I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction for an advance copy of The Mystery of the Three Quarters, the third novel in Ms Hannah's revived Hercule Poirot series, set in 1929.

Poirot is accosted by a woman and accused of writing a letter which accuses her of murdering Barnabas Pandy. She won't listen to his denial and storms off. On entering his flat he finds he has a visitor, male this time, who has received a similar letter. In total four letters have been written, all purportedly by Poirot, accusing the recipient of murdering Pandy. Poirot investigates to clear his name.

I enjoyed The Mystery of the Four Quarters which is an intriguing mystery. Having read all the Poirot novels over the past 40 years this is my first venture into the reloaded series and I was interested to see how it compares. Ms Hannah has captured the essence of Ms Christie's series with its emphasis on human nature and the "psychological" aspect being the key to the puzzle so the novel mostly concentrates on Poirot's conversations with several suspects and peripheral characters as he tries to work out what went on. There are some neat twists and several red herrings as is traditional in the series.

I can admire the cleverness of the plotting and detail which are very much in the Christie tradition but the execution lacks her deftness and lightness of touch. The first thing I thought when starting the novel was that Poirot seemed like a caricature. All the salient points are there, the mention of "little grey cells", the vanity, the compulsive orderliness and the French phrases but, somehow, they don't sit quite right and seem a touch laboured. In fact most of the novel seems slightly ponderous, up to and including the denouement.

I don't particularly like making comparisons but it is unavoidable when dealing with such a well known and loved character and while my first impressions were not great I grew accustomed to this new version and will read more in the series. I think many readers who know his previous reincarnation may react as I have but new readers will find it a clever, engrossing read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this.
I have to admit that i did not read the previous Poirot books by this author, ad they were not written by Christie, so i am not sure why i agreed to read this.
I have to say that i am so glad I did, because Hannah had me transfixed into the story / plotlines.

The premise of this story is that four seemingly unrelated people all received a letter accusing them of murder and worryingly all signed by Hercule Poirot.

Each recipient seems to deal with said letter in different ways, confronting this famous detective and asking them why.

Poirot is obviously upset with these revelations and is indirectly hired by one of the recipients father.

I have simplified this premise greatly for the purpose of this review and the fact to spoil the reader would be a crime and i certainly do not want poirot investigating!

I enjoyed the easiness of the text, packed full of info and details, some subtly placed and others glaringly obvious, it kept me engaged with the writing and the story.
I certainly felt the presence of the Poirot that i know and love from the original books and it made me happy.

I found the final reveal a tad overlong ( but i was tired) i had my suspicions regarding suspects and was not totally surprised to find out who was who.
Saying that, there was plenty to keep me occupied.


I fully recommend this book and like me, have not read the others then it is a great place to start :)

I will now for sure go and read the previous two.

A decent attempt to emulate Agatha Christie with a typical Poirot style murder mystery and resolution. The author shows good understanding of the main character and Christie 's style...but she's not Agatha Christie. That's the reason for 3stars.

Love Sophie Hannah and she understands Poirot well
I am a fan of his little grey cells and so good we can read of his adventures
A faithful tribute but wd have enjoyed it more if there was a bit more to it
Sophie writes clever books with ingenious thinking and though this does show thought it’s not as intricate as her other novels
Glad she is writing these though also and will always pick up a novel by this writer

As a huge Agatha Christie fan, I felt both excitement and trepidation about reading this new interpretation of Poirot How would the new version match up to the original? Yes, he is a slightly different character to the one portrayed by Christie, more humorous but still solving this puzzling case in his own unique way.... cake included! I like the use of chapter headings, which are sadly becoming a thing of the past, and enjoyed the plot with the usual twists and turns you expect from a Poirot mystery. I missed Captain Hastings and Miss Lemon but Inspector Catchpool was a worthy sidekick. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the other Poirot books that Sophie Hannah has written.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

