit of Christie’s Poirot.
Per usual, the Belgian private detective (greatest in all the world if he does say so himself) will gather all the suspects together in one room to reveal the conclusion that his little grey cells have come up with.
Will you guess correctly?
A buddy read with DeAnn. Be sure to watch for her amazing review for additional thoughts!
Available Now!!
Thank You to William Morrow and the Scene of the Crime Early Read program for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review.
This is book #5 in the new Hercule Poirot mystery series, authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie and penned by New York Times bestselling author, Sophie Hannah, but it is the first of the series that I have read, and it works just fine as a stand-alone.
It’s 19 December 1931.
Hercule Poirot is once again teaming up with Inspector Edward Catchpool from Scotland Yard-a character that Sophie Hannah created and introduced to the World in “The Monogram Murders”-the first in this series.
Although Edward’s mother, Cynthia is usually busy trying to marry him off, this time she appears at Poirot’s home-uninvited- to summon Poirot to a mansion which could literally crumble into the sea, at any given moment.
She needs Edward, and Poirot to accompany her to Norfolk, to solve the case of a man who was murdered in what was supposed to be the safe haven of Ward 6 at St. Walstan’s hospital.
Cynthia is invested in the case because her friend’s husband Arnold Laurier is soon to be admitted to that same hospital, and his wife, Vivienne is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to offer an explanation of WHY.
But, Arnold who is an AVID fan of Poirot’s thinks the idea is ludicrous, and he would like to prove that, by helping Poirot to solve the case-from the inside.
Always up for a challenge, Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime if he wants to be home for Christmas-which he most definitely does. Their accommodations leave much to be desired-as the food served at Frellingsloe House is inedible and it’s hard to sleep when you fear you might fall into the sea.
Catchpool will keep a log of the findings which may, or may not, help you to follow the clues.🕵🏼♂️
I am not an expert on Agatha Christie (or Hercule Poirot) but from the few that I have read, I feel that Sophie Hannah seems to have captured the spirit of Christie’s Poirot.
Per usual, the Belgian private detective (greatest in all the world if he does say so himself) will gather all the suspects together in one room to reveal the conclusion that his little grey cells have come up with.
Will you guess correctly?
A buddy read with DeAnn. Be sure to watch for her amazing review for additional thoughts!
Available Now!!
Thank You to William Morrow and the Scene of the Crime Early Read program for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review.
October 1, 2023
EXCERPT: 'Please, madame, explain what you mean. Also: you will desist from telling me what I will and will not do, or I shall disembark at the next station and make my way home.'
'Goodness me, you men.' Mother shook her head. 'You carry on as if I am trying to keep you in the dark, Monsieur Poirot, when my only wish is to tell you all about it. The original treat, as you call it - the one Arnold is looking forward to with the eager anticipation of a schoolboy for a snowball fight - is the solving of Stanley Niven's murder. Solving it himself, I mean. That is what he proposes to do, as soon as he is admitted to St Walstan's in the new year.' The train juddered, apparently as shocked as I was by this latest twist in the story. I had assumed that Arnold Laurier was in a weak and feeble condition, as the imminently dying tend to be.
'The poor, foolish man wants to be the one to catch the killer,' said Mother. 'He will soon be "at the scene" as he keeps saying with great relish, and perfectly situated to do some sleuthing. You are his inspiration, Monsieur Poirot. He claims to be well versed in your methods and keeps telling everyone that he knows he can do it - he, Arnold Laurier, will succeed where Inspector Mackle and his men have failed. If the police haven't caught the culprit after three months of trying, then they probably never will - that is Arnold's contention. He has been your most devoted fan for nearly ten years, ever since he heard from me all about your and Edward's first case and how expertly you solved it. He is rather sweetly obsessed with you, I'm afraid. If there has ever been the tiniest mention of you in a newspaper, I promise you, Arnold has cut it out and glued it into his scrapbook. And since he is due to move to St Walstan's immediately after the Christmas holidays . . . well, his argument is that lying around in a hospital bed waiting to die is nowhere near as much fun as getting one's teeth into a nice, juicy murder case-'
ABOUT 'HERCULE POIROT'S SILENT NIGHT': It’s 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool’s mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.
Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else – someone utterly ruthless – also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot . . .
MY THOUGHTS: I have only previously read one of Sophie Hannah's Hercule Poirot series, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill, and I liked Silent Night even more. Hannah has captured the essence of Hercule Poirot perfectly and I felt as though what I was reading had been penned by Agatha Christie herself.
The characters are captivating and eccentric, though many are barely likeable; the mystery intriguing. It had my little grey cells exercising fruitlessly! At first Poirot is confident that he will have the murder solved in only a day or two, but he fails to foresee that his own life may be put in danger as he makes his inquiries. His progress is also impeded by the obstinacy and ineptitude of the local police inspector, Mackle.
Catchpool, as always, is well behind Poirot in forming theories and is often quite perplexed by Poirot's ability to see what he has missed. Poirot also often gives Catchpool tasks to perform but refuses to explain the reasoning behind them, another thing that irritates him no end. But they are friends above all and tend to iron out their differences of opinion by agreeing to disagree although, as Poirot is fond of saying, he (Poirot) is less wrong than Catchpool!
All the stars for this rather wonderful and challenging murder-mystery set at Christmas.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#HerculePoirotsSilentNight #NetGalley
I: @sophiehannahwriter @harprcollinsaustralia
T: @sophiehannahCB1 @HarperCollinsAU
#christmasfiction #crime #detectivefiction #historicalfiction #murdermystery
THE AUTHOR: Sophie Hannah is forty-one and lives with her husband and children in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College. She is currently working on a new challenge for the little grey cells of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Hercule Poirot's Silent Night by Sophie Hannah for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
'Goodness me, you men.' Mother shook her head. 'You carry on as if I am trying to keep you in the dark, Monsieur Poirot, when my only wish is to tell you all about it. The original treat, as you call it - the one Arnold is looking forward to with the eager anticipation of a schoolboy for a snowball fight - is the solving of Stanley Niven's murder. Solving it himself, I mean. That is what he proposes to do, as soon as he is admitted to St Walstan's in the new year.' The train juddered, apparently as shocked as I was by this latest twist in the story. I had assumed that Arnold Laurier was in a weak and feeble condition, as the imminently dying tend to be.
'The poor, foolish man wants to be the one to catch the killer,' said Mother. 'He will soon be "at the scene" as he keeps saying with great relish, and perfectly situated to do some sleuthing. You are his inspiration, Monsieur Poirot. He claims to be well versed in your methods and keeps telling everyone that he knows he can do it - he, Arnold Laurier, will succeed where Inspector Mackle and his men have failed. If the police haven't caught the culprit after three months of trying, then they probably never will - that is Arnold's contention. He has been your most devoted fan for nearly ten years, ever since he heard from me all about your and Edward's first case and how expertly you solved it. He is rather sweetly obsessed with you, I'm afraid. If there has ever been the tiniest mention of you in a newspaper, I promise you, Arnold has cut it out and glued it into his scrapbook. And since he is due to move to St Walstan's immediately after the Christmas holidays . . . well, his argument is that lying around in a hospital bed waiting to die is nowhere near as much fun as getting one's teeth into a nice, juicy murder case-'
ABOUT 'HERCULE POIROT'S SILENT NIGHT': It’s 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool’s mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.
Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else – someone utterly ruthless – also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot . . .
MY THOUGHTS: I have only previously read one of Sophie Hannah's Hercule Poirot series, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill, and I liked Silent Night even more. Hannah has captured the essence of Hercule Poirot perfectly and I felt as though what I was reading had been penned by Agatha Christie herself.
The characters are captivating and eccentric, though many are barely likeable; the mystery intriguing. It had my little grey cells exercising fruitlessly! At first Poirot is confident that he will have the murder solved in only a day or two, but he fails to foresee that his own life may be put in danger as he makes his inquiries. His progress is also impeded by the obstinacy and ineptitude of the local police inspector, Mackle.
