Four people receive letters accusing them of the murder of Barnabus Panby. The letters are signed by Hercule Poirot but there's one small problem... he didn't write them! Poirot is drawn into what he titles "The Mystery of Three Quarters" where he attempts to unravel the mystery of who wrote these letters and why.

Overall, the novel is an enjoyable tale and Sophie Hannah has performed well in her ability to bring back Agatha Christie's famous character. On the whole, Hannah has captured the personality of Poirot. The plot is well written, clever and unpredictable - this is a decent contribution to the murder mystery genre.

Like the Agatha Christie Poirot novels I have previously read, The Mystery of Three Quarters is written by a 'sidekick' - in this case, the author is Inspector Edward Catchpool. However, many of the chapters recount events that Catchpool wasn't present for, including the thoughts and feelings of Poirot, as well as other characters. Although it was intriguing to see some of Poirot's thought processes in more detail than I am used to, this didn't quite work for me.

It's a hard ask for an author to write a novel using such a well known character but Hannah should be applauded. The comparisons with Christie and whether this reaches the heights of her best novels will naturally persist, but one thing is certain to me: this was an enjoyable read.

If you come to this expecting the resurrection of Christie and her Poirot then this might disappoint – instead, Hannah offers a homage to Christie/Poirot but with her own overlay of irony and humour. This isn’t as twisted as Hannah’s own books but offers a convoluted case that only Poirot could solve. The characterisation is zany in parts (the housemaster!) but the story comes together in a satisfying way.

Light and exuberant entertainment - one to pack for the beach.