Firstly I have to admit that I have never read an Agatha Christie Poirot book. My whole perception of the gentlemen and his shenanigans comes wholly from David Suchet's portrayal of him on TV, having watched every episode multiple times as they are always being re-run. I found Ms Hannah's depiction of Poirot to be mostly congruous with the TV version of him, adding her own stamp of course, but where that sits with Christie's written version is unknown to me so I can't comment on that here. Again, the type of mystery woven in this book fits with the cases I have seen him tackle, again solely on TV, and his methodology and use of his "little grey cells" also felt comfortable to me. It's also my first Poirot book but I also don't think that mattered as I feel it worked very well as a stand alone book. I have however added the previous two to my already bulging TBR so I can play catch-up.
At the start of the book Poirot is accosted by a woman who is very angry to have got a letter from him accusing her of the murder of Barnabus Pandy. A letter that Poirot denies all knowledge of, even to the point of not having heard of the man in question. She leaves, threatening a lawsuit. A second recipient of a similar letter turns up. Again Poirot denies the deed. The following day, two more people turn up with the same story. Obviously someone wants Poirot's attention. One of the people, Annabel Treadway, is Pandy's granddaughter and she explains that his death was an accidental drowning, having fallen asleep in his bath. But why does someone think otherwise and why send letters to these four people, and why from Poirot? Poirot turns to Edward Catchpool, his friend at Scotland Yard and together they try and get to the bottom of things. With three of the four letters having been destroyed and one initially mislaid, they don't have much to go on, especially as the death was already closed; ruled accident. So all they can do is talk to the people and their families, cutting through the lies and making the connections to eventually get to the truth.
Everything you'd expect to find from the Belgian detective and his way of doing things is included here, Scandal, lies, misdirection are all well represented, along with Poirot's own inimitable ways of doing things by going off on a strange tangent. It did take me a while to get to grips with Catchpool's narration, as it is him that is recording the case for the reader but, once I got to grips with things, it all managed to flow well for me. The small side story regarding the cake was also very well woven in and indeed provided several answers as well as the title of the book itself. I also loved the chapter titles, a thing that is sadly lacking in modern books these days, shame really.
The story itself was really very good, it had me guessing right up to the end as to the whole truth. there are quite a few dubious characters in the book which added to the air of mystery that hung over the story throughout.
All in all I really did enjoy connecting with the Poirot I know and love in the pages of a book rather than on a screen. Obviously Ms Hannah has included her own take on things, especially with the inclusion of Catchpool rather than the more familiar Japp or even Hastings as someone for Poirot to bounce ideas off but their relationship really did work for me once I got to know him. As well as wanting to read the previous two books I also now need to read an original Christie version too.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Mystery of Three Quarters is marketed as a Hercule Poirot story, with four people receiving letters that claim to be from Poirot, stating that they are responsible for a murder. This results in Poirot investigating the death, as he did not send the letters but is now intent on finding out who did and why.


Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the book as a Hercule Poirot story. I am a fan of Agatha Christie and it is a shame that Hannah's book did not capture the same mannerisms that I enjoy in the original stories. However, as a stand alone book this would be a good story, as it was well written with some interesting characters. Although I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending it was certainly believable and easily solveable if you are paying attention. It is perhaps more a reflection on me that I cannot get past the portrayal of Poirot in this book, and find that it detracted some of the enjoyment for me.

All in all, however, I would not recommend this story to Christie purists but would certainly recommend it to those who want an enjoyable read with a good and solveable solution.

When Hercule Poirot is visited by four different people each claiming to have received a letter from him accusing them of the murder of Barnabas Pandy, he is naturally intrigued. Who is Barnabas Pandy? Was he murdered? And why has someone sent these letters under Poirot's name?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was drawn into the mystery from the start, keen to discover what was behind these strange letters, and it held my attention all the way until the final conclusion.
Having read Sophie Hannah's other two Poirot books, I can say that this one was by far my favourite. I also enjoyed it more than some of Agatha Christie's original books as I liked the more modern feel that Hannah brought to the book, while keeping the character of Poirot the same as the original.
A great addition to the Poirot collection!