Catchpool, as always, is well behind Poirot in forming theories and is often quite perplexed by Poirot's ability to see what he has missed. Poirot also often gives Catchpool tasks to perform but refuses to explain the reasoning behind them, another thing that irritates him no end. But they are friends above all and tend to iron out their differences of opinion by agreeing to disagree although, as Poirot is fond of saying, he (Poirot) is less wrong than Catchpool!
All the stars for this rather wonderful and challenging murder-mystery set at Christmas.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#HerculePoirotsSilentNight #NetGalley
I: @sophiehannahwriter @harprcollinsaustralia
T: @sophiehannahCB1 @HarperCollinsAU
#christmasfiction #crime #detectivefiction #historicalfiction #murdermystery
THE AUTHOR: Sophie Hannah is forty-one and lives with her husband and children in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College. She is currently working on a new challenge for the little grey cells of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Hercule Poirot's Silent Night by Sophie Hannah for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
July 2, 2023
I was not aware of this series before so I am entering it at book 5. I guess it does not matter since I am sure each book contains its own separate crime. It seems Sophie Hannah has been granted permission to write a new series of Agatha Christie's famous books and I think she does it rather well.
Firstly, although I enjoy Christie's books I am not a rabid fan, so I do not feel offended that she is writing new stories about Poirot. Judging by the reviews many people do feel that way. I do wonder why she wanted to do it, but that is another topic altogether.
As far as this book is concerned I felt that Hercule's character and manner came across well. The setting and the characters could easily have been written by Christie herself. The mystery was very involved and became quite intriguing towards the end with the culprit coming as a definite surprise - at least it was to me! Hercule's final summing up was a bit long winded but then they usually are, especially if you are like me and cannot wait to find out 'who dunnit'.
Four stars from me for an enjoyable and entertaining read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Firstly, although I enjoy Christie's books I am not a rabid fan, so I do not feel offended that she is writing new stories about Poirot. Judging by the reviews many people do feel that way. I do wonder why she wanted to do it, but that is another topic altogether.
As far as this book is concerned I felt that Hercule's character and manner came across well. The setting and the characters could easily have been written by Christie herself. The mystery was very involved and became quite intriguing towards the end with the culprit coming as a definite surprise - at least it was to me! Hercule's final summing up was a bit long winded but then they usually are, especially if you are like me and cannot wait to find out 'who dunnit'.
Four stars from me for an enjoyable and entertaining read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
August 11, 2023
'Ruling out the obvious means you end up with a superior result'.
It's nearing Christmas and Catchpool is determined to spend a Christmas away from his domineering mother so happily makes plans with Poirot only to have his intention completely scuppered by that same, vainglorious woman. She needs their help to not only solve a recent murder but to prevent another. Poirot can't, of course, pass by an opportunity to use his 'little gray cells' - even with the spectre of possibly spending Christmas stuck in a crumbling, seaside mansion looms. Meeting the cast of characters, learning their individual nuances, and understanding their personal grudges, is all a part of the delight of an Agatha Christie mystery. You will never see the end coming, as 'the biggest liars of all: your thoughts and presumptions', but again I think readers of Agatha Christie want to be tantalised, not sleuths themselves.
Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot has many avid fans. Sophie Hannah has taken on a Herculean task in taking the legend of Poirot into the future. This is the fifth book she's produced in the series, and although I have not had the opportunity to read the others, I was very impressed with her representation of Poirot and all of his idiosyncrasies, and Edward Catchpool as the consummate sidekick. Any fan of Agatha's is sure to be a fan of Sophie Hannah's version too.
It's nearing Christmas and Catchpool is determined to spend a Christmas away from his domineering mother so happily makes plans with Poirot only to have his intention completely scuppered by that same, vainglorious woman. She needs their help to not only solve a recent murder but to prevent another. Poirot can't, of course, pass by an opportunity to use his 'little gray cells' - even with the spectre of possibly spending Christmas stuck in a crumbling, seaside mansion looms. Meeting the cast of characters, learning their individual nuances, and understanding their personal grudges, is all a part of the delight of an Agatha Christie mystery. You will never see the end coming, as 'the biggest liars of all: your thoughts and presumptions', but again I think readers of Agatha Christie want to be tantalised, not sleuths themselves.
Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot has many avid fans. Sophie Hannah has taken on a Herculean task in taking the legend of Poirot into the future. This is the fifth book she's produced in the series, and although I have not had the opportunity to read the others, I was very impressed with her representation of Poirot and all of his idiosyncrasies, and Edward Catchpool as the consummate sidekick. Any fan of Agatha's is sure to be a fan of Sophie Hannah's version too.
November 19, 2023
DNF at 50%, audio book version. I lost interest and became aggravated in the delivery of clues. The writing method delivers clues in conversation method. It is the classic case of "telling" rather than "showing." All plot progress was made in conversational format. It irked me. I know I am the outlier, and this will be an unpopular review. This novel has a lot of 5 star reviews, so I know it is probably me.
January 4, 2024
3.5
This is the fifth book in Sophie Hannah’s version of Hercule Poirot novels, authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie.
It is nearing Christmas. Poirot and his friend Inspector Catchpool of Scotland Yard are looking forward to a cozy and peaceful Christmas dinner in London but at the last moment are called to investigate a baffling and senseless murder in a hospital in Norfolk.
The victim, who was a patient at the hospital, was loved by everyone. There is no apparent motive for the murder and all his nearest and dearest have airtight alibis.
Can Poirot work his famous grey cells and solve the case and prevent a second murder?
If this book wasn’t based on Christie’s Poirot, it would have been a decent standalone, if one ignored the bizarre motive for the murders.
But since I am a fan of Christie’s, I tend to compare the style to the original. Albeit his peculiar mannerism, the Poirot of this series is the very mild version of the one I love. He sounds almost like an imposter who in order to convince us he is the famous Belgian detective, randomly uses phrases such as mon ami, eh bien, évidemment, etc.
In addition, there were too many repetitions and not enough clues. The twist was good, but the motive not convincing enough.
You ask me why do I read this new series if they’re not satisfactory? The answer is simple. Because I have read all the Christie books, some of them twice and I miss the excitement of reading a Christie for the first time, so I grab hold of anything remotely close to the original.
This is the fifth book in Sophie Hannah’s version of Hercule Poirot novels, authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie.
It is nearing Christmas. Poirot and his friend Inspector Catchpool of Scotland Yard are looking forward to a cozy and peaceful Christmas dinner in London but at the last moment are called to investigate a baffling and senseless murder in a hospital in Norfolk.
The victim, who was a patient at the hospital, was loved by everyone. There is no apparent motive for the murder and all his nearest and dearest have airtight alibis.
Can Poirot work his famous grey cells and solve the case and prevent a second murder?
If this book wasn’t based on Christie’s Poirot, it would have been a decent standalone, if one ignored the bizarre motive for the murders.
But since I am a fan of Christie’s, I tend to compare the style to the original. Albeit his peculiar mannerism, the Poirot of this series is the very mild version of the one I love. He sounds almost like an imposter who in order to convince us he is the famous Belgian detective, randomly uses phrases such as mon ami, eh bien, évidemment, etc.
In addition, there were too many repetitions and not enough clues. The twist was good, but the motive not convincing enough.
You ask me why do I read this new series if they’re not satisfactory? The answer is simple. Because I have read all the Christie books, some of them twice and I miss the excitement of reading a Christie for the first time, so I grab hold of anything remotely close to the original.
August 25, 2023
I know Christie purists complain but I love the way Hannah has taken Poirot and given him and his stories a distinctive twist of her own. Hannah's own fiction specialises in the 'impossible' crime and she's brought that edge to her re-vamped Poirot series. This one definitely has a more Christie feel in the setting and in the characterisation of Poirot himself (no more coach trips or moves into a draughty guest house as in the previous books!) but Catchpool is no Hastings and there's a Freudian nuance to the denouement as well as more emotion than Christie often allowed herself. Dark, witty and puzzling, this is the perfect mash-up of Christie and Hannah playing to both of their strengths.
Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC via NetGalley
Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC via NetGalley
January 1, 2025
3.5/5
Świetnie napisana - postać Poirota wypada znakomicie… jedyne do czego mogę się przyczepić to nieco rozwleczona fabuła. Przez to spędziłam z nią sporo czasu i ciężko było do niej wracać
Świetnie napisana - postać Poirota wypada znakomicie… jedyne do czego mogę się przyczepić to nieco rozwleczona fabuła. Przez to spędziłam z nią sporo czasu i ciężko było do niej wracać
October 1, 2023
Rating: 1.4/5
This marks Sophie Hannah's fifth outing as the writer the Hercule Poirot continuation series. I have read all five of the books and, unfortunately, I have to say that I have found them increasingly disappointing. This latest offering is the poorest of the bunch. It is tedious and does little to honour the memory of Poirot or his creator, Agatha Christie.
The story is told from the perspective of Inspector Edward Catchpool. Catchpool is the invention of Sophie Hannah and intended to play the role of sidekick that was mostly associated with Captain Arthur Hastings in Christie's Poirot mysteries. It has been reported that Sophie Hannah decided against using Hastings in her continuation books, because that persona represented the prose style of Agatha Christie and she (Hannah) did not believe that another author could, nor should, imitate the style of another writer. Personally, having seen how effectively Anthony Horowitz has been able to mimic and pay suitable tribute to other authors, I would dispute Sophie Hannah's assertion.
I am not convinced by Catchpool. He is supposedly a highly intelligent police inspector, though one who can still learn to hone his detective skills by working with Poirot. All too often he strikes me as not being as bright as he is supposed to be and comes across more like a bumbling Dr Watson to the great Sherlock Holmes.
"Hercule Poirot's Silent Night" really does take forever to get going. The setting should work, but it doesn't succeed in creating that delicious atmosphere that is associated with Dame Agatha's murder mysteries. The cast of characters is disappointingly drawn and Poirot's depiction is increasingly becoming something of a parody of the original Christie version. These traits were already becoming evident in Sophie Hannah's previous Poirot story, "The Killings at Kingfisher Hill", but that book was at least salvaged to a degree by an improvement in the final third of the novel. On this occasion the eventual "big reveal" is quite shoddy and lacking in credibility. I have persevered with this continuation series, but I strongly suspect that this fifth book from Sophie Hannah will mark a parting of the ways.
As ever, I would still like to convey my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review. It is a pity I was not in a position to pass more favourable comment on this occasion.
This marks Sophie Hannah's fifth outing as the writer the Hercule Poirot continuation series. I have read all five of the books and, unfortunately, I have to say that I have found them increasingly disappointing. This latest offering is the poorest of the bunch. It is tedious and does little to honour the memory of Poirot or his creator, Agatha Christie.
The story is told from the perspective of Inspector Edward Catchpool. Catchpool is the invention of Sophie Hannah and intended to play the role of sidekick that was mostly associated with Captain Arthur Hastings in Christie's Poirot mysteries. It has been reported that Sophie Hannah decided against using Hastings in her continuation books, because that persona represented the prose style of Agatha Christie and she (Hannah) did not believe that another author could, nor should, imitate the style of another writer. Personally, having seen how effectively Anthony Horowitz has been able to mimic and pay suitable tribute to other authors, I would dispute Sophie Hannah's assertion.
I am not convinced by Catchpool. He is supposedly a highly intelligent police inspector, though one who can still learn to hone his detective skills by working with Poirot. All too often he strikes me as not being as bright as he is supposed to be and comes across more like a bumbling Dr Watson to the great Sherlock Holmes.
"Hercule Poirot's Silent Night" really does take forever to get going. The setting should work, but it doesn't succeed in creating that delicious atmosphere that is associated with Dame Agatha's murder mysteries. The cast of characters is disappointingly drawn and Poirot's depiction is increasingly becoming something of a parody of the original Christie version. These traits were already becoming evident in Sophie Hannah's previous Poirot story, "The Killings at Kingfisher Hill", but that book was at least salvaged to a degree by an improvement in the final third of the novel. On this occasion the eventual "big reveal" is quite shoddy and lacking in credibility. I have persevered with this continuation series, but I strongly suspect that this fifth book from Sophie Hannah will mark a parting of the ways.
As ever, I would still like to convey my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review. It is a pity I was not in a position to pass more favourable comment on this occasion.
October 21, 2023
Hercule Poirot's Silent Night is an unusual story. Hercules lives at the Whitehouse Mansions Apartments in London with his valet George. He has a houseguest Edward Catchpool who works at Scotland Yard and is on a three week vacation. His valet George comes in and tells him a Enid Surtees has come to see him. When he sees her it turns out to be Edward's mother, Cynthia Catchpool who Edward seems to try to avoid seeing. She is staying at Frellingsloe House and wants them to come for Christmas and also to help solve the murder of Stanley Niven who was killed while at St. Walston Cottage Hospital on Ward 6. He was in the room next to the room that Arnold Lauriers will be staying in after the first of the year. He has dying of cancer.
Hercule finally agrees to come to Frellingsloe House. The household consists of Arnold and his wife. Vivianne, their sons, Jonathan and Douglas. They are married to sister's Janet and Madeline who hate each other. Their parents, Enid and Terane who are employed as cook and gardner. Two lodgers, Dr. Robert Osgood and curate, Felix Rowcliffe, Dr. Osgood tells Poirot that Vivianne is afraid that if Arnold goes to the hospital that he will also die.
This is where the reader goes on an adventure that is too much to put on paper that I will let the reader enjoy to the surprising end.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins PUblishers for this ARC.
Hercule finally agrees to come to Frellingsloe House. The household consists of Arnold and his wife. Vivianne, their sons, Jonathan and Douglas. They are married to sister's Janet and Madeline who hate each other. Their parents, Enid and Terane who are employed as cook and gardner. Two lodgers, Dr. Robert Osgood and curate, Felix Rowcliffe, Dr. Osgood tells Poirot that Vivianne is afraid that if Arnold goes to the hospital that he will also die.
This is where the reader goes on an adventure that is too much to put on paper that I will let the reader enjoy to the surprising end.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins PUblishers for this ARC.
October 30, 2023
I wish there was a negative star rating, I feel very strongly that if you are going to continue with another author’s characters, stay true to the original. Using the term “little grey cells” throughout does not make for a Poirot. I made myself read it to the end. It was a painful read. I found the character of Poirot a disappointment and do not plan to read others if published by the same author.
December 22, 2024
DNF na 78 stronie. Mam dość, ale to jest niesamowicie rozwleczone. Na początku matka jakiegoś nowego kolegi Poirota podstępem zwabia ich na święta, bo znajomy znajomego został zamordowany i teraz jej przyjaciółka boi się, że ten sam los spotka jej męża, po czym następne 70 stron to monotonne powtarzanie wszystkiego, co właśnie napisałam, tylko przez dwoje innych bohaterów. Umrzeć z nudów idzie, to już lepiej przeczytać „Morderstwo w Boże Narodzenie” po raz 15.
November 16, 2023
I've had an unlucky reading streak recently, with a succession of disappointing books, so I found myself approaching this book concerned that I might be predisposed to scrutinize it too strictly and therefore tried to compensate by taking a more magnanimous stance as I read than was strictly warranted. Hence, I gave this book much more benefit and much less doubt than necessary, and I found myself violating my own rule to stop reading a book I'm not enjoying and persevered long past the point where it was clear that I was not having a good time. I made it to 60% before finally conceding the point, and skimming ahead to the final chapters to see how it ended. I should have done it sooner.
