This is the third of the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, following The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket, produced by British crime writer Sophie Hannah with the authorization of the Agatha Christie Estate. Clearly, Ms. Christie's heirs are not satisfied to reap the royalties of the legendary author who never goes out of print and whose total sales worldwide are only surpassed by Shakespeare and The Bible.
I am one of Christie's legions of fans who continues to enjoy re-reading the original Agatha, but find myself unimpressed by Hannah's pastiches. True, Christie's characters tended to be types at best and stereotypes at worst, but Hannah's imitations are just silly and stupid.
In this outing, the story begins when four persons receive letters purporting to be from Hercule Poirot, accusing each one of murdering Barnabas Pandy. Of course the letters are forgeries, and an indignant Poirot begins his investigation with the intention of clearing his own name. Poirot has a new amanuensis in Detective Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard, and the redoubtable Miss Lemon, his secretary, as been replaced by Fee Spring, an ambitious waitress at Pleasant's Coffeehouse.
It takes 344 pages for Hannah to reach the conclusion of her story, and the denouement takes 71 pages to reveal what Christie devotees will have figured out for themselves much sooner: Hannah is no Christie.
Click HERE to read the review in Publishers Weekly.
Click HERE to read the review in Kirkus.
Click HERE to read the review from criminalelement.com
No comments:
Post a Comment