The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

A new Hercule Poirot mystery by one of my favourite writers is always something to enjoy – and I thoroughly rated this. Reminiscent in part of Christie classics Nemesis and Ordeal by Innocence, Poirot is travelling by coach to Kingfisher Hill estate. The son and heir to the house has asked Poirot and Inspector Catchpool to prove that his fiancé, Helen, did not kill her future brother-in-law. Poirot and Catchpool meet a family with plenty to hide, but not before one bus passenger is reluctant to sit in a specific seat and there’s plenty of bad mouthing even before the bus leaves London. When a body is found in the Kingfisher estate, with links to the famous bus journey, Poirot wonders just how close everything truly is tied. And it’s a cracking whodunit – a cast of characters, not many of whom are especially likeable, with the wit and intelligence of carefully cutting through the red herrings that Poirot is famous for. I read it in one sitting and loved it.

Love Poirot so was really pleased to be given the opportunity to read the book. It is such and easy book to read and you just enjoy the storyline

Another mind boggling twister of a murder mystery from Sophie Hannah. As a fan of the first three books in this series and all the Poirot novels concocted in the wonderful mind of Agatha Christie I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy.

There is barely a page in this novel that does not confuse me in the most delightful way, the intertwining red herrings and truths laid out in a most befuddling pattern that truly bamboozled me.

There was not a character I trusted from the start (Poirot and Catchpole aside) and I enjoyed making my own mental lists of suspects as Catchpole was making his, buoyed somewhat by our similar misunderstanding and infuriated in the way only an old friend can make you with the superior knowledge of our much loved detective.

Thank you Netgalley and Sophie Hannah for the chance to read this and I can't wait to read the next instalment!!

Sophie Hannah never fails to draw me in keep me guessing.Her Pirot novel dare so engaging so twisty turning.Like any true Pirot thriller we are kept guessing.Highly recommend all her books add this one to my list of favorites.#netgaley#harpercollinsuk

'and anything seemed possible on royal personages and a journey of Poirot's'

I do not know how Sophie Hannah does it!! She manages to write with the style and grace of Christie that you don't even realise that these new Poirot's are written by another author. With the flare of Christie's writing sorted, she also manages to give you the Christie twists and turns that many fans of her books have grown to love throughout the years. Giving you enough clues that you end up slapping yourself on the back when you finish the book and didn't figure it out for yourself!

In this new Poirot novel she does all that and more, We are greeted by Poirot and Catchpool as they take us on their latest quip in which they set out via luxury coach to save the life of someone about to be hung for murder only to end up with a list of unanswered questions, more bodies, and a distressed woman screaming that if she sits in a certain seat on the coach she is told she will die! I absolutely loved reading this book and cannot thank NetGalley and Harper Collins enough for this ARC. A. MUST READ for all Agatha Christie fans, this franchise really is in great hands with Sophie Hannah!

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill is the latest in the Hercule Poirot series by Sophie Hannah. As a longtime fan of Agatha Christie, I always feel a sense of nervous anxiety when I hear of an upcoming ‘new’ release from the Agatha Christie estate.

So far, I have had no fears with the series, (The Monogram Murders, Closed Casket, The Mystery of Three Quarters), but would the fourth live upto my high hopes?

In ‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’, Poirot and his sidekick (Scotland Yard detective) Catchpole are travelling via coach to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate to investigate the murder of Frank Davenport. There is already a suspect in jail for the crime, but this suspect is actually, the fiancée of Frank’s brother and Richard has asked Poirot to prove that she is innocent.

The mysteries commence within the opening pages and with a fellow passenger refusing to enter the coach as she has been threated with death if she does so and another passenger confessing to murder! From this point, a twisted and labyrinthine plot begins and Hercule will certainly have his work cut out, untangling each of these mysteries.

This plot reminds me of the classic Christie plots, such as in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ due to the criss-crossing of alibis and timelines and plenty of red herrings as the reader matches their wits against, the “world’s greatest detective”, Hercule Poirot.

Poirot maintains his familiar ‘teacher’ role towards Catchpole and often bordering towards condescending. This attitude provides for some much needed humour at a later date, when Poirot runs into a character who treats him in a similar manner. I do miss the humour of the exchanges between Poirot and Hastings but still as the relationship between Poirot and Catchpole grows, and becomes increasingly familiar, there is a growing sense of camaraderie. .

