I thought I would be more into this than I was. I have read Christie before. But it's just that this wasn't quite Christie. It just wasn't. And with Christie, the datedness doesn't feel dated, it just feels like vintage and like Christie and Hannah was not quite able to replicate it, which should have been fine and yet it just didn't interest me. I thought that because my Dad is a fan that I would be but ... no. I think I should just carry on buying them for his birthdays/Christmases and keep myself on the real thing.

Sophie Hannah's "The Mystery of Three Quarters" is a well-crafted, page-turning mystery novel that will keep readers guessing until the very end. The book is a continuation of Agatha Christie's famous Hercule Poirot series, and Hannah has done an excellent job of capturing the spirit of Christie's writing while putting her own twist on the story.
The plot revolves around Hercule Poirot being accused of sending letters to four different people, all signed with his name, accusing them of murder. As Poirot sets out to clear his name, he discovers that the real culprit is still at large and must be brought to justice.
Hannah's writing is excellent, and she keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. The characters are well-drawn, and the plot is intricate and cleverly crafted. Fans of Christie's work will not be disappointed.
Overall, it's an enjoyable, well-written mystery that is sure to delight fans of the genre.

Sophie Hannah takes on the mantle of Agatha Christie and provides an entertaining and gripping mystery for Hercule Poirot to solve. I enjoyed her take on the character and being able to see Poirot in situations beyond those giving in Christie's original works.

I really enjoyed this new Hercule Poirot story.

Before I proceed, a disclaimer:
It has been many, many years since I read an Agatha Christie novel. I devoured them as a child and I don't think I've read one since. Therefore in this review I will not be doing anything to compare Sophie Hannah's writing style to that of Christie's. However, I have seen a lot of the ITV Hercule Poirot adaptations with David Suchet!

I loved Sophie Hannah's portrayal of Poirot, with all his little quirks and eccentricities. You could really tell that she was having fun with this iconic detective, and it's a lot of fun for the reader too. There's further fun around a number of the other characters repeatedly getting his name wrong or insisting that he is French, and in one case pleasing him immensely by pronouncing it perfectly.

Edward Catchpool, the Scotland Yard detective helping him, is our main POV character, and the tale is told from his perspective with a good dose of humour, often at his own expense. The perspective is handled in an interesting way. Some chapters are told in first person, with Catchpool being our point of view. Others, the ones told from Poirot's perspective, and a handful with another main character, are told in third person. This all works well with the conceit that it is Catchpool recording all of the events on a typewriter, similar to how Watson recounts all of Sherlock Holme's adventures for publication. I've had trouble with novels in the past switching between first and third, but it really worked for me in this novel. Poirot is a mysterious man and best viewed externally to maintain the mystery and surprise, while Catchpool was a most endearing narrator.

But any mystery novel has to stand or fall on the quality of its mystery. And here The Mystery of Three Quarters did really well too. It's a really interesting set-up, four people each receive a letter accusing them of murdering the same man, a man three of them don't know, and all apparently signed by M. Hercule Poirot. For much of the novel we have no idea if there even is a murder to be investigated, which is a really cool twist. Pieces slowly fall into place, but with no definite victim it is so hard to put them together, and I really enjoyed Poirot's recurring theme of a slice of Church Window Cake (which sounds very Battenberg like) and how the cake reflects the suspects. The structure of the novel itself further emphasises this, neatly divided as it is into four quarters. Tension builds nicely as Poirot announces he will reveal the murderer on a particular date, before he knows who it is or even if there has been a murder, and everything builds to a thrilling conclusion.

One additional thing I really appreciated was the discussions about the nature of justice. So often these types of mysteries end with the murderer being announced and marched off, ignoring the fact that they're set in an age of capital punishment. The Mystery of Three Quarters addresses that head on, very effectively too.

With The Mystery of Three Quarters, Sophie Hannah takes one of the most iconic detectives in our literary canon and has a lot of fun with him. It's a lot of fun to read too.

