Scan barcode
angrydance's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
taliawhipp's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
humatariq's review against another edition
4.0
A solid Poirot story, although I did think the climax was a bit too far-fetched. I think Christie would have been proud of this book, not necessarily as a Poirot mystery though. For me this story had the shades of some of Christie's lesser known work like Endless Night and Harley Quinn; both of which give me goosebumps and make me feel both morose & excited at the same time (and both of which I absolutely love reading).
I heard the author writes psychological thrillers, I'd be happy to try some of her original characters someday.
I heard the author writes psychological thrillers, I'd be happy to try some of her original characters someday.
laura_03's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
v3rity's review against another edition
2.0
Why is Poirot drinking coffee? Why is Edward Catchpool an idiot? Why does this book exist?!
gh0st0fth0ught's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I at first found Catchpool's pov to be abrupt as I am more use to Hastings's pov.
mborer23's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as a gift and was excited to revisit my dear friend Poirot. I wanted to love this book, but I'll settle for liking it. Catchpool is a most unappealing foil for Poirot, and Poirot is a bit out of character. The mystery didn't have the cleverness of Christie, and the writing lacked her turn of phrase. However, I can't entirely blame Hannah for that. Nobody now living could duplicate Christie's voice; people simply speak differently now.
Overall, this book reads like a fanfic—a well-executed one, but a fanfic nonetheless. I'll read the next one, and I'll probably try some of Hannah's other work. But if you're expecting to be whisked away to Poirot's cozy world of tisanes and elegant dinners, you'll be disappointed.
Overall, this book reads like a fanfic—a well-executed one, but a fanfic nonetheless. I'll read the next one, and I'll probably try some of Hannah's other work. But if you're expecting to be whisked away to Poirot's cozy world of tisanes and elegant dinners, you'll be disappointed.
fiddler76's review against another edition
3.0
So the new Hercule Poirot mystery! I definitely went into this book expecting to be dissapointed, and I wasn't too far off the mark. This book could have easily been about 70 pages shorter, which would really have made it the same size as most of the revered Dame Agatha's books, but Sophie Hannah, for some reason, felt she had more to say.
Another surprise is that the only character from the original Poirot books that comes back to life here, is Poirot himself. No Inspector Japp at Scotland Yard, no Miss Lemon - Poirot's super efficient secretary who is present in all his England based cases, and most of all, no Captain Hastings. This seems odd, as a new Poirot seems a bit empty without bringing these characters back as well. The excuse provided is that Poirot wants to be away from his own apartment, sort of in hiding, and so he decides to lodge in another apartment which is within sight of his own. Sorry, but that just doesn't sound right.
Then there is the stand-in for Hastings, Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Though Hannah has tried to re-create Catchpool to be a Hastings-like foil for Poirot, this raises more questions than provides answers. How is it that a Scotland Yard detective is so nervous at the sight of death, and so dim-witted most of the time. The description of the 'horrible' deaths is a bit misleading, as much as Catchpool may try to convince us of the horror. In Dame Agatha's world, these murders may have been horrible, but there needed to be an update here to match the world we live in. There were many more grisly crimes in the original books, and i felt Catchpool (and Hannah) just went a bit over the top.
Besides these faults, there are some inconsistencies in the plot, and some of the motivations didnt feel right. But this is a fairly rapid read and, once you get past the initial few hiccups, it keeps you interested. But what this book did most of all, was to make me want to go back and re-read all Dame Agatha's originals! They are so much cleverer and actually feel much less outdated than Sophie Hannah's brand new book!
Another surprise is that the only character from the original Poirot books that comes back to life here, is Poirot himself. No Inspector Japp at Scotland Yard, no Miss Lemon - Poirot's super efficient secretary who is present in all his England based cases, and most of all, no Captain Hastings. This seems odd, as a new Poirot seems a bit empty without bringing these characters back as well. The excuse provided is that Poirot wants to be away from his own apartment, sort of in hiding, and so he decides to lodge in another apartment which is within sight of his own. Sorry, but that just doesn't sound right.
Then there is the stand-in for Hastings, Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Though Hannah has tried to re-create Catchpool to be a Hastings-like foil for Poirot, this raises more questions than provides answers. How is it that a Scotland Yard detective is so nervous at the sight of death, and so dim-witted most of the time. The description of the 'horrible' deaths is a bit misleading, as much as Catchpool may try to convince us of the horror. In Dame Agatha's world, these murders may have been horrible, but there needed to be an update here to match the world we live in. There were many more grisly crimes in the original books, and i felt Catchpool (and Hannah) just went a bit over the top.
Besides these faults, there are some inconsistencies in the plot, and some of the motivations didnt feel right. But this is a fairly rapid read and, once you get past the initial few hiccups, it keeps you interested. But what this book did most of all, was to make me want to go back and re-read all Dame Agatha's originals! They are so much cleverer and actually feel much less outdated than Sophie Hannah's brand new book!
kloughlin's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This just missed the mark on a Hercule Poirot mystery. Sophie Hannah did a good job writing the beloved character but I found myself jarred out of the story by an uncharacteristic remark from Poirot here and there. The book was longer and the pace was slower (there were still two hours left in the audiobook when Poirot began his reveal) than Agatha Christie novels usually are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity and Blood
Minor: Animal death