The Mystery of Three Quarters is Sophie Hannah’s third Poirot mystery following the Monogram Murders and the Closed Casket. As with any ‘revisiting’ of such characters, the first thing to note is the tone and how believable the new Poirot is; it is unfortunate that the storyline only comes second in these cases.

There are a few stories out there about why Hannah started writing Poirot stories and I heard a couple of them, one from Hannah and one from her agent, at the Cheltenham Literary Festival where she introduced the first book in 2014. The stories didn’t quite gel but the most realistic explanation is that the copyright is about to expire on Agatha Christie books but if a character is kept alive then it cannot do so. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd comes out of copyright next year. That one has no character to keep alive, unfortunately for the Christie Estate.

The other issue with Christie’s stories — she is still the best sold writer after the Bible’s writers — as I was told at the festival, was her weak characterisations. Her characters are no more than two-dimensional and that’s at times part of the pleasure of it all. She stages different scenarios in different ways as a means of exploring plots and structures. At times her books were weak, that’s hard to disguise, but they were usually sparse in a good way. If someone is about to be killed off or pointed out as a murderer, you don’t want to get too close to them.

However, Hannah, tried to get us a bit too close to the characters in Monogram Murders with our sidekick and narrative device having his own personal issues about his sexual preferences. I’m not sure how far that continued or will continue but it was certainly a very un-Christie thing to do.

I’m a little cynical at this attempt to reanimate one of the best-loved creations of that Golden Age of detective novels for the sake the pockets of the Christie foundation but I do love a good mystery. Christie herself had her own issues, which see many of the beloved writer’s books interspersed with blatant racism and anti-Semitism. Hannah, thank goodness, speaks with the morality of our times and now that she has the tone down pat — although she was pretty good in the last two books too — she can really focus on the story.

The Mystery of Three Quarters was to me the most enjoyable one yet. The Poirot voice was there with his quirkiness and familiarity. The mystery is set in 1930s London and features a coffee shop again.

What the publisher says:

Returning home after lunch one day, Hercule Poirot finds an angry woman waiting outside his front door. She demands to know why Poirot has sent her a letter accusing her of the murder of Barnabas Pandy, a man she has neither heard of nor ever met.

Poirot has also never heard of a Barnabas Pandy, and has accused nobody of murder. Shaken, he goes inside, only to find that he has a visitor waiting for him — a man who also claims also to have received a letter from Poirot that morning, accusing him of the murder of Barnabas Pandy…

Poirot wonders how many more letters of this sort have been sent in his name. Who sent them, and why? More importantly, who is Barnabas Pandy, is he dead, and, if so, was he murdered? And can Poirot find out the answers without putting more lives in danger?

The Mystery of Three Quarters was published 23 August 2018.

I think Sophie Hannah has captured the character and tenor os Hercule Poirot mystery very well. Her writing is pacy and her new characters of Fee and Catchpool are very likeable. In this mystery a death classed as accidental suddenly becomes suspicious as four people receive letters supposedly from the great Hercule accusing them of the murder. As with the great Agatha Christie this author brings in a hole cast of characters who despite their number and varied backgrounds are memorable. I don't think she is as skilled in dropping in the clues and more of the background is kept until the end but this is a very enjoyable tale

This book revolves around four individuals being sent letters signed in the name of Poirot accusing them of murder. It started well and I was hoping for an exciting read, but, I was disappointed.All in all, this was an average read. You can tell I'm disappointed, slightly. . There was not enough proof for my liking. It certainly wasn't up to the high standard of writing that I expect from this series.

It must be difficult to follow in the footsteps of a great writer, but I think that this book fell short of the level that readers would expect. All in all a disappointingly ' soft' read.

3rd one of the new poirot series and probably the best of the 3 , have enjoyed all of them . Great plot and characters, keep them coming Sophia Hannah

Solve the puzzles with grey cells!

Hercules Poirot was approached by an angry female stranger when he returned home to Whitehaven Mansions from his luncheon. Sylvia Rule asked him why he wrote a letter to her, accusing her of murdering an elderly man. Poirot replied that didn’t know her. He had never heard of Barnabas Pandy, the victim of crime.