Sophie Hannah was definitely the right person to carry on with Poirot. Each book is getting closer to vintage Christie style, even if the detective himself is still not fully formed. The plotting is assured, with all the clues in place for the reader. The aspect that is perhaps best captured are the quick descriptions of the characters, that despite being brief, allow the reader to 'know' the type of person they are. I like the Watson type character, who despite being a Scotland Yard detective, is probably scared of his mother. Deviously clever.

I'm an avid Agatha Christie fan, but this is the first of the 'new' Poirot books that I've read by Sophie Hannah. The idea in principle is sound - take one of the world's most famous fictional detectives and drop him into a new mystery that bears all the hallmarks of Christie's own fiendish plots.

In this book, Poirot is accompanied by Inspector Catchpool, a poor substitute for the charming Hastings in the originals. Catchpool becomes our narrator for the book and - it s fair to say - is several steps behind Poirot and his 'little grey cells'. The duo are travelling via motorcoach to Kingfisher Hill, an exclusive gated development where the Devonport family live. One of the Devonport sons has died, a woman has confessed and faced the gallows, but will the correct killer be brought to justice? Alongside this plot, a nervy woman on the coach catches the police detective's eye with her pronouncement that she will die if she chooses a certain seat and he is left trying to piece together the true stories behind the lies.

I wanted to love this and it did draw me along for the most part, although I was disappointed in the denouement and thought it lacked the spark that Christie's books have. I enjoyed it as a light read but wasn't always convinced by the plot development. It wouldn't deter me from reading others in the series as I probably had unrealistically high hopes!

‘The Killing’s at Kingfisher Hill’ was my first introduction to Sophie Hannah’s ‘New Hercule Poirot Mysteries’, although I’ve always been a big fan of Agatha Christie’s originals. I was pleasantly surprised how similar the voice was to Christie’s. Continuing the legacy of an author after their death is a difficult line to walk, but I can see why Christie’s estate have allowed Hannah to continue to write about Poirot.

The story opens with a luxury coach trip. Poirot and his loyal companion, Scotland Yard’s Detective Catchpole, have been summoned to investigate the murder of Frank Davenport by his brother, Richard, at Kingfisher Hill. Richard’s fiancé, Helen, has confessed to the murder – but Richard is adamant that his fiancé is innocent. She is due to be hanged in ten days, so Poirot must act quickly to identify the correct killer. However, the drama starts on the coach, with a woman declaring that she has received death threats for sitting in a certain seat, and a different woman confessing to Poirot that she herself has previously killed a man – and gotten away with it.

As with all Poirot stories, the facts seem murky, with many disjointed players and occurrences, but are eventually brought together at the end. The narration – by the trusty Catchpole – is clear and enjoyable, moving at a rapid pace with plenty of twists and turns – some predictable and some not. The flow of the story felt exactly like an original Poirot story, even if some of Poirot’s characterisation sometimes differed a little – but this brought a fresh element rather than feeling out of place. I particularly enjoyed a scene between Poirot and an elderly woman he had to interview – it was where he was the least traditionally Poirot-like, but it was a beautifully described and rather amusing scene and made me like her character immensely. (To say more would be a spoiler, but I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean if you read it).

The weakest part of this book was the ending. It tied everything up more-or-less neatly, but it wasn’t quite as polished or satisfactory as the endings to most Poirot books I’ve enjoyed. That being said, it was very cleverly done, and while I had guessed some parts the precise details were a surprise – always a sign of a good crime novel. Perhaps I simply hadn’t connected to all of the characters enough to appreciate the ending – or perhaps I am viewing this with a more critical eye, knowing that it is not the work of the original author.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it to all Agatha Christie fans. Go in with an open mind – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

This is the latest Poirot book from Sophie Hannah. Having read every Agatha Christie book in existence and having a special fondness for the little Belgian detective, I was sceptical when Hannah began adding to the Point cannon. However, I am pleased to say I thoroughly enjoy them, even though I initially tried to find every reason to not to.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill is the latest instalment, and I enjoyed it as much as the other titles in the series. It does follow a typical Christie type plot, but Hannah does put her mark firmly on it, and the various twists and turns are very enjoyable.

Hannah is able to recreate Poirot so well, that it is easy to forget that the story does not come from the pen of Christie. He is as frustrating as he is in the originals, full of his own ingenuity and making sure everyone around him knows how clever he is, I like Catchpole, he makes a decent enough sidekick, but he is not a patch on Hastings.

