Another fantastic story from Sophie about the adventures of Hercules Poirot on a Greek island. Fantastically well written, a good plot with the right pace to it and some really interesting characters. Good ending too. Sophie is so good at this it’s hard to take in that it isn’t an original Agatha Christie. Thoroughly enjoyed this story and I hope there will be many more to come.

An interesting addition to Poirot's story.

Poirot and his friend, Inspector Catchpool, have been invited to spend New Year on the island of Lamperos in Greece. Here they join Nash and his 'Very Good Friends' at the house that Nash has inherited. Nash has decided that he is going to build a community of people for the betterment of the world built on the foundation that forgiveness is everything. Each of the people at the house has found there way there in slightly suspicious circumstances, so the scene is set for intrigue and mystery. On New Years Eve the friends all gather for dinner and play a game of 'Resolutions' with each writing their New Year's Resolution and them having to guess whose resolution is whose.

However, an extra piece of paper finds itself in the game, but this one carries a very explicit threat to one of the people at the dinner. Soon that person turns up dead and the local police seem keen to pin the blame on someone from outside the house. This leaves Poirot and Catchpool to investigate the crime for themselves. Soon we are embroiled in a tangled web as each of the 'Very Good Friends' seems to have had both motive and opportunity....but also alibis. And then another body turns up and the investigation takes a turn...

This is a very good addition to the Poirot body of work. While it is not Agatha Christie, Sophie Hannah is an engaging story teller and it reads very much like a Christie novel. Yes there is lots of dialogue but how else can you tell a mystery story without interviewing witnesses? All of the background information that is uncovered is relevant and the reveal is engaging - I had only worked out part of what happened.

If you are a lover of mystery books then I would recommend this as an addition to your bookshelf. If you want to dip your toe into Poirot's world then it's not Christie....but it is close.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was quite disappointed in this story. I didn’t like the long ramblings of the characters - it felt like the author was using their thoughts to work out the narrative. Agatha Christie was a much more precise writer. I ended up not caring whodunnit. I did finish it but wouldn’t rush to get the next one.

This is a classic Poirot mystery set on a Greek island. In this book we are introduced to a group of friends on New Year's Eve, when a game of resolutions turns sour and murder soon occurs. Poirot and his his detective friend Catchpool set out to discover the truth amongst many lies.

This was a good read overall, it was well written and as with most Poirot books, I didn't get the full picture until the final reveal at the end, but had clues along the way. However I found this one a little too unbelievable and the murderer and their motive just didn't seem quite right. It was like there were too many red herrings that the story got lost a little. I enjoyed the dynamic of the characters, but found some of them irritating beyond belief.

I would like to read more of this series of Poirot by Sophie Hannah, as I believe it could be really good, I just found this story a little bit lacking overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I really enjoy Agatha Christie books and had already read one of Sophie Hannah’s previous books. I respect how she managed to encapsulate Poirot (although the narrator is Catchpole). So i was very chuft to be offered The Last Death of the Year to read. You don’t need to have read any of Sophie’s previous Poirot books as they work as standalones - although once you have the taste for one, i expect you’ll want to read the others too.

The story is set on the Greek Island of Lamperos which sounded intriguing and is a good old fashioned golden age mystery and who done it, as you attempt to suss out who the suspect is.

Definitely worth a read, even if you haven’t read any of Agatha Christie’s Hercules Poirot books.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins which did not influence my unbiased and honest review of the book.

If you love murder mystery this is definitely a book for you.

For me it didn’t hit the spot but I know my mom would absolutely love it.

I'm a crime fiction fan but have only read one proper Agatha Christie book to date ("And then there were none") along with a short story collection called 'Marple' with 12 different short stories written by different authors in the style of Agatha Christie. Both of those were excellent, I just haven't got to further Agatha Christie books yet.

When this one came along as an ARC I therefore jumped at the chance for a fresh Poirot story and a fresh take on a well established format.

Overall I'm left a little disappointed in all honesty. There was a slight nod to And then there were none as well as recent books like the Guest List with a common sort of theme with several people virtually isolated at a remote location - this time a remote Greek island and a fresh murder occurs while Poirot is in attendance over New Year.
Cue lots of dialogue and back story for the characters/suspects as Poirot and a Scotland Yard detective, plus some help from the local Greek police officer, turn to solving who the murderer is among the limited list of suspects.

Did I guess correctly - not a chance! Even with a brief explanation at the end on how the murder could be solved from the suspects new year's resolutions alone (which was outlined at the start of the book) I remain a bit sceptical. I found it a bit too convoluted, even more so in hindsight, and the premise of the hotel and it's 'cult'/religion a bit far fetched.