John McCrodden and Annabel Treadway also received the letter of accusation from so-called Mr Poirot. Hercules Poirot investigated the “impersonator” or the fraudster until he spotted one of the alphabetical letters which were faulty as all the epistle writings were typed.

Poirot typically followed the clues that were put together before he summoned the suspects close to the spot or meeting where the crime(s) took place. The murderer or murderess would be exposed.

I thank Sophie Hannah for bringing Poirot back to life about 40 years since Agatha’s last Poirot novel was released.

Columbpoirot

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

So great to read another Hercule Poirot after ages! I think Sophie Hannah has done justice to Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and I appreciate it that she did not create the character as her version, and changed the narrator.

The Mystery of Three quarters was just my cup of tea. I have heard a lot about Sophie Hannah but this is the first book I have read and it was a book I could read without having read the first two installments from the series. I you love a modern twist on the Agatha Christie 'Whodunnits', then this book is definitely for you.

I adore classic mystery stories. I've loved the original Sherlock books for as long as I can remember, as well as Agatha Christie's writing, so when I spotted this little gem on NetGalley I just had to request it and luckily my request was granted!

This is the third book in this new installment by Sophie Hannah in the Hercule Poirot series and follows Poirot investigating an apparent murder where a forger has pretended to be him and has accused individuals of the crime via letters. This, of course, intrigues him and he begins to delve deeper into the mystery that has been laid out. 

The writing style is done very well, and really gives you the feel of a classic Christie book. There are obviously imperfections in the writing, however, it is a well written piece and incredibly enjoyable. I found myself speeding through the book, and it was finished in no time at all. Always a sign of a good book for me. I definitely want to go back to the first two books Sophie Hannah released and delve into those too, as I can only imagine how much I'll enjoy them. If you enjoy a traditional mystery then definitely pick this up. Great fun, enjoyable plot twists and all-in-all something that fits in well alongside Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle.

I was half way down the first page when I realised I'd never read a Poirot book, so there's a large chunk of review that that I can't actually write.
How good is Sophie Hannah at writing Poirot?!
How well do these new mysteries match the originals?
Are these newer books in keeping with the older ones?

I am curious about the answers to these questions, but full out mysteries are not usually something I find truly entertaining to read - I tend to prefer them to have something extra in the mix, some fantasy, romance or even a little something paranormal. Even so, I was pretty excited when this showed up in my emails as I do like a good [David Suchet] Poirot episode!

I was disappointed to see that some of the familiar faces I was expecting were not there! Apparently he 'retired', but cameos would have been nice! But then I guess this IS book 3! It just seemed a little odd with only Poirot, like he was on holiday or something.

I liked the idea of this book, with the letters from Poirot that Poirot did not write! It was a good premise. How the characters matched up and didn't match up was pretty interesting too.
As always, of course, the murderer was not nearly as clever as they thought!
OR...was there a murderer at all?!

The cake subplot was confusing. It seemed really random and hard to picture. All I could think of was a battenberg - is that what they were talking about?!

I will certainly consider reading another Poirot - maybe an original - but this time I will read a paper copy so that I can flick through the slower parts.

I love Agatha Christie's portrait of Hercule Poirot and her ingenious plots never fail to out fox me. To pick up the reins must be a daunting task, which many an author might baulk at the offer. However, Sophie Hannah did just that and how. I admit I wasn't take too much by her previous Poirot books but she found the voice of the Belgian detective in this story. The complex story was imaginative and compelling. Catchpole was a good choice to record events. As ever, I didn't guess who did it but it didn't matter as the story wove an immensely entertaining read. I highly recommend it and thank netgalley for the chance to read it.