The book races along at quite a pace, encouraging the reader to keep reading to discover whodunnit! It is a very hard book to put down. There are elements of the plot that remind me of some of Christie's greats, like the Body in the Library and Murder on the Orient Express, and it shares the clever plotting and well drawn characters of those books.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I look forward to further instalments.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

In the latest of Sophie Hannah’s Poirot novels, the little Belgian detective and his Hastings-substituting sidekick, Inspector Catchpool, are heading (on a coach!) for the exclusive community of Kingfisher Hill, where Poirot has been asked to investigate a murder. Before they even get there - indeed, before they even set off - things begin to get strange. A fellow passenger is behaving strangely; another has a very alarming story to tell.

While the characterisation of Poirot is spot on, the labyrinthine plot is pure Sophie Hannah and not one I can ever imagine Christie coming up with. (Hannah is a marvellous writer, but if I have one reservation it’s that her plots can, at times, start tying my brain in knots.)

It’s a very enjoyable read (and made me laugh out loud a couple of times) and if I was a little confused at times, that may well be down to my own slight distractedness.

A bizarre coach journey to the Kingfisher Hill estate is a prelude to a strange and enticing case for the world’s cleverest detective and his devoted friend, Inspector Catchpool. The Devonport's are a peculiar family but Poirot will not be distracted by their unpleasant character traits to get to the truth before the wrong person is hanged.

I was so excited at receiving the ARC that I immediately put aside my stack of review books in favour of this. The dapper Belgian is my favourite detective and I have been really enjoying these new cases. Hannah was the perfect choice by the Christie estate. I was also pleased that Inspector Catchpool is still along for the ride as his relationship with Poirot is an absolute joy.

This latest endeavour expertly captures the essence of what makes Poirot so beloved by millions of readers, whilst entertaining us with an intelligent, intricate puzzle to solve. Hannah is keeping the spirit of the golden age of mystery alive and long may she continue.

This was my first novel by Sophie Hannah, I entered cautiously being a fan of Agatha Christie. I was pleasantly surprised. The setting, period details, and the characters felt very authentic. I had no problem adjusting to Ms Hannah’s Poirot, I thought his portrayal was excellent. I will definitely read the earlier books in the series and am happy to recommend this book.
Thank you to netgalley and the author and publisher.

** spoiler alert ** As someone who guesses how a lot of modern books ae going to turn out,I seem incapable of guessing a Christie whodunnit.
Hannah is continuing the tradition.
I was picturing David Suchet quite easily voicing the character (not sure about him going on a coach though)
Lots of twists and turns,and Daisy seemed a ridiculously over the top character.
But,it was all good fun.
This is the second book I've read with Hannah writing Poirot,and I think he's in very safe hands

This is the fourth 'Poirot' novel penned by Sophie Hannah, and she shows no sign of running out of ideas. Like its predecessors, it is engagingly written and features a typically complex and twist-ridden plot, a typically Christie British country house setting, and everyone's favourite eccentric Belgian detective. The novel is narrated again by Edward Catchpool, a police inspector who is glad to act as Poirot's sidekick. Catchpool is likeable and makes a good peripheral first person narrator, there to describe the brilliance of Poirot as he untangles his latest case.

Poirot and Catchpool have been asked to visit leafy Surrey gated community, Kingfisher Hill, by a young man whose fiancee is due to hang for a murder she confessed to committing there. He is convinced of her innocence, despite her continued protestations of guilt. On an eventful coach journey there, a young woman confesses to Poirot that she has committed a murder, and another young woman becomes hysterical claiming that she has been told she will die if she sits in a particular seat on the coach. And once they arrive at 'Little Key', the stately home at the centre of the story, things soon get even more complicated.

It's classic Poirot, with larger than life characters, and told with trademark tongue-in-cheek humour. Poirot is well written and comes across very consistently with Christie's characterisation. The mystery is of course ridiculous and convoluted, but no more so than any of the Poirot stories and less than some. It wouldn't be a Poirot mystery if it wasn't. One of the best things about these novels is knowing what you sign up and are going to get, and then seeing it delivered to a high standard.

This is a really fun read that zips along and is something you will look forwards to picking up and continuing. It's great that this most distinctive of fictional detectives has been given a second lease of life and I am sure that Christie herself would approve - even if she did famously claim to dislike Poirot!

I'm such a huge fan of both Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie, so when Hannah began to write new Poirot novels I was over the moon. This is her fourth Poirot book, and each one is better than the last. She has the character absolutely captured and her twisty turny tales are so Christie-esque. It is clear that Hannah is an enormous fan of Christie and does her justice. Even if you have never read an Agatha Christie book, I would still highly recommend this. Simply a brilliant crime novel.