I was determined to find things to like about this book, and I will say that the prose is quite nice - it's clear and intelligent, and the setting and dialogue are period appropriate - but the story itself is annoying. The plot is nonsensical, the characters are all grating, unreasonable, and obnoxious, and their behaviour and motivations don't make any sense. Catchpool behaves like a sulky teenager, and Poirot seems like a pale imitation - surprised by clues and observations Catchpool noticed but Poirot missed, and easily browbeaten and bossed around by pretty much everyone. It's also annoyingly preachy, with characters being described as good Christians, un-Christian, and talk of blessings and divine intervention to spare a character yet another family squabble. And worst of all, it was boring. To explain in any more detail, I will have to give away spoilers, so proceed at your own risk beyond this point.
*****
The story opens with Catchpool's insufferably domineering mother showing up under a fake name to bully her son and Poirot into a last minute change of holiday plans to travel to Frellingsloe "Frelly" House to humour a dying man's wish to play detective - but Arnold Laurier wants to solve the murder himself, he just likes the idea of having Poirot around twiddling his thumbs for the holidays. Mrs. Catchpool wants Poirot to come solve the case anyway, because she's a guest for Christmas there too, and is worried about her dear friend Vivienne, Arnold's theatrically maudlin widow-to-be. Poirot makes a weak attempt to protest but is completely carried along by the sheer force of Mrs. Catchpool's personality.
SO MANY THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE!
- It's somehow perfectly reasonable for the two sisters to hate each other. One because her sister had the nerve to marry her husband's brother. The other because, having married into the family she now sees everything about it as hers, and resents her sister for "getting there first".
- The sisters' parents, the in-laws of the Laurier family, were inexplicably terrified that two sisters married to two brothers will be predictably disastrous and oppose the second sister's marriage until Arnold, the father of the two brothers, encourages them to embrace love over fear. The once loving sisters turn overnight into sniping shrews who despise each other, and the Surtees parents blame that bastard Arnold for his horrific advice.
- Both families appear to be wealthy, but for some unknown reason, the Surteeses ask to come stay with the Lauriers for a few months to sort their feuding daughters out, and the sweet and sunny Arnold demands in exchange for hosting the visit that his in-laws become their unpaid servants, AND THEY AGREE! They are bitter and resentful of their "master" and their forced subservience, but it never occurs to them to walk out on the deal. Instead they choose malicious compliance, serving up ghastly and inedible meals and being generally disgruntled.
- Arnold Laurier, who has been told he has only months to live but shows no outward sign of illness or infirmity, is scheduled to go to the hospital in the new year, but they've been holding a room empty for him since the beginning of September - you know, as hospitals do, because it's not like anyone else might need it in the interim. They also get their choice of rooms, and the siblings bicker furiously and at length, repeatedly, for MONTHS, about whether or not a view of the courtyard is a good thing or a terrible thing. If they're really looking for something to fight about, one of them should consider sleeping with the other one's spouse, just to make the beef seem more legitimate.
- Why do upper-crust 1930s matrons talk like golden age pirates all of a sudden? This is the second book I've read this month to do this. Was the whole "guts for garters" threat even a thing before Pirates of the Caribbean? Or was it a common British phrase among fancy old-timey people that I didn't know about?
Anyway...
- It's only a few days until Christmas, but the multiple trees sit in various rooms of the stately manor house, undecorated, and "wretched and forlorn". The Lauriers are extremely wealthy but also extremely cheap - they fire all paid household staff to save money for the heirs, and instead invite guests to their house and put them to work for free instead. The job of decorating is pushed onto Catchpool, with micromanagement from many family members, and the many pages spent describing this task are probably meant to feel festive but just end up feeling tedious.
- Someone slips a 2 page note under Poirot's door one night, which takes up 11 pages of the book at standard font size.
- Hercule is poisoned while at Frelly, and is admitted to the hospital to sleep it off, and the staff never consider that he might have been poisoned even though he is adamant that he has been poisoned. Silly detectives! They're always collapsing for no reason after being served a drink in the house of murder suspects. Pffft, poison... what nonsense. Also, Mrs. Catchpool poisoned Poirot for getting too close to solving the case? After dragging him there specifically to solve the case? And there's no consequence for poisoning Poirot, even from her cop son? (I'm pretty sure there was no consequence - I stopped reading after Catchpool wrote the fact in his notebook at the end, and I don't care enough to go back and keep reading to make sure).
- An engaged couple unexpectedly find out they're expecting a baby, but the wedding isn't planned for another year. Their perfectly reasonable parents fly into rage, fire their son from his job, and pressure their daughter to put the baby up for adoption. Instead of just... moving up the date of the wedding if it's that important to them? And instead of simply eloping, or telling both sets of parents to kick rocks, the young fiance commits suicide. The girl's parents suddenly have a change of heart, forgiving the pregnant daughter but disowning their other daughter who spilled the beans. Because she's the bad guy in all this. The shunned daughter changes her name, marries a wealthy man named Arnold Laurier, has a kooky family, and then, decades later, suddenly discovering her sister is a nurse at the same hospital (even though they've been living in the same town for all these years) where her husband has a room booked, she goes on a killing spree, murdering a random patient and her own beloved husband, all to prevent her sister from recognizing her. Yikes.
- It's not clearly stated but heavily implied that Vivienne/Iris has multiple personality disorder or disassociative personality disorder, and that it caused her murderiness, which is kind of gross.
- The jealous 60-something doctor finds it preposterous that the 30 year old curate might have a crush on Vivienne, a woman old enough to be his mother, while the doctor himself is engaged to marry a woman young enough to be his daughter, because that's totally normal and not at all preposterous.
- The same woman who was so desperate to keep her identity secret that she murdered two helpless, sick old men, one of whom her own husband, was awfully quick to abandon pretense and adopt a sly villain monologue and admit everything as soon as she was suspected. I knew it was her as soon as Poirot and Catchpool arrived on the scene.
The story didn't capture my interest. There is no rising tension, no believable conflicts or motives, no effective red herrings. A lot of case details show up in Catchpool's notes without seeming to come out in the story. And there is no satisfying resolution. The book actually often addresses its own logical flaws, and I think these inconsistencies are meant to be clues and to come off as compellingly building the mystery, but to be honest I just found them annoying. The book tries hard to set up scenarios for drama without considering whether they are plausible.
The fact that the Christie estate granted permission for the use of these characters by another author isn't necessarily indicative that the new franchise will do justice to the canon - I'm pretty sure Mike Myers had permission from the Suess estate to make the Cat In The Hat movie too.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free advance reader copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I was determined to find things to like about this book, and I will say that the prose is quite nice - it's clear and intelligent, and the setting and dialogue are period appropriate - but the story itself is annoying. The plot is nonsensical, the characters are all grating, unreasonable, and obnoxious, and their behaviour and motivations don't make any sense. Catchpool behaves like a sulky teenager, and Poirot seems like a pale imitation - surprised by clues and observations Catchpool noticed but Poirot missed, and easily browbeaten and bossed around by pretty much everyone. It's also annoyingly preachy, with characters being described as good Christians, un-Christian, and talk of blessings and divine intervention to spare a character yet another family squabble. And worst of all, it was boring. To explain in any more detail, I will have to give away spoilers, so proceed at your own risk beyond this point.
*****
The story opens with Catchpool's insufferably domineering mother showing up under a fake name to bully her son and Poirot into a last minute change of holiday plans to travel to Frellingsloe "Frelly" House to humour a dying man's wish to play detective - but Arnold Laurier wants to solve the murder himself, he just likes the idea of having Poirot around twiddling his thumbs for the holidays. Mrs. Catchpool wants Poirot to come solve the case anyway, because she's a guest for Christmas there too, and is worried about her dear friend Vivienne, Arnold's theatrically maudlin widow-to-be. Poirot makes a weak attempt to protest but is completely carried along by the sheer force of Mrs. Catchpool's personality.
SO MANY THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE!