I really love the character of Hercule Poirot - and I was uncertain when Sophie Hannah picked up the reins from Agatha Christie but with this story, I needn't have been concerned. All the Poirot idiosyncrasies are here, beautifully captured and presented by Ms Hannah. The story has all the right elements - mysterious letters, frustrated Poirot, country houses, 1930's setting. It all works perfectly and if you are a fan of Poirot, you can safely pick this up and be swept along in clever storytelling and excellent characterisation.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I am a devoted worshipper of Hercule Poirot and anything to do with him that does not live up to his high standards is, naturally, a sacrilege in my eyes. But I don’t want him to become obsolete so Sophie Hannah’s undertaking to bring Hercule back to life is a commendable one. As long as it is done to perfection!
I read Hannah’s first offering, liked on some levels and disliked it on others. I missed the second instalment and now to The Mystery of the Three Quarters. I loved it!
This review is not about how good the book is, but how true it is to the very essence of what Hercule Poirot stands for. And yes, it is him resurrected. Hannah has captured his quirks and his depth. The painstaking process of discovery that his grey cells engage in is spot on. The other characters are painted skilfully: they have clearly defined personality, motives and are intricately interlinked. It is all Agatha Christie herself!

It hasn’t been long since I read an original Poirot story and so I can confidently say I’m impressed with how convincingly Sophie Hannah imitates Christie’s style. I also like that she gives us more narrative viewpoints than you get in most classic Poirot stories. We get to see events from Catchpole, Poirot and a few of the minor characters’ POVs and it’s a great way to drip feed us information as the puzzle pieces slowly slot into place.

I liked that the mystery wasn’t entirely unfathomable and I was able to work out some of the twists. As usual with a Poirot, there were a few things no-one would guess in a million years, but if we found the solution to the riddle obvious it would take the shine off his reputation as a master detective!

If you’re considering picking this up, my main advice would be it’s important that you like Christie’s style and the original Poirot stories. There are elements of all these stories which won’t appeal to some readers: the cool detachment of the narrative voice, the lack of character insight for any other purpose than adding to the puzzle, the many tiny wheels within wheels, and in this case a Battenberg cake analogy which is spun out for far too long.

But for those of you who do like Poirot and other classic murder mysteries, The Mystery of Three Quarters has everything you will expect and want: red herrings a plenty, a country mansion, everyone brought into one room to hear the genius’ deductions, a furious (but obviously mistaken) police superintendent, and dark family secrets waiting to be brought to light.

Overall: if Christie’s stories and Poirot are something you already enjoy, you should definitely add this new mystery to your to-read pile.

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2018/09/13/the-mystery-of-three-quarters-new-hercule-poirot-mysteries-3-by-sophie-hannah/
I was so excited when I saw The Mystery of Three Quarters. A new Poirot mystery written by Sophie Hannah, whose books I’ve read and enjoyed in the past, taking up the mantle of the crime queen. How would it all work out? Well, I have to say that I really enjoyed this. I totally sympathise with any author taking on a firmly established and well loved character created by a master of the genre. I think one of the real difficulties lies in capturing the essence of the period but I think Hannah did a good job of capturing not only the quintessential character of Poirot but also managing to instill the book with that quaint feel that you would expect. Of course this isn’t Christie but, truthfully, I don’t think Hannah is trying to totally mimic the original, more that she’s bringing back to the page a beloved character whilst giving him something of her own stamp.

I’m only going to briefly discuss the plot. Basically, four characters receive a letter from Poirot accusing them of murder. One thing that is immediately clear is that the letters were not written by Poirot, what is not clear is why somebody would send these letters accusing people of a murder when in fact the death in question seems to have been accidental. It can only be assumed that foul play is suspected and that somebody wishes Poirot to dig a little deeper.

The book is set in the 1930s and I felt like Hannah did a really good job of creating not only a feel for the era but also managing to write a crime novel which feels cosy. No violence or bloodyness on these pages. Everything is respectable, or at least it is on the face of things.

The characters are a fun and quirky bunch ranging from a rather muddleheaded school master to a shy spinster living in a country manor and doting on her dog. Poirot came across as quirky and eccentric with nods to his dislike of disorder and the story was narrated by one Inspector Edward Catchpool. I really enjoyed the way in which the characters are set up and the red herrings that Hannah sprinkles around to send readers off on wild goose chases and I particularly loved the whole grande finale with all the suspects being called together in a showy attempt at flushing out the guilty party.

In terms of criticisms. Well, I thought the start was a little slow and at first I felt as though Poirot should have been a little more forceful in defending himself against the angry visitors he was treated to. To be honest though, I think on reflection that his reaction was probably more ‘Poirot’ than if he had reacted in that way. I didn’t think the final solution was quite as elaborate as I’d expected in fact for me it felt a little bit flat in some respects but again, maybe that’s just me trying to have things feel too ‘plausible’.

