A review by erica_lynn_huberty
The Monogram Murders by Agatha Christie, Sophie Hannah

3.0

A very good story, multiple plot-twists… but perhaps the most surprising is a true Christie-like feel, to such an extent that I did not at all mind that Agatha Christie herself did not write “The Monogram Murders.” Normally, I don’t like gimmicky premises for books (zombies, back-stories, riding on coattails of classic literary giants, etc.), but occasionally a real gem surfaces and this is one (“Ahab’s Wife” was by far the best of these, a true literary stand-alone). In the hands of a solidly good contemporary writer who knows from whence she writes, I would not mind several Sophie Hannah takes on the singular detective Poirot. Readers should not expect a line-for-line copy of Christie’s work; the grammar alone is so different and contemporary to that of Christie’s, as well as the lack of play-like pages of dialogue Christie was known for. But what they might easily relax into is the authentic “notion” of Hercule Poirot, particularly in the form of David Suchet’s famous rendition in the television series. This is not unpleasant at all, and made for cozy but gripping reading.