I am going to make a confession - until this book hit my review stack, I’d never read a Hercule Poirot novel. I’ve never read an Agatha Christie novel. Now I know this isn’t a get-out, but I have watched many of the little and big-screen adaptations of the legendary Belgian detective. And when I think of the screen representation, I cannot see anyone beyond David Suchet in the role.

The Mystery of Three Quarters is quintessentially Poirot in my view. All of the idiosyncrasies that make the eccentric character what he is are all present. Though the supposed crime is as grim as ever, the book has joviality that runs through it. The case itself is perfectly befitting of something Hercule Poirot would take on. It’s intriguing, filled with twists and turns with the culprit only truly revealed at the conclusion of the book.

The story is engaging and fun. It draws you in. Poirot has a way about him to draw the reader in. The cast of supporting characters around him is well-written. All are equally self-centred and only concerned about themselves, all equally likely to be the culprit. And while I’ve not read the original Agatha Christie novel, I felt I could imagine David Suchet playing this version of Poirot perfectly. With that in mind, I don’t think it could have been much better without it coming from Christie herself.

Nicely Crafted Mystery.,,
An engaging mystery with much to like in this reimagining of Hercule Poirot from Sophie Hannah. Mysterious letters are making an appearance making accusations of murder and claiming to be from Poirot himself - who is sending these and why? An entertaining and nicely crafted mystery with enjoyable characters. I have read all in this series and have enjoyed each on their own merit. For me, an ardent Christie fan, nothing can beat the Queen of Crime herself and as such I pick each one up with some considerable trepidation. Rather than make comparisons, however, they are best read without that in mind and they will consequently be enjoyed more.

My favourite of Hannah's additions to the Hercule Poirot series, this is entertaining and compelling, providing the man with the little grey cells a complex mystery that is worthy of his abilities. Hannah's Poirot is just as I remember him from Christie's own, and the new "colleague" he works with is a great addition.

Sometimes having read an author you want to dive back in and read something else they have written. Especially as in this case when I am reading Poirot re-imagined by Sophie Hannah. Her treatment of Agatha Christie’s adorable detective with all his idiosyncratic behaviours and foibles means it was a new Poirot novel I particularly wanted to read. Believing I have perhaps read all the originals I went to Hannah’s third outing as the “Princess Regent of Crime”.
A true mystery to send your reasoning into foggy confusion. Baffling and intriguing, page-turning and baffling.
Beautifully crafted and modelled, a case no-one but Poirot it appears could solve; if a murder has indeed occurred in the first place.

Like a never ending sandwich cake it is layered with suspects and scenarios regarding if an elderly man died after falling asleep in his bath or if he was intentionally drowned. However it is a slice of “Battenberg” that is presented to us and the point of departure for ‘the little grey cells’.

Hence the title and the draw to solve this mystery for the famous Belgian policeman.

Narrated by Inspector Edward Catchpool of the Yard a new version of Hastings but as a police officer entrusted with tasks. He is a support to Poirot but lacks the synapses to spark solutions for himself.
Poirot is drawn into the case because someone has written a letter signed in his name. This letter has been sent to four individuals accusing them of murdering the old man found dead in the bath. An affront on Poirot’s good name and a clear challenged for him to unpick the puzzle.

I love this period when contact can not be maintained by mobile and social media. Time is a passage of time that wifi can’t bridge, typewriters can give clues rather than needing to chase down IP addresses or profiles. Overheard conversations yield clues rather than phone records.

As Poirot says character needs to be understood to see and glimpse motive. All the ingredients are here; strained family relationships, changing wills and misplaced loyalty.
When Poirot calls the suspects to an unrevealing of the truth you feel that familiar charge of the “Denouement”. Trouble is even he hasn’t fully worked it out it seems, so what chance mere mortals reading the twisting plot?

Enthralling and entertaining; a challenging case to relax into and see order from chaos and confusion restored.