Sophie Hannah is my favourite author and when I found out she was writing more Agatha Christie novels I was so excited. I love the Agatha Christie books so this was set to be a good pairing. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me an exclusive read of her latest story.
At first, the title of the book didn't really make much sense, until Poirot explains it using a piece of cake (all will become clear when you read the book). In the beginning, Poirot receives four callers, each one claiming that he has written to them accusing them of murder, yet they are all innocent and cannot understand why Poirot would do such a thing. He is intrigued and pursues this mystery as he too cannot understand why someone would write these letters claiming to be him if they didn't want him to investigate.
The story is so cleverly put together and kept me reading throughout. There wasn't so much as a murder to be solved, as a mystery (hence the title) and Sophie Hannah does what she does best and adds a whole lot of psychological suspense into the story, yet keeping it in a true Agatha Christie style of writing.
There was only one point that I felt wasn't followed up at the end but I think I'm going to have to go back and re-read Poirot's summing up of the case to check I haven't missed anything.
I'm probably a bit biased but I would certainly recommend this book to all lovers of thriller and mystery and even the most hard core Agatha Christie fan as I don't think it will disappoint.

This is the first Poirot book by Sophie Hannah that I have read. Four people are sent letters supposedly signed by Poirot accusing them of murder. Poirot must investigate whether there was a murder or whether it was an accident, who the murderer is and who wrote the letters. Although an enjoyable read, I thought plot was flimsy and tortuous. The motive hardly matched the plotting. Unfortunately disappointing.

Hercule Poirot holds a place in my heart as I used to watch it when I was young. I loved thrillers even then but of course Poirot and Miss Marple were about as thrilling as my parents would let me watch. This is what drew me to this book even though historical fiction is not my genre of choice.

Let us talk covers. I would naturally be drawn to this in a book shop because it is so pretty and looking a little closer we see that the gate handles match Poirot’s moustache. I love little things like that.

I did have a reservation about this book and I think it is an obvious one. Poirot is the brain-child of Agatha Christie not Sophie Hannah. Could she do it justice and give the same feeling to Poirot stories? The answer to that question is that yes, she writes Poirot well. Everything from the quirky, slightly odd, genius, to the great mystery and the way Poirot goes about investigating it are classic Poirot. There are subtle differences the writing feels fresh and is different from Christie but I feel that is a good thing, the humour and wit is different (but a good different,) and there are changes is some of the regular characters which I do not feel negatively impacts this story.

The Mystery of Three Quarters is a humorous, nicely placed and well woven mystery that will keep you guessing.

When Poirot comes home to find first a very angry lady and then a very angry man awaiting his return to confront him about a letter, signed by Poirot accusing them both of the murder of Barnabus Pandy, a man that both claim to have no knowledge of. Poirot is understandable more than a little confused.

Unfortunately this is not the end of such visits and the next day he again visited by two people who are again claiming that they did not kill Barnaus. A new twist occurs because these visitors did know Barnabus, who is indeed dead!

Annabel Treadway informs Poirot that Barnabas Pandy was her grandfather. However he was not murdered. Barnabus Pandys death was an accident. Hugo Dockerill also knows of Pandy, and he heard the old man fell asleep in his bath and drowned.

Such hi-jinx cannot be ignored by the tenacious Poirot and here is where the mysterious adventure begins..

Was Barnabus in fact murdered, if so why? who is the sneaky impostor who is writing letters claiming to be from our hero.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked the pace, writing style, and the twists that are expected of a good Poirot mystery.

If you enjoyed Agatha Christie’s Poirot, then I would recommenced giving this book a go. Don’t go into it expecting Sophie Hannah to have picked up the Poirot mantle and copy Christie’s writing style. This is a fresher take on the quirky investigator and Sophie Hannah definitely manages to make these Poirot books her own while still keeping Poirot as we know him.