- It's somehow perfectly reasonable for the two sisters to hate each other. One because her sister had the nerve to marry her husband's brother. The other because, having married into the family she now sees everything about it as hers, and resents her sister for "getting there first".
- The sisters' parents, the in-laws of the Laurier family, were inexplicably terrified that two sisters married to two brothers will be predictably disastrous and oppose the second sister's marriage until Arnold, the father of the two brothers, encourages them to embrace love over fear. The once loving sisters turn overnight into sniping shrews who despise each other, and the Surtees parents blame that bastard Arnold for his horrific advice.
- Both families appear to be wealthy, but for some unknown reason, the Surteeses ask to come stay with the Lauriers for a few months to sort their feuding daughters out, and the sweet and sunny Arnold demands in exchange for hosting the visit that his in-laws become their unpaid servants, AND THEY AGREE! They are bitter and resentful of their "master" and their forced subservience, but it never occurs to them to walk out on the deal. Instead they choose malicious compliance, serving up ghastly and inedible meals and being generally disgruntled.
- Arnold Laurier, who has been told he has only months to live but shows no outward sign of illness or infirmity, is scheduled to go to the hospital in the new year, but they've been holding a room empty for him since the beginning of September - you know, as hospitals do, because it's not like anyone else might need it in the interim. They also get their choice of rooms, and the siblings bicker furiously and at length, repeatedly, for MONTHS, about whether or not a view of the courtyard is a good thing or a terrible thing. If they're really looking for something to fight about, one of them should consider sleeping with the other one's spouse, just to make the beef seem more legitimate.
- Why do upper-crust 1930s matrons talk like golden age pirates all of a sudden? This is the second book I've read this month to do this. Was the whole "guts for garters" threat even a thing before Pirates of the Caribbean? Or was it a common British phrase among fancy old-timey people that I didn't know about?
Anyway...
- It's only a few days until Christmas, but the multiple trees sit in various rooms of the stately manor house, undecorated, and "wretched and forlorn". The Lauriers are extremely wealthy but also extremely cheap - they fire all paid household staff to save money for the heirs, and instead invite guests to their house and put them to work for free instead. The job of decorating is pushed onto Catchpool, with micromanagement from many family members, and the many pages spent describing this task are probably meant to feel festive but just end up feeling tedious.
- Someone slips a 2 page note under Poirot's door one night, which takes up 11 pages of the book at standard font size.
- Hercule is poisoned while at Frelly, and is admitted to the hospital to sleep it off, and the staff never consider that he might have been poisoned even though he is adamant that he has been poisoned. Silly detectives! They're always collapsing for no reason after being served a drink in the house of murder suspects. Pffft, poison... what nonsense. Also, Mrs. Catchpool poisoned Poirot for getting too close to solving the case? After dragging him there specifically to solve the case? And there's no consequence for poisoning Poirot, even from her cop son? (I'm pretty sure there was no consequence - I stopped reading after Catchpool wrote the fact in his notebook at the end, and I don't care enough to go back and keep reading to make sure).
- An engaged couple unexpectedly find out they're expecting a baby, but the wedding isn't planned for another year. Their perfectly reasonable parents fly into rage, fire their son from his job, and pressure their daughter to put the baby up for adoption. Instead of just... moving up the date of the wedding if it's that important to them? And instead of simply eloping, or telling both sets of parents to kick rocks, the young fiance commits suicide. The girl's parents suddenly have a change of heart, forgiving the pregnant daughter but disowning their other daughter who spilled the beans. Because she's the bad guy in all this. The shunned daughter changes her name, marries a wealthy man named Arnold Laurier, has a kooky family, and then, decades later, suddenly discovering her sister is a nurse at the same hospital (even though they've been living in the same town for all these years) where her husband has a room booked, she goes on a killing spree, murdering a random patient and her own beloved husband, all to prevent her sister from recognizing her. Yikes.
- It's not clearly stated but heavily implied that Vivienne/Iris has multiple personality disorder or disassociative personality disorder, and that it caused her murderiness, which is kind of gross.
- The jealous 60-something doctor finds it preposterous that the 30 year old curate might have a crush on Vivienne, a woman old enough to be his mother, while the doctor himself is engaged to marry a woman young enough to be his daughter, because that's totally normal and not at all preposterous.
- The same woman who was so desperate to keep her identity secret that she murdered two helpless, sick old men, one of whom her own husband, was awfully quick to abandon pretense and adopt a sly villain monologue and admit everything as soon as she was suspected. I knew it was her as soon as Poirot and Catchpool arrived on the scene.
The story didn't capture my interest. There is no rising tension, no believable conflicts or motives, no effective red herrings. A lot of case details show up in Catchpool's notes without seeming to come out in the story. And there is no satisfying resolution. The book actually often addresses its own logical flaws, and I think these inconsistencies are meant to be clues and to come off as compellingly building the mystery, but to be honest I just found them annoying. The book tries hard to set up scenarios for drama without considering whether they are plausible.
The fact that the Christie estate granted permission for the use of these characters by another author isn't necessarily indicative that the new franchise will do justice to the canon - I'm pretty sure Mike Myers had permission from the Suess estate to make the Cat In The Hat movie too.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free advance reader copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
December 22, 2024
(3.5) debo admitir que estaba un poco escéptica porque pensaba que esta autora no iba a poder escribir a hércules poirot tan bien como ágatha christie, pero la verdad me sorprendió
December 25, 2023
Το χειρότερο της σειράς. Δεν με ενδιαφέρει που σκουζουν οι Κρίστι φανς, τέτοιες ακριβώς μαλακιαρες έκανε και η ιδια η Κρίστι, στο ίδιο ακριβώς ύφος. Όταν αποκρύπτεις σκόπιμα clues από τους αναγνώστες για να τραβήξεις τον λαγό από το καπέλο, ε συρε και ...Το κίνητρο και η εκτέλεση των φονων δεν στέκουν σε κανένα ουράνιο και τοξο, επίσης σε ποιο νοητό σύμπαν σκοτώνεις (και μάλιστα 2 φορές) με βάζο;
Το χω δει μόνο σε επεισόδιο Μεν και Δεν που και πάλι άφησαν αναίσθητο κάποιον.
Το χω δει μόνο σε επεισόδιο Μεν και Δεν που και πάλι άφησαν αναίσθητο κάποιον.
November 3, 2023
I wish this book did not exist.
November 10, 2024
Sophie Hannah continues her Poirot novels with a Christmas set tale of intrigue. All the usual elements are present - an unexplained death, a large country house, squabbling families and dark pasts, and a final reveal with everyone gathered in the drawing room. The cosy tale unfolds at a gentle pace and the Belgian detective has his usual moments of ill-temper and deduction. Catchpool is still no Hastings and if anything the going is too gentle and cosy - but this is familiar and welcoming territory to pass a couple of days in.
December 10, 2024
The last book I read in the series was back in 2020 so I was very pleased with reading another especially a christmas themed one. Cozy and thoughtful as I can never figure out who did it or why.
November 26, 2023
Unreadable. Stilted, lacklustre, badly written. Hannah absolutely fails to set the mood by drafting her ideas instead of putting them into properly developed prose. Poirot bursts out in catch-phrase-like sentences like an action figure, characters‘ monologues are explained right away instead of leaving the reader to form their own impression. Conversations are off balance as longer shares of speech take place at inconvenient times and are often cut short by very brief answers.
I don‘t have much time to read these days and refuse to waste it on sluggishly assembled stories like this.
DNF
I don‘t have much time to read these days and refuse to waste it on sluggishly assembled stories like this.
DNF
December 8, 2025
Not My Poirot
A review of the William Morrow audiobook (October 24, 2023) narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt and released simultaneously with the William Morrow hardcover/eBook.
This is a postcard from Outlier Island 🏝️📨📬 combined with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.
I took a chance on this entry from Sophie Hannah's continuation series of Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot and it was a shocking disappointment. The Poirot here was almost unrecognizable, an extreme parody, frequently talking about the "little gray cells" (rarely mentioned by Christie), being rude to women (actually saying "Shut up!") and without any of the sly humour of the originals.