Having loved Agatha Christie's Poirot since I was a little girl, I was a bit concerned about starting to read the New Hercule Poirt Mystery series by Sophie Hannah.
I wondered before I started whether I could love these books like I loved the original books and unfortunately while I like The Mystery Of Three Quarters I found the new Poirot quite flat and unlikable.

This is the third of Sophie Hannah ‘New Poirot Mysteries’ and whilst it wasn’t terrible I wasn’t particularly impressed either.

It fell flat in several ways. Firstly, none of the characters worked for me at all. Catchpool was irritating, Snow annoyed me, Poirot was a caricature of Christie’s original. The supporting characters were also all equally unlikeable. This made the book, though well written, rather a slog to get through.

All in all rather disappointing.

*** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ***

As a big Agatha Christie fan, I was fully prepared to hate Sophie Hannah's new take on Poirot. However, I'm always very happy to be proved wrong! These new stories have all been excellent, and this one is no exception. These books feel authentic and like a natural continuation of the Poirot stories. Sophie nails Christie's voice without ever becoming clichéd or parroting previous work. The mysteries themselves are also tight, and very 'Christie-esque'. Excellent!

I have enjoyed these new Hercule Poirot novels that Sophie Hannah has written. This one was no exception.

Sophie Hannah can do no wrong and is a worthy writer to take up the mantel from my totally beloved Agatha Christie. I love how Hannah's stories retain the same feeling as the originals, and I can so easily get lost in a Poirot mystery. The Mystery of Three Quarters was no exception, a great whodunnit.

Sophie Hannah gets Poirot just right. She gets under his skin but she also brings him up to date, just slightly, so that he springs off the page with new life. This is a great traditional mystery that Hannah is a master of.

What an amazing new voice for Agatha Christie's Poirot. I think Sophie Hannah got the character spot on with her own little twist, as a Christie fan I really loved this. Would recommend to all!

Even though I was well aware of the famous Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie, I had never read any books based on Poirot. Therefore I can't really contrast Hannah and Christie. I can honestly say I was impressed by Hannah's writing. I really enjoyed the plot and was left wondering who the murderer was until the very end. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

When taking on the mantle of a famous author and writing about a beloved character there is always the possibility that the new writer might fall flat on their face. Everybody has an opinion about how it should be done, who can continue the legacy, and on occasion, why even bother at all.

Why bother? because those of us who love the Poirot stories by Agatha Christie want more of them.

Who can continue the legacy? Sophie Hannah has captured the style of Agatha Christie and the voice of Poirot perfectly and I think she deserves to continue the legacy.

Everybody has an opinion and all are valid but in my opinion, as a big Agatha Christie fan, this is an excellent addition to the Poirot stories. It has all the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie novel while also managing to be fresh and modern in its storytelling.

I very much enjoyed reading this and looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.

I am absolutely lost for words on this book, I was hooked from the get go, I couldn’t wait to see how the characters developed but also the plot line. Mesmerising, outstanding and definitely a book worth getting your teeth into

Poirot is back in the 3rd novel resurrecting our favourite Belgian detective.
Sophie Hannah has worked hard to do justice to Christie’s beloved character whilst giving it her own spin.
In this book, 4 people receive a letter accusing them of murder, each apparently signed by Hercule; thus begins this crime escapade as HP seeks to solve the mystery and clear his name.
As with Christie’s mysteries, I did not know solve the clues ahead of Poirot’s grand reveal.
I enjoyed the characters, particularly Roland Rope and Hugo Dockerill.
Give the new Poirot a chance !

I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However this is very cleverly done. There is more thought and discussion from the chief inspector and he went to resolve the mystery with Poirot which you wouldn’t find normally in a Agatha Christie book as it is usually the little grey cells of Poirot that you read about, however it gave the story a different perspective. The pace was good and great fun to read how Poirot plays his victims/characters to get them to admit or not what has happened! In this case it’s all about the cake!