I'm still eager to try further Agatha Christie books but this one only 3 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.
I loved this! A superb piece of writing by Sophie Hannah, with a complex plot and lots of characters but I still felt I had a good sense of each and every one. If you enjoy a classic whodunit, I would thoroughly recommend this-can’t wait to read more.

I was looking forward to reading this Poirot story by Sophie Hannah. . I had enjoyed reading Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night, so thought I would enjoy this new story. . Yes, it was in the same style , but for me it just didn’t work. The characters seemed shallow, their past lives seemed complicated, and they weren’t likeable people. Frankly I found it boring. I struggled to finish it. I would like to thank. NetGalley and the publishers, Harper Collins, for an arc of this book.

As someone who is a fan of cozy crime, this is a book that is definitely my kind of story. I really liked the eerie feel of the island and the underlying knowledge that these people are not good people and have secrets.

I enjoyed the added mystery of another murder and finding out the backstories. I think the pacing was a little off at times but I think that was due to the amount of suspects and the different motives of them.

Really enjoyable murder mystery set at New Year on a Greek island. Poirot invites his policeman friend Catchpool on a trip to the island and lo and behold murder most foul takes place.
Can Poirot figure out who is responsible? You bet he can!
Enjoyable read. Recommended.

I admit that I don't know how it works that authors can write stories about characters by other authors (out of copyright?) and also admit that I wouldn't usually read one, especially a Poirot (I also wouldn't read Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes). But it was sent to me, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I just didn't like it. I didn't like the close-but-not-quite feeling of reading Poirot that wasn't Poirot. It was a bit overdone on the 'mon ami' and other French sayings. Usually a Poirot is almost guessable, but this one hid too much until the end. Usually a Poirot has us seeing some of the suspect's activities, but this had everything told with dialogue.

The trick of the title was interesting, but thereafter the mystery itself just was not.

Sorry this wasn’t for me, lots of characters who didn’t have enough depth to be interested in. An overly complicated plot line and lots of unnecessary dialogue. It was interesting to read a Poirot and Catchpole novel written by someone other than Agatha Christie and it is very cleverly done so many readers will really enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Not for me I’m afraid. I found it to be boring, the characters had little to no depth , and I couldn’t get into it at all. In my opinion trying to write in the style of Agatha Christie is akin to trying to repaint a Rembrandt and failing miserably.

A really good mystery in the style of Agatha Christie with more humour. Set in a suitably exotic location with a satisfyingly eccentric cast of characters, the story is told from the view of Edward Catchpool, Poirot's long suffering sidekick.
I really enjoyed the book - it's pacy and sharply written and very much in the spirit of a Christie novel.

Having not read any of the previous books from Sophie Hannah I was unsure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by her staying true to Christie’s style with some little twist of her own here and there. A good summer read and I’ll definitely be on the look out for the other books from Hannah in the future.

Agatha Christie was fond of setting her mysteries in exotic locations. Some of her best stories have an island backdrop - 'Evil under the Sun', 'And Then There Were None' and, of course, 'Triangle at Rhodes'.
Sophie Hannah wears her Agatha Christie hat for a sixth time and sends Poirot and his Scotland Yard friend Inspector Edward Catchpool to a fictional Greek island for a mystery set amongst a strange community of pseudo-religious misfits apparently striving to make a better world.
The usual tropes of 1930s crime fiction are all prominently worked into a supremely complex plot featuring the usual array of jealous lovers, mysterious Americans, shady Greek islanders and a whole host of red herrings.
Sophie Hannah is adept at following in the footsteps of the Queen of Crime herself and doesn't disappoint in the difficult task of keeping Hercule Poirot's little grey cells active.

I'm a sucker for a Poirot book, and this book doesn't disappoint. I love that the series is told from the perspective of Inspector Edward Catchpole as it gives a different take of the original Poirot books.
The story is set on the Greek island of Lamperos, and Poirot has been invited to stay for a holiday in a small community who believe in forgiveness, no matter the crime or sin. However, catchpole suspects that there is more to Poirot inviting him along. Of course, he is correct in his thinking, and when the first murder occurs he begins to investigate.
You can't go wrong with a book by Sophie Hannah, and I will look forward t the next one!!

A satisfying slice of Poirot, Hannah delivers a solid and enjoyable story of the little Belgian, his friend, and the cast of players on a small Greek village all awaiting death...

I have read and like this author and this was a departure from her normal offerings with a book written in the style of and featuring Hercule Poiret. It was cleverly done and the tone of the story telling well matched but I didn’t engage with any of the characters and found it overly complicated and ultimately unbelievable. Just ok for me.