I realise that there were two previous books prior to this one but I’m not sure if I’ll go back to read those – not because I don’t want to read more however, just I feel I’ve jumped forward now and so would prefer to see what comes next.

Overall I have to say I found this a very easy and quick read and I certainly hope that Ms Hannah intends to write more books starring Poirot – I will definitely pick them up and will be curious to see how her style develops going forward. I loved being able to read a Poirot mystery again and revisiting a character and period that has a simple charm.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I received this ebook in exchange for a fair unbiased review, my thanks to HarperCollins & Netgalley for the opportunity. I don't do spoilers so for a guide the the book I suggest the blurb.

Anyone with, one might say, the audacity to chose to extend the lives of another author's characters had better be able to emulate the originator's style and, as in this case, be able to come up with an original plot. This must be even more true of 'Whodunits'.
In my opinion Sophie Sophie Hannah has manage to achieve the required requirements in this and her previous books. Do not be mislead into the idea that she has just regurgitated AC's style she brings to the prose a refreshing feel rejuvenating Hercule Poirot and polishing up his little grey cells.
My one criticism is the opening chapters felt slightly over written and Poirot to easily cowed but as the book progresses these slight variations from AC's detective are easily forgiven.
I recommend you have a go and see what Poirot is up to.

While this was my first Poirot novel, having watched every episode of David Suchet’s excellent interpretation (in some cases, multiple times), I’d consider myself a Poirot enthusiast. The Mystery of Three Quarters has everything I’d expect from a great Poirot story – obviously murder and intrigue – but also puzzles, the charm of the 1930s setting, eccentric characters, and exquisite moustaches.
Poirot, as usual, is always several steps ahead, but Hannah leaves enough clues that you feel as if you almost have enough information to solve the mystery yourself. Though the subject matter might be dark, Hannah has a light touch and there are many humorous moments that help you skip through the pages with ease. Overall, an extremely enjoyable read; light, intriguing, and pleasingly puzzling.

I have to admit I love all the Sophie Hannah books, her books are always suspenseful, complex and full of twists, and let me say that this "new" Poirot will not be different from her other stories.
I used "new" because if you have read before any of the Agatha Christie stories with detective Hercules Poirot you simply will read a new story; he will be stubborn, pompous and totally Belgian, not French, of course! I couldn't find any differences from the new book of Sophie Hannah and the original stories from Agatha Christie!
This story is original and weird since the beginning, a few people had received a letter from the famous detective Hercules Poirot pointing them as the killers of a man that passed away with natural causes (or they thought so). So, when a few of the lucky recipients of the letters confront Hercules Poirot about the letters, he will be totally surprised about them, because he never wrote these letters! So who and which is the objective to point a few killers of a possible murder? And most important, was the man killed or really died from natural causes?
Let me say that you will not have answers for these questions till the last page, because there are so many pieces in this story that you have to finish all the puzzle to see the complete scene. And, let me say that I didn't guess correctly the ending in any of my "possible" endings on my mind!
When I started reading the story I was totally abducted by it, and it remembered me why I just read 2 of the Hercules Poirot stories, really it gets on my nerves! But this is really a good think, it means that Sophie Hannah had done an amazing job recreating this famous detective and all of his eccentricities!
This is a book to fall in love since the first page, an original mystery with some really curious characters and full of secrets and lies, who will not want to dig in "The Monogram Murders"?
This book will be on my top ten this year, so if you are searching for a mystery book, don't doubt, this is a must read!

Another Poirot mystery, my aren't we spoiled! I love mysteries, and this does not disappoint. It probably doesn't help that I read this book with the voice of David Suchet in my head (spent years watching Poirot with my family growing up). A fabulous mystery and one not so easy to guess.

A great old fashioned whodunnit! Loved the fact that it was Poirot in the staring role. Couldn’t put this down until the end! Will lookout for more Sophie Hannah stories. Great entertaining book.

Her best Poirot book yet! Kept me hooked throughout, and the voice of Poirot felt authentic and a fitting follow-on from Christie. Love the cover as well.