I dipped my toe in at the wrong end, as this is #5 in the new series, and considered the worst by many of the other 1-star reviews. It is unbelievable that this has a 4-star average rating.
The first shock for me was that Poirot's companion is a completely new character Edward Catchpool, a Scotland Yard detective. Catchpool documents Poirot's cases in a manner similar to Captain Hastings, but with none of the obtuse delight of the latter. Poirot & Catchpool are seconded by Catchpool's domineering mother who insists that they accompany her to a decaying mansion for Christmas there to solve a 3-month old cold case in the vicinity.
The case takes a long time to get going as the guests settle in and meet the various residents who are also suspects in the murder which occurred in a nearby hospital. There is a long time spent decorating Christmas trees without any apparent investigation. Various subplots are introduced to no purpose and without resolution (e.g. Mr. Hurt-his-head, the mansion falling into the sea due to erosion, etc.). Then a second murder occurs with the same method as the first. but in the mansion itself.
The only recognizable aspect was the reveal delivered to the suspects all gathered together in a room at the conclusion. But the motive uncovered at the reveal was so unrealistic and absurd that an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ is the only option.
I listened to the audiobook edition during my December travels and I must confess my attention constantly wandered. That was probably nothing to do with the narration performance of Julian Rhind-Tutt but due to the material he had to work with.
Trivia and Link
If you want a fairly detailed recounting of the faults of this book, including a spoiler for the ending, then Anna Reads Mysteries's 1-star review is quite excellent, and will save you having to read the book itself.
I would have been tempted to mementoize* this book, except that would have been difficult to do with an audiobook while driving. But if it had been on paper I would have definitely made the jump.
Footnote
* Mementoize is an invented word as follows:
A review of the William Morrow audiobook (October 24, 2023) narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt and released simultaneously with the William Morrow hardcover/eBook.
“Silent night,' Poirot murmured, moving closer to Arnold Laurier's desk. 'Murderous night. All is lies. All is...'
'Blight?”
This is a postcard from Outlier Island 🏝️📨📬 combined with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.
I took a chance on this entry from Sophie Hannah's continuation series of Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot and it was a shocking disappointment. The Poirot here was almost unrecognizable, an extreme parody, frequently talking about the "little gray cells" (rarely mentioned by Christie), being rude to women (actually saying "Shut up!") and without any of the sly humour of the originals.
I dipped my toe in at the wrong end, as this is #5 in the new series, and considered the worst by many of the other 1-star reviews. It is unbelievable that this has a 4-star average rating.
The first shock for me was that Poirot's companion is a completely new character Edward Catchpool, a Scotland Yard detective. Catchpool documents Poirot's cases in a manner similar to Captain Hastings, but with none of the obtuse delight of the latter. Poirot & Catchpool are seconded by Catchpool's domineering mother who insists that they accompany her to a decaying mansion for Christmas there to solve a 3-month old cold case in the vicinity.
The case takes a long time to get going as the guests settle in and meet the various residents who are also suspects in the murder which occurred in a nearby hospital. There is a long time spent decorating Christmas trees without any apparent investigation. Various subplots are introduced to no purpose and without resolution (e.g. Mr. Hurt-his-head, the mansion falling into the sea due to erosion, etc.). Then a second murder occurs with the same method as the first. but in the mansion itself.
The only recognizable aspect was the reveal delivered to the suspects all gathered together in a room at the conclusion. But the motive uncovered at the reveal was so unrealistic and absurd that an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ is the only option.
I listened to the audiobook edition during my December travels and I must confess my attention constantly wandered. That was probably nothing to do with the narration performance of Julian Rhind-Tutt but due to the material he had to work with.
Trivia and Link
If you want a fairly detailed recounting of the faults of this book, including a spoiler for the ending, then Anna Reads Mysteries's 1-star review is quite excellent, and will save you having to read the book itself.
I would have been tempted to mementoize* this book, except that would have been difficult to do with an audiobook while driving. But if it had been on paper I would have definitely made the jump.
Footnote
* Mementoize is an invented word as follows:
mementoize
məˈmenˌtōˈīz/
verb / neologism
Definitions:
• 1. to tell a story in reverse order, as in the film Memento (2000) by director Christopher Nolan.
“Christopher Nolan didn’t invent reverse chronology story telling, but his film title Memento is the easiest to make into a verb: mementoize."
• 2. to read a book in reverse order to finish it, especially when reading it in forward order is not very interesting or compelling.
“The book was so dull I had to mementoize it in order to get through it."
• 3. a fictitious word invented for use in book reviews by The Lone Librarian™.
September 16, 2023
December 1931 marked the beginning of a grave investigation for Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool. They were summoned to unravel the unsettling murder of a man who met his demise within the supposed safety of a Norfolk hospital ward. In an unexpected turn of events, Cynthia, Catchpool's spirited mother, insisted that Poirot accompany them to a decaying mansion by the coast for the holiday season, all while he worked diligently to crack the case. However, Cynthia's close friend, Arnold, awaited admission to the very same hospital, leaving his wife fearful that he would be the next target of the enigmatic killer. Alas, she remained tight-lipped about the reasons behind her apprehension.
With less than a week at their disposal, Poirot had to employ his wits and intuition to solve the crime promptly and avert further bloodshed, ensuring his escape from this nightmarish scenario and a timely return home for Christmas. Nevertheless, there was another individual present – one harboring a ruthless disposition – who held their own agenda on what should befall Hercule Poirot.
True to form, Poirot was as self-assured and exasperating as always. Despite being an Inspector, Catchpool proved somewhat dim-witted, a characteristic commonly found among police officers in Christie's novels, designed to illuminate the brilliance of the main character. I found great pleasure in the central mystery, albeit it took some time to gain momentum. Although the denouement was entertaining, it deviated from the Golden Age's principles as not all the clues were accessible to the reader.
Indeed, the ending introduced an intriguing aspect! Just the way I prefer to conclude a murder mystery novel – slightly befuddled, astounded by the solution to the crimes, and yet unsurprised that I didn't deduce it myself. While Poirot was perpetually intrigued by "the psychology of the individual," the resolution of this particular mystery delved into more psychological realms than Christie typically ventured, although it retained Sophie Hannah's signature touch. Hannah's fifth addition to the Poirot series pays homage to Agatha Christie's distinctive style of mystery and remains true to her legacy.
Overall, if you are a fan of Christie or Hannah, this novel offers a delightful, easily forgettable read, blending personal engagement with originality.
With less than a week at their disposal, Poirot had to employ his wits and intuition to solve the crime promptly and avert further bloodshed, ensuring his escape from this nightmarish scenario and a timely return home for Christmas. Nevertheless, there was another individual present – one harboring a ruthless disposition – who held their own agenda on what should befall Hercule Poirot.
True to form, Poirot was as self-assured and exasperating as always. Despite being an Inspector, Catchpool proved somewhat dim-witted, a characteristic commonly found among police officers in Christie's novels, designed to illuminate the brilliance of the main character. I found great pleasure in the central mystery, albeit it took some time to gain momentum. Although the denouement was entertaining, it deviated from the Golden Age's principles as not all the clues were accessible to the reader.
Indeed, the ending introduced an intriguing aspect! Just the way I prefer to conclude a murder mystery novel – slightly befuddled, astounded by the solution to the crimes, and yet unsurprised that I didn't deduce it myself. While Poirot was perpetually intrigued by "the psychology of the individual," the resolution of this particular mystery delved into more psychological realms than Christie typically ventured, although it retained Sophie Hannah's signature touch. Hannah's fifth addition to the Poirot series pays homage to Agatha Christie's distinctive style of mystery and remains true to her legacy.
Overall, if you are a fan of Christie or Hannah, this novel offers a delightful, easily forgettable read, blending personal engagement with originality.