A new Hercule Poirot which takes him and Inspector Catchpool to the Kingfisher estate where they are to solve the murder of Frank. Only two people have confessed to the same crime so it is up to the great detective to deduce which, if any, of these confessors are the real murderer. A really cosy crime. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

As a huge Christie fan, I was always worried about picking up one of Sophie Hannah's books up but I absolutely loved this!

The story is told by Inspector Catchpole of Scotland Yard, the assistant of the brilliant Hercule Poirot. Poirot has been called to Kingfisher Hill to investigate the murder of Frank Devonport. The fiancè of Richard Devonport, Helen has confessed to the killing of Frank, but Richard believes her to be innocent.

I think the author has captured Poirot brilliantly and this book has all the clues and red-herrings Christie would be proud of. As typical of a Poirot mystery, I had absolutely no idea who the killer was until it was announced.

This book is due to be published 20 August 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Sophie Hannah for the advanced copy.

This is a new addition to the Hercule Poirot canon and all in all I think it does him (and Agatha Christie) justice. The storyline has all the hall marks of an interesting mystery and I was not disappointed. The story was fast paced and intriguing with a variety of settings and such vivid descriptions that the author dragged me immediately back into the 1930s.
However what this book lacks for me is the sharp, witty banter that existed between Poirot and Hastings. If Hastings were included this story would have been perfect.

#TheKillinsAtKingfisherHill #NetGalley
Sophie Hannah is today's Agatha Christie. The Killings At Kingfisher Hill is her best work yet among her Poirot's mysteries. A must read.
I am a big fan of Hercule Poirot. I was very excited to read this story and I'm glad that I'm not disappointed by the facts, the logics and the murderer. I swear I was unable to guess the murderer like in Agatha Christie's books.
Belgian Detective Hercule Poirot is traveling in a luxury coach from London to Kingfisher Hill estate. He has to solve a mysterious murder case of Frank. His brother, Richard Devonport insists that his fiance Helen is innocent but facts are saying other things. Who has done it? Poirot has to solve this case.
While on the coach a woman wants to get off a specific seat by saying that she would be murdered if she wouldn't get up. Another confessed to Poirot of a murder she has done in past and got away with it.
Although the journey was peaceful but then a body is discovered.
How Poirot will put the pieces together? To know the answers of all these questions you've to read this brilliant detective mystery.
As always the narration of the story is done by Scottland Yard's inspector Catchpool and his narration is brilliant. Although he's here to remind everyone of brilliant Hastings. He's not comparable to Hastings but his job is good till the end.
The hero of the story is always Hercule Poirot who steals the show. Although other supporting characters are brilliant in their jobs.
I've a complaint to the authoress that she has missed again Poirot's"Little Grey Cells" in the story and I want to request her to add this more frequently in the next Poirot novel.
Overall this was a brilliant read. I completed it in just a few hours. I adored it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy of this brilliant Poirot mystery.

#TheKillingsAtKingfisherKill #NetGalley
A masterpiece. Highly recommended.
Monsieur Hercule Poirot is traveling in a luxury coach and is going to Kingfisher Hill to solve a murder of Frank who's brother of Richard Devonport who's saying that his fiance, Helen is innocent of murder but she's saying that she's guilty. Who's the murderer?
The drama take a turn when a mysterious woman who's sitting at a particular seat wants to get off from there saying that if she would not do so then she will be murdered. Another woman confessed that she has done a murder of someone and has gotten away with it. How will Poirot solve the case?
I loved the characters of Richard and Catchpool.
Narration of the story is good.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the arc of The Killings at Kingfisher Hall written by Sophie Hannah.

This is the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries Book 4

It follows Poirot and his sidekick whom is an Scotland Yard detective and named Catchpole who are travelling via coach to the Kingfisher Hill estate to investigate the murder of Frank Davenport. Apparently before they get There that a suspect has already been put into jail for the crime, the fiancée of Frank’s brother is the suspect... and Richard has asked Poirot to prove that she is actually the innocent one as he dont think she did it...

The mysteries go further later on within the opening pages and with a fellow passenger refusing to enter the coach vehicle as she has been threatened with death if she does so... and then another passenger confessing to the murder! Then Hercule Poirot will have to untangle this mess once and for all....

5 Star⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
recommend if you like Agatha Christie mysteries.