Sophie Hannah resurrects Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in this, her latest addition to the series. Having been disappointed with her last effort, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really enjoying this much more. Set in 1930s England, it has the requisite country manor and a Poirot with all his eccentricities and comic touches, although I should add that by now Hannah has made her Poirot her own creation, rather than a straight take off of the original. Poirot returns home after lunch to be confronted by an outraged Sylvia Rule, apoplectic that she has received a letter from him accusing her of murdering Barnaby Pandy and urging her to confess. Faced with Annabel Treadway, John McCrodden, and Hugo Dockerill having received an identical letter with the same accusation of killing Pandy, purportedly from him, Poirot is baffled as he has done no such thing, more to the point, it would be so out of character for him to have engaged in such behaviour.

Poirot is suitably intrigued and cannot help but exercise his legendary grey skills to get to the bottom of this complex mystery narrated by Scotland Yard Inspector Edward Catchpool, who ably assists our Belgian detective. Waitress Euphemia Spring bakes the four square Church Window Cake to a secret family recipe, she is irate that the exact same cake is being sold in another establishment and insists Poirot finds out how her recipe was stolen. It is the four quarters of the cake, metaphorically representing the 4 people accused of Pandy's murder that gives rise to the title of this novel. Initially it appears none of the individuals are connected, but upon close inspection, it soon transpires that three of them emerge to be loosely connected, leaving one of them the odd one out but is that true? We are presented with a host of suspects, a search for a typewriter with a dysfunctional letter 'e', a boarding school and a Barnaby Pandy who at 96 years old, is deemed to have accidentally drowned whilst falling asleep in his bath. Could it possibly have been a murder, or is there something more dangerous at play? We have a father who is famously resolute over his support of the death penalty, at odds with his wayward son, John, a melancholic put upon Annabel who is madly obsessed with her beloved dog, a Sylvia about whom rumours abound, and the jolly, all over the place teacher, Hugo. There is scandal, with secrets from the past spilling out, and a family drama with all its intrigue, all to be sniffed out by our ever reliable Poirot.

This is a entertaining and compelling addition to Hannah's Poirot series, with its complicated mystery for Poirot to get his teeth into. I was so pleased to see that Hannah makes a considerably better entry to the series than Closed Casket which I was far less impressed with. I have no doubt that most readers who love the Golden Age of Classic Crime and are fans of Hercule Poirot will enjoy this with all its familiar tropes, just be prepared for Poirot not to be same as Christie's famous detective. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

I think this is Sophie’s best Poirot novel yet. All the right ingredients are here plus her own unique style and wit. The missing e on the typewriter, the solicitor who favours the death penalty and who happens to be called Rowland Rope. It’s not strictly Christie of course - how could it be - but it’s a nice mix of old and new, a fresh spin on a mystery character.

In this case Poirot gets a letter accusing him of murder...and he’s not the only one. The ‘victim’ is someone called Barnabas Pandy! Oh how I loved the names in this book! And the chapter headings like in the days of yore! (well not quite but nearly. I now ask more authors to do this. No numbers or names or ‘then and now’ - proper chapter headings were a joy!

There’s a few mysteries of your own to solve too - or is that just me - I mean Church Window cake is Battenberg right?

A nice plot, a mysterious cloak wrapped around a whole set of strange circumstances. Once you had Christie, now you have Hannah-esque!

This is a superb read. I would not have known it was not an Agatha Christie original - it has that retro feel in what happens and in how it is written. I was already a big fan of Sophie Hannah so my review might be seen as a little biased. I never read any Poirot books but I did watch many on TV with David Suchet in the role. The new story is so Poirot and develops exponentially chapter by chapter so you want to keep on reading. Really looking forward very much to another Poirot book should it be written

Four people have received a letter accusing them of murder signed by the famous Hercule Poirot. They all come to him to ask him for an explanation, but he is very surprised as he never wrote these letters. What is even more strange is that it seems that there was no murder and the death was only an accident, so why these letters ? It was the first Hercule Poirot not from Agatha Christie that I read and while the writing is of course different, the mystery is still enjoyable and slightly convoluted, just as we would expect from a Hercule Poirot book.

