I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie’s books especially those featuring Hercule Poirot so I was delighted when I saw that Sophie Hannah was continuing the series. I bought The Mystery of Three Quarters expecting to love it but I found that I struggled to read this book and I don’t know why. The writing is good with the characters well described. Perhaps I was missing the presence of Hastings or Inspector Japp even though I know they didn’t appear in every book. I did like the characters of Edward Catchpole and Fee Spring and would be interested in reading a story featuring them as the main characters. Will I read more from this author/series? Probably if only to satisfy my curiosity

I do love Hercule Poirot and have missed him so it was so nice to read his quirky ways again but no-one does Agatha as good as Agatha.

This story starts with the investigation into four letters supposedly written by Hercule Poirot. These letters all accuse the recipient of murder. The accused individually confront Poirot and he feels compelled to find out just who is behind the letter writing and why this group of people were in receipt of such a crime.

The story telling is steeped in the style of Agatha Christie and unfolds just as one would expect. I enjoyed the short chapters and the style was easy to read. The disappointment lay in the ending. The subtleties with which one is used to observing in Agatha’s original works were replaced with over zealous characterisations and as such I knew who the culprit was as soon as they were introduced.

So intriguing. I was so happy to see Hercule back and so delighted that a master such as Sophie Hannah was writing it. I felt in very safe hands from the start. Cant wait to read more.

I love Sophie Hannah's resurrection of Poirot and am so grateful that she has taken on the mantle of Poirot's writer. I enjoyed the previous two installments and think that she is getting stronger with each new installment. Poirot's voice, ways and mannerisms are down pat and his new side-kick is elegantly engaging without being too late in the catch-up game with Poirot. I'm so grateful that we have new quality Poirot novels to enjoy!

I personally enjoyed this mystery thriller . Being a huge fan of Agatha Christie ,I could surely enjoy this book as well

Hercule Poirot had never heard of Sylvia Rule, until she accosted him in the street and demanded why he had sent her a letter accusing her of the murder of Barnabas Pandy. He certainly had sent no such letter. He hadn’t sent the other three letters either, each addressed to a person that Poirot had never met before, each accusing them of murder – the murder of the same man, Barnabas Pandy, an old man who had apparently accidentally drowned in his bathtub.

Why would someone do such a thing – why not simply ask Poirot to investigate a suspicious death? It seems that someone has a plan – a plan that seemingly extends beyond simple murder.

Do appreciate that I go into a book like this unlike many readers. Some have simply heard of that Poirot chap and see his name on the cover – after all, the major UK booksellers these days seem to be supermarkets and they don’t stock classic Christie. Others are fans of Christie having read them when they were young. And then there’s people like me who know the classic Christie canon inside out and back to front.

Putting aside the question of the need for a continuation of Poirot’s adventures – it seems to be the thing these days, with both Albert Campion and Nero Wolfe enjoying new sales adventures as well – the other question concerns how accurate this tale is a recreation of Poirot and Christie’s style herself. Indeed, should Hannah be creating a tale that could seamlessly insert itself into the canon or should she write in a more modern style? After all, Christie’s style changed over the years – compare, say, Five Little Pigs with Peril At End House.

At the end of the day, let’s take a look at how it stands up as a piece of detective fiction. And it stands up very well. The plot is complex, but not as convoluted as The Monogram Murders, and the revelations are all fairly clued – Hannah seems to make a point of justifying every one of Poirot’s deductions in the finale. And yes, you could make a point about the villain’s plan being very unlikely to work, but to be fair, you could make a case for that in, say, Death On The Nile, too.

My primary niggle – and Hannah is by no means the only writer guilty of this – is the notion that the book is narrated/written by a character (Inspector Catchpool) despite him being present for only a portion of the events depicted. There is little need for narration here – indeed, little need to persist with Catchpool (is Japp copyrighted or something?). There’s nothing wrong with the third person…

But as I said, it’s a fairly clued mystery, hiding a familiar (to this over-read mystery fanatic) plot idea well. Definitely the strongest of the three Poirot continuations, but I would prefer a more conscious aping of Christie’s style.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for the review copy.

This is the third book written by Sophie Hannah using Hercule Poirot and I wasn't disappointed. This book is a definitive improvement upon the previous ones . Here,Hercule Poirot is accused by four individuals of sending a letter accusing them murdering a Barnabas Pandy. Poirot wants to clear not only his name but also wants to solve the murder mystery. Was he really murdered ? If so,then by whom . I would recommend it if you are a Poirot and/or Agatha Christie fan.

Another excellent Poirot novel from Sophie Hannah's series with a good twist and a good overall concept. My only complaint is that it made me crave Battenberg cake!

A great addition to the library of any Agatha Christie fan. A convoluted mystery, which is obviously solved in a very satisfactory manner by a very believable Hercule Poirot. A good sense of the period, with no jarring dialogue. More Poirot stories please, Sophie Hannah!