September 18, 2023
I do love a Hercule Poirot story, and one set at Christmas really had me excited, Sophie Hannah has really captured the essence of the famous detective and I love having new stories this way.
I don’t think I have once picked the ending of an Agatha Christie tale and this one was no different. It is always a twisted and convoluted reveal, and looking back, the clues were all there.
Thanks to Harper Collins Australia for this advanced copy to read. And thank you Sophie Hannah for keeping Poirot alive.
I don’t think I have once picked the ending of an Agatha Christie tale and this one was no different. It is always a twisted and convoluted reveal, and looking back, the clues were all there.
Thanks to Harper Collins Australia for this advanced copy to read. And thank you Sophie Hannah for keeping Poirot alive.
November 1, 2023
One of the difficult things about these series that attempt to reproduce the work of a beloved author is that it’s hard to decide what we want out of them as readers: Do we want someone who attempts to mimic the original works so closely that it feels like one of them? Or do we want a fresh spin that pays homage to the original?
This book attempts to do both and mostly disappoints on both counts. The attempt to reinvent a new version of Poirot and the style of Christie writing about Poirot is the larger miss here. For the most part there isn’t enough difference to convince readers that this is a new interpretation, and what we do get that’s truly different doesn’t fit the style (for example, the borderline inept sidekick and smattering of odd detail on Poirot’s current whereabouts and activities outside of the central mystery).
As far as the attempt to simply mimic, I think the book does the job plot-wise, but it’s missing the visual imagery and atmosphere that Christie does so well. And Poirot’s dialogue sounds more like someone playing Poirot as a character in a piece of meta fiction than Poirot himself. “Little gray cells” has always been a borderline annoying phrase, and here it’s repeated over and over, as if to hit the reader over the head with the idea that THIS IS POIROT SPEAKING. We know. We got it.
And the mystery itself just isn’t anything special. This was my first read of this series, and probably my last. Just read the originals. There are a lot of them.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
This book attempts to do both and mostly disappoints on both counts. The attempt to reinvent a new version of Poirot and the style of Christie writing about Poirot is the larger miss here. For the most part there isn’t enough difference to convince readers that this is a new interpretation, and what we do get that’s truly different doesn’t fit the style (for example, the borderline inept sidekick and smattering of odd detail on Poirot’s current whereabouts and activities outside of the central mystery).
As far as the attempt to simply mimic, I think the book does the job plot-wise, but it’s missing the visual imagery and atmosphere that Christie does so well. And Poirot’s dialogue sounds more like someone playing Poirot as a character in a piece of meta fiction than Poirot himself. “Little gray cells” has always been a borderline annoying phrase, and here it’s repeated over and over, as if to hit the reader over the head with the idea that THIS IS POIROT SPEAKING. We know. We got it.
And the mystery itself just isn’t anything special. This was my first read of this series, and probably my last. Just read the originals. There are a lot of them.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
December 24, 2023
No means, no opportunity, no motive, no investigation- just BS.
Bloated writing that stretched a (non) short-story to 360 pages.
Agatha Christie was the first author I picked up from the “adult” section of my municipal library. And after a gap of a decade+, I re-discovered her through her plays and BBC radio dramas. Add a few Poirot novels. For me, she is still the best crime fiction author - to date. Possibly, surpassed only by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in short stories.
It is a disgrace that her estate chose Sophie Hannah to extend the Poirot series. This was my second book by her. The first was picked for the sake of nostalgia. The second was bought purely out of hope. Finally, that hope has been extinguished. Compare this to the superb tribute paid by the re-imagined series “Sherlock” !
As a Christie fan I earnestly request her estate to discontinue the series.
Bloated writing that stretched a (non) short-story to 360 pages.
Agatha Christie was the first author I picked up from the “adult” section of my municipal library. And after a gap of a decade+, I re-discovered her through her plays and BBC radio dramas. Add a few Poirot novels. For me, she is still the best crime fiction author - to date. Possibly, surpassed only by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in short stories.
It is a disgrace that her estate chose Sophie Hannah to extend the Poirot series. This was my second book by her. The first was picked for the sake of nostalgia. The second was bought purely out of hope. Finally, that hope has been extinguished. Compare this to the superb tribute paid by the re-imagined series “Sherlock” !
As a Christie fan I earnestly request her estate to discontinue the series.
December 20, 2024
THIS BOOK IS NOT WRITTEN BY AGATHA CHRISTIE
My Quick Takes:
- 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Language 🤐 none to mild
- Spice ❤️🔥 none
- Content Considerations 🤔 discussion of murder, toxic family
I started this book under the assumption that it was by Agatha Christie, as her name is at the top of the cover design. I assumed the name listed at the bottom was the narrator as I listened to this on audio. Once the book began and the narrator was male I googled Sophie Hannah only to find that this book is NOT written by Agatha Christie.
Safe to say, I might not have noticed if I hadn’t just finished another book by Christie, but this was not written in her voice. While it follows Poirot, it does not follow the writing style we all know and love. I was unable to guess the ending, but around 65-70% I became very disinterested in the plot. Additionally, I had to listen to the unveiling of the guilty person twice to make sense of what had happened.
I don’t plan to read anymore in this series, Agatha Christie has an extensive collection of work, I don’t see the need to continue with a lesser version by a different author.
My Quick Takes:
- 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Language 🤐 none to mild
- Spice ❤️🔥 none
- Content Considerations 🤔 discussion of murder, toxic family
I started this book under the assumption that it was by Agatha Christie, as her name is at the top of the cover design. I assumed the name listed at the bottom was the narrator as I listened to this on audio. Once the book began and the narrator was male I googled Sophie Hannah only to find that this book is NOT written by Agatha Christie.
Safe to say, I might not have noticed if I hadn’t just finished another book by Christie, but this was not written in her voice. While it follows Poirot, it does not follow the writing style we all know and love. I was unable to guess the ending, but around 65-70% I became very disinterested in the plot. Additionally, I had to listen to the unveiling of the guilty person twice to make sense of what had happened.
I don’t plan to read anymore in this series, Agatha Christie has an extensive collection of work, I don’t see the need to continue with a lesser version by a different author.
September 21, 2025
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#5 Hercule Poirot's Silent Night - ★★★★★
If someone told me 10 years ago that an author would continue the Hercule Poirot stories, and I’d love them, I would never have believed them. In fact, all credit to Sophie Hannah, because I would have made a bet that Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night is a mystery written by Agatha Christie herself, if I didn’t know any better.
Synopsis:
It’s 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool’s mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.
Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else – someone utterly ruthless – also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot…
Thoughts:
The book carries intensity from the very first chapters. Catchpool’s mother, Cynthia, comes to Poirot with a rather urgent request, or dare I say, plea for help. With this also comes a Christmas party invitation, something Catchpool would gladly avoid. But something about the story provokes Poirot’s curiosity, and they’re off to meet Cynthia’s friends and stay at their house.
“Try placing an unmarked page in front of you. Immediately, your mind will produce better ideas.”
I was gripped by the whole atmosphere and the family dynamics.
We find out things as we go, and I try to connect the people we meet and get a feel for their innocence. As is usual with a Poirot mystery, we have a lot of suspects, a lot of possibilities and maybe’s – and the truth kept under wraps (I promise, it’s not a Christmas pun) until the very end. If you are looking for the grand finale of a reveal – Silent Night definitely has it! I had my own theories, and as is the tradition, none of them were even close. But boy, oh boy, did I enjoy this book. Mystery and festivities merged brilliantly, and the perfect length to keep you interested without ever getting boring.
“The thing about dealing with excessively melancholy people, I have noticed – those who carry clouds of gloom with them everywhere they go – is that one loses the will to cheer them up. In their orbit, one is robbed of the notion that one can do anything to improve one’s own situation or theirs.”
The only thing I was unsure of was that a few parts were left in the open. Some mysterious and secret romances were mentioned, but never resolved. And we never got the other side of the story. The house’s situation wasn’t really discussed further, and it seemed like a crucial part of the story. And two sisters re-kindled way too abruptly in my opinion and without a lot of explanation, that I personally didn’t enjoy.