Really enjoyable. You can almost picture yourself in the room. I like to just read for the ride rather than trying to work out who did the deed!! I must be honest and say I've not actually read an Agatha Christie book, more watched David Suchet's Poirot (in fact hubby just bought the whole box set) so because of that I can picture this book as a David Suchet Poirot. The same lines of mystery are there in the storyline. Brilliant. I shall other Sophie Hannah books as well as actual Agatha Christie novels

Simply Agatha Christie with laugh-out-loud hilariousness, Sophie Hannah has managed to nail the character of Hercule Poirot to a T. It had all of Agatha Christie's famous can't-put-the-book-down charm with witty dialogues that will have you scrambling to share the humour with your friends. This is a book that can accompany you anywhere to be the perfect beach read, idle bus ride read, cozy rainy day read... take your pick.
Sophie Hannah has woven a complex mystery, that will leave you exasperated with surprises that keep coming as far as the second to last page of the book. She has diluted none of the original Agatha Christie elements and has added her own magic touch to the already brilliant legacy of Hercule Poirot Mysteries.

I wouldn't class myself as a Christie fan,though I've enjoyed most of her books... so I can honestly say I didn't really notice much difference between the original and this.
The book seemed a bit light on Poirot to begin With,and heavy on unfathomable crime. Even was it actually a crime?
Slowly the threads came together,things I'd never have thought of,with clever ideas and humour.
I may have guessed who did it,but I'd never have worked out ALL the why's.
Entertaining.... nice to have a little Belgian detective back on my radar.

In Sophie Hannah’s third “new” story featuring a certain little Belgian detective with magnificent moustaches and an egg-shaped head, Poirot finds himself confronted by four people who have all received a letter accusing them of murder - a letter signed by one Hercule Poirot. Who is Barnabas Pandy, and has he or hasn’t he actually been murdered? Poirot’s investigations, assisted by Scotland Yard detective Edward Catchpool, encompass a country house complete with aged retainer, a boys’ boarding school, a solicitor with a passion for the death penalty known unaffectionately as Rowland Rope, and - in a very Christie-ish touch - a typewriter with a dodgy letter ‘e’.

You wouldn’t actually mistake it for Christie - it’s definitely Sophie Hannah’s own take and while set in the past, has a more modern feel - but Poirot is very recognisably Poirot (and apparently protects his moustaches with a net at night. Did we know this?) Captain Hastings is nowhere to be seen, but Catchpool is a worthy substitute, as is waitress Euphemia (Fee) Spring, though she doesn’t have a great deal to do here.... though her Church Window Cake (Battenberg, surely?) provides a source of inspiration.

Liked the chapter titles.... Proper chapter titles aren’t really a thing any more in most modern novels. Stuff like “Poirot Returns to Combingham Hall” and “The Typewriter Experiment”. They should be. Bring back the chapter title, modern authors!

I enjoyed the various renderings of Poirot’s name (Porrott, Prarrow) which reminded me of first reading the books as a child back in ye olden days and not knowing how to pronounce it ( I think Pworrot was as close as I got, and I had no idea what the M. - for Monsieur - stood for. I asked my mum, but she didn’t know either).

I think this is my favourite of Sophie Hannah’s three Poirot novels so far... neatly plotted and characterised, and though nobody can entirely recreate the spirit of the originals (and nor should they), Sophie does a very good job. I really enjoyed it.

A fairly easy book to read in a few settings. AS with the real Agatha Christie there are many twists and turns in the story. A few too many 'coincidences' but with a murder mystery such as this to be expected. I did not feel so drawn to this version of Poiroit as I have done in the past.