I am not a great lover of continuation series, books written by a new author after the death of the much-loved originator. It seems a cynical moneymaking move and I fear it will ruin my love of the original author’s books. I grew up loving Agatha Christie and have not, until now, been tempted to read the new Poirot stories by Sophie Hannah. But about to go on holiday, feeling tired and longing for something familiar but new, I picked up ‘The Mystery of Three Quarters’. And what a delight it is.
The story starts as Poirot is challenged in turn by four strangers, each accusing him of naming them as a murderer. Affronted that fraudulent letters have been sent in his name, Poirot sets out to investigate. He suspects however that the supposed victim Barnabas Pandy does not exist. But Pandy does exist, or did, for 94-year old Barnabas Pandy is dead, drowned in his bath. Told by Poirot’s police sidekick, Inspector Edward Catchpool, this is a clever and mystifying story of Pandy, his two grand-daughters, and long-buried guilt and shame.
Hannah writes with ease and I slipped seamlessly into loving and believing in her Poirot. As with all good crime fiction, I had suspicions about the identity of the murderer but only during Poirot’s customary reveal did I connect together the unpredictable clues laid so carefully throughout the novel. And as always, it is satisfying to know I had guessed correctly. At 400 printed pages ‘The Mystery of Three Quarters’ is longer than Christie’s Poirot novels, which come in at under 300 pages, but I flew through it in one day. Just the ticket for a holiday read.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

Hercule Poirot is accused by four different people of writing letters that accuse them of murder. The problem is that Poirot did not send the letters, he has no idea how sent them, but he does think that something more sinister and dangerous could be afoot…

I have not read the previous two books in this series and to be honest this one reads very well as a stand-alone. I think this mirrors the way Christie herself wrote, each of her books could be picked up and read in any order.

So did this mysterious tale feel right? Actually yes it did, there was a lot of misdirection, clues that only came clear at the end, a series of possible characters who could have dunnit and who had the motive and of course there is a body.

I enjoyed the slower pace of this mystery novel and felt that the author did a really good job of creating a story with the infamous Poirot. Various mannerisms, quirks, and phrases felt right.

The plot is one that I was happy to sit back and watch (so to speak) as it worked its way through to the grand unveiling of the guilty party and the reasons why.

I have read all of Agatha Christie’s books, though it was several years ago now, and I found there were some good similarities between Sophie Hannah’s Poirot and the original. It was an enjoyable read and ones that I think would appeal to fans of cosy mystery and also of Christie fans as well.

I was a little apprehensive to read The Mystery of Three Quarters. I had such high expectations. I'm delighted to say Ms Hannah delivered a genuine article. From the first chapter I was at home with Poirot and excited to read the rest of the book.

Poirot is brought into the aftermath of Barnabas Pandy's death which had been deemed natural causes. All the red herrings littered in the story brought joy. And then the gorgeous (and extensive) summing up. At a time where the punishment for murder was hanging, the tension of the gallows added to the plot.

Thank you Ms Hannah for bringing Hercule back to life. I look forward to reading more of Poirot's adventures.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.

Received a free copy from NetGalley

This book was not my cup of tea, the plot sounded promising enough and caught my attention but i felt the book didn't deliver

An evocative novel in the style of Agatha Christie featuring a web of different people who arrive having received letters supposed to be written by the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. As he strives to explain the mystery of why their has been a possible murder and who the murderer is the clock is ticking and one is left wondering what will happen next. Sophie has made the transition to walk in the famous detective's shoes successfully.

A Hercule Poirot mystery. Sophie Hannah does the subject matter justice and writes in a very similar way to Agatha Christie. However at times I find it a little too wordy, That said it was an enjoyable book. Four characters are written to, the letters accusing the recipient of murdering an old man who drowned in the bath. Did he down or was he murdered? Poirot is intrigued and investigates......

This is not a continuations of Christie but a new lease of life for Poirot. Following him as several people come to him with identical letters telling them they are a murderer! A twist of lies and complications ensue with a case that only Hercule Poirot can solve.

This is the first of Sophie Hannah’s takes on Agatha Christie that I’ve read and I did really enjoy it. My favourite thing about Christie is the puzzle element, her novels don’t always feel grounded in reality for me but the puzzle is always brilliant and I think Hannah did a good job with this. This book’s mystery was one that I managed to figure out elements of but not the whole thing, something that’s rare for me with Poirot but I liked feeling like I had a chance of solving the crime. I’ll definitely be picking up more of Sophie Hannah’s Poirot books and I’m really looking forward to reading them.

The third outing for Sophie Hannah's Poirot series based on the character created by Agatha Christie. In this one, Poirot is confronted by several angry people who think they have each received a letter from him accusing them of murder.

It started off well but degenerated into a convoluted plot that ultimately didn't pay off. It's a shame because I really enjoyed the second book in the series, but this one was tedious at times including the device of 'Church Window cake' or Battenberg cake as it's now known. Christie made producing artful mysteries look effortless but obviously it wasn't.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

I really wanted to love this, which I think may have raised my hopes too much. It was a credible effort but it didn't fascinate me the way the Agatha Christie Poirot stories did. It seemed to drag a little.

Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot returns in a clever, stylish new mystery penned by the fantastic Sophie Hannah this month, which sees Poirot’s little grey cells tackling an elaborate puzzle involving a tangled web of relationships, scandalous secrets, and past misdeeds. Full of humour and wit, this is an entertaining top drawer whodunnit that doesn’t disappoint.