“Equal parts charming and ingenious, dark and quirky and utterly engaging. Reading The Monogram Murders was like returning to a favorite room of a long-lost home” -Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone GirlSince the publication of her first novel in 1920, more than two billion copies of Agatha Christie’s books have been sold around the globe. Now, for the first time ever, … have been sold around the globe. Now, for the first time ever, the guardians of her legacy have approved a brand new novel featuring Dame Agatha’s most beloved creation, Hercule Poirot.
‘I’m a dead woman, or I shall be soon…’
Hercule Poirot’s quiet supper in a London coffeehouse is interrupted when a young woman confides to him that she is about to be murdered. She is terrified – but begs Poirot not to find and punish her killer. Once she is dead, she insists, justice will have been done.
Later that night, Poirot learns that three guests at a fashionable London Hotel have been murdered, and a cufflink has been placed in each one’s mouth. Could there be a connection with the frightened woman? While Poirot struggles to put together the bizarre pieces of the puzzle, the murderer prepares another hotel bedroom for a fourth victim…
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Someone murders three people and places cufflinks in their mouthes. Hercule Poirot is forced into the case by a strange woman. And, he feels compelled because he thinks there will be a forth murder. It’s a difficult case with a hard puzzle to figure out and many suspects. Poirot is always good.
Hannah has Agatha Christie’s voice of Perot down pat. I couldn’t believe Christie didn’t write this. It was great!!! Can’t wait to read the next one “The Mystery of Three Quarters”
If you love a brain-teaser mystery, this one will give “the little gray cells” a great workout. I couldn’t put it all together until the last chapter that this was a tragic cascade of relationships and murders. Hannah is a wonderful writer, and she re-creates Hercule Poirot perfectly.
If you like Agatha Christie, it’s likely that you’ll enjoy this book. The book kept me guessing throughout. It kept me changing my mind about who had plotted and committed the murders. It was more twisty-turny serpentines of plot than I think I’ve ever seen in any other book. I thought the Pirot in this book was spot on. Catchpool, on the other hand wasn’t believable. I just can’t imagine that a detective as inept as he could hold his job or would have ever reached the level of detective. If it wasn’t for Pirot in this book, Catchpool would have fallen flat on his face. Not at all believable.
At points, it did seem that certain scenes seemed belabored. They went on too long, longer than was necessary to make the points intended. I suppose that’s necessary in order to see Pirot at work. And at times, things changed so much and so rapidly that I could almost sense my head spinning.
If you want to see lies, lies, and more lies, actual and by omission, than this is the book for you. The purpose, of course, is to insure that no one fesses up to doing the deeds. It all added to keeping me guessing until the very end.
The writing is good, and the book was very easy to read. I haven’t been much of a Christie fan, but after reading this spinoff, I think I might need to give her books another look.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.
The author does an excellent job of extending the Hercule Poirot narrative. She nailed his demeanor and his dialogue. It makes me want to go back and read more Agatha Christie, and I will look for the author’s other Hercule Poirot books. Suffice it to say I had a difficult turning out my bedside lamp each night while engrossed in this book.
I love a good murder mystery and Sophie Hannah’s book does not disappoint. I was apprehensive to read this book because it wasn’t written by the great Agatha Christie herself, but the Hannah’s story did a good job portraying Hercule Poirot.
This is a twisted mystery with a little bit of humor thrown in. It kept me up late at night trying to finish it!! I enjoyed the writing style and will read more from this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for my opinion.
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I found this enjoyable and humourous. I always find Hercules Piroit funny with his very high estimation of himself and his quirky routines and I loved his interaction with the younger detective over this particular case. It was an interesting case and I loved how Piroit broke everything down but did find it all to be a bit drawn out.
Moved a little slow
A great writing style
S Hannah truly captures Agatha Christie’s style and develops interesting characters and plot twists. It is nice to read the spirit of Agatha Christie again.
For Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot fans, there is a new author, Sophie Hannah, now writing the Poirot ouvre. Unfortunately we don’t have Miss Lemon and Captain Hastings, but homicide detective Catchpool acts as the new foil for Poirot’s little grey cells. The first in the series, Closed Casket, is a typical country house mystery. The Monogram Murders centres on a hotel.
Like all of Christie’s books there are unexpected plot turns and character explorations that makes for a fascinating read.
Typical Agatha Christie – a great read.
Lovely to see Hercule Poirot in new adventures, and a little more character development than Dame Agatha allowed.
This book kept me guessing until the end. Plot was very twisted and things just kept getting more interesting. Ending took me by surprise too.
Old fashioned but entertaining
Love Agatha Christy books, can read them over and over
Not her best, but still pretty darned good. Had me guessing almost the entire time
a joy for Christie fans.
I was curious about the book, and so I bought it. It was okay. I don’t think it’s truly in Agatha Christie’s style. I found it too wordy at times and tiresome. I would buy it if you can get it inexpensively just to satisfy curiosity.