“The worst part of any terrible thing, always, is the dread one feels in advance.”
It’s also worth noting that I loved Edgar Albert Guest’s poem section that randomly made its way into the book. There is something precious when one book leads you to the work of another author.
One thing is for certain – I will definitely be looking into the other Poirot books by Sophie Hannah. And if you need a festive mystery recommendation for the winter, let this be the one. Until the next book! x
#5 Hercule Poirot's Silent Night - ★★★★★
If someone told me 10 years ago that an author would continue the Hercule Poirot stories, and I’d love them, I would never have believed them. In fact, all credit to Sophie Hannah, because I would have made a bet that Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night is a mystery written by Agatha Christie herself, if I didn’t know any better.
Synopsis:
It’s 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool’s mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.
Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else – someone utterly ruthless – also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot…
Thoughts:
The book carries intensity from the very first chapters. Catchpool’s mother, Cynthia, comes to Poirot with a rather urgent request, or dare I say, plea for help. With this also comes a Christmas party invitation, something Catchpool would gladly avoid. But something about the story provokes Poirot’s curiosity, and they’re off to meet Cynthia’s friends and stay at their house.
“Try placing an unmarked page in front of you. Immediately, your mind will produce better ideas.”
I was gripped by the whole atmosphere and the family dynamics.
We find out things as we go, and I try to connect the people we meet and get a feel for their innocence. As is usual with a Poirot mystery, we have a lot of suspects, a lot of possibilities and maybe’s – and the truth kept under wraps (I promise, it’s not a Christmas pun) until the very end. If you are looking for the grand finale of a reveal – Silent Night definitely has it! I had my own theories, and as is the tradition, none of them were even close. But boy, oh boy, did I enjoy this book. Mystery and festivities merged brilliantly, and the perfect length to keep you interested without ever getting boring.
“The thing about dealing with excessively melancholy people, I have noticed – those who carry clouds of gloom with them everywhere they go – is that one loses the will to cheer them up. In their orbit, one is robbed of the notion that one can do anything to improve one’s own situation or theirs.”
The only thing I was unsure of was that a few parts were left in the open. Some mysterious and secret romances were mentioned, but never resolved. And we never got the other side of the story. The house’s situation wasn’t really discussed further, and it seemed like a crucial part of the story. And two sisters re-kindled way too abruptly in my opinion and without a lot of explanation, that I personally didn’t enjoy.
“The worst part of any terrible thing, always, is the dread one feels in advance.”
It’s also worth noting that I loved Edgar Albert Guest’s poem section that randomly made its way into the book. There is something precious when one book leads you to the work of another author.
One thing is for certain – I will definitely be looking into the other Poirot books by Sophie Hannah. And if you need a festive mystery recommendation for the winter, let this be the one. Until the next book! x
September 28, 2023
Silent Night is the fifth outing for Sophie Hannah’s authorised new Hercule Poirot mystery series, but the first that I’ve read. In fact, this was my first Agatha Christie since childhood - I read her almost exclusively until secondary school then stopped completely. I didn’t feel I’d missed anything by not reading the first four as I get the impression each is a separate story. I was curious to see how a tale set in 1931 would hold up in modern times, and whether Hannah could match the cleverness of the originals. While I think she does a pretty good job of honouring the source style, I’m not sure that I would bother reading the rest, as I found both Poirot and Catchpool intensely irritating.
Narrated by Scotland Yard detective Inspector Edward Catchpool, this has he and his good friend Poirot preparing to spend a peaceful Christmas in London, when they are peremptorily summoned to Norfolk by Catchpool’s domineering mother Cynthia, who insists that they must solve the murder of a patient in a small private hospital, and stay at her friends’ stately home nearby. Their hostess didn’t know the victim, but has become convinced that it means her own husband will also be killed. The weather is terrible, the food worse, the company suspicious and unpleasant, and the friends face the prospect of a Christmas spent playing a dreadful sounding parlour game!
This had all the classic Christie elements - an cast of unlikeable upper class English twits, a bumbling policeman, and a baffling crime, the solution to which is proudly revealed by Poirot, in the Drawing Room, of course. I didn’t guess whodunnit at all, and while the explanation seemed unlikely, I didn’t feel cheated by the reveal. There’s an awful lot of pontificating and I found the pace very slow - at some point I will go back and read one of the originals but suspect I’ll find I have the same issues. 3.5 rounded up for the Nostalgia Factor.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Silent Knight is published on October 26th.
Narrated by Scotland Yard detective Inspector Edward Catchpool, this has he and his good friend Poirot preparing to spend a peaceful Christmas in London, when they are peremptorily summoned to Norfolk by Catchpool’s domineering mother Cynthia, who insists that they must solve the murder of a patient in a small private hospital, and stay at her friends’ stately home nearby. Their hostess didn’t know the victim, but has become convinced that it means her own husband will also be killed. The weather is terrible, the food worse, the company suspicious and unpleasant, and the friends face the prospect of a Christmas spent playing a dreadful sounding parlour game!
This had all the classic Christie elements - an cast of unlikeable upper class English twits, a bumbling policeman, and a baffling crime, the solution to which is proudly revealed by Poirot, in the Drawing Room, of course. I didn’t guess whodunnit at all, and while the explanation seemed unlikely, I didn’t feel cheated by the reveal. There’s an awful lot of pontificating and I found the pace very slow - at some point I will go back and read one of the originals but suspect I’ll find I have the same issues. 3.5 rounded up for the Nostalgia Factor.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Silent Knight is published on October 26th.
January 30, 2024
What to expect?
- Christmas mystery set in 1931
- Dilapidated mansion
- Norfolk coast
- Eccentric rich family
- Manupilative mother who "loves drama" (Catchpool's mother)
- Murder at the local hospital
What I loved:
Read this book if you love Christmas-bound murder mysteries. I was very skeptical of all the characters and I kept changing my mind on who the killer could be. The mystery was very intriguing and I enjoyed it.
The so-so:
I would’ve loved to read more about Poirot though (this one’s by Catchpool). As for the mighty detective, I read them as two people—there’s Sophie Hannah’s Poirot and there’s Agatha Christie’s Poirot,, both with overlaps. If you love Agatha Christie, I am pretty sure you will enjoy the Sophie Hannah Poirot series as long as you aren’t too rigid about the characterization of Poirot.
Overall,
I don't read a Poirot mystery to critique. I simply love the familiarity, the coziness, the crime that keeps you guessing till the end, the reveal—all quintessential Agatha Christie things. I am glad Sophie Hannah keeps Poirot alive with her books. 3.5 stars
Read with The Satchel Book Club in Jan 2024.
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- Christmas mystery set in 1931
- Dilapidated mansion
- Norfolk coast
- Eccentric rich family
- Manupilative mother who "loves drama" (Catchpool's mother)
- Murder at the local hospital
What I loved:
Read this book if you love Christmas-bound murder mysteries. I was very skeptical of all the characters and I kept changing my mind on who the killer could be. The mystery was very intriguing and I enjoyed it.
The so-so:
I would’ve loved to read more about Poirot though (this one’s by Catchpool). As for the mighty detective, I read them as two people—there’s Sophie Hannah’s Poirot and there’s Agatha Christie’s Poirot,, both with overlaps. If you love Agatha Christie, I am pretty sure you will enjoy the Sophie Hannah Poirot series as long as you aren’t too rigid about the characterization of Poirot.
Overall,
I don't read a Poirot mystery to critique. I simply love the familiarity, the coziness, the crime that keeps you guessing till the end, the reveal—all quintessential Agatha Christie things. I am glad Sophie Hannah keeps Poirot alive with her books. 3.5 stars
Read with The Satchel Book Club in Jan 2024.
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November 8, 2023
I keep being disappointed by these continuations of Poirot books and yet I’ve read all five of them
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