I’ve had a bit of a bad run of authors writing new adventures for classic characters. I like that new audiences are discovering these well-loved characters, but recently, when I read these new advertures, I seem to hit a wall over liking the story.

So why, I hear you ask, did I want to read this? Because I wanted to. Well, I wanted to read Closed Casket, the second in the new Hercule Poirot mysteries. I even got an copy to read, but got super chicken over it so never read it. But with this, I went “I want to try this. Plus, the premise sounds super intriguing and very Agatha Christie. And it’s an author I’ve never read before.”

Poirot comes home from lunch to find an angry woman standing in his doorstep. Here, she demands to know why he sent her a letter, accusing her of murder. Poirot has not sent any letter, has no idea who she is nor the person who was murdered. The woman doesn’t believe him and, shaken, Poirot goes into his house, only to come face to face with a man who’s son has received the same letter from Poirot.

Over the next 48 hours, two more people comes to Poirot, saying he has written these letters to him, accusing him of murder. But Poirot doesn’t understand why these four unrelated people are accused of murder by someone pretending to be him…

Who is Barnabas Pandy who these four are meant to have murdered? Was he murdered? Who is the poison letter writer? And can Poirot find the answers before more lives are put in danger?

Where do I start with this?

Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that no-one can write an Agatha Christie mystery expect Agatha Christie. She has her own quality, so I can’t compare Sophie Hannah to Agatha Christie as these are two very different crime writers. Plus, half way through Three Quarters, I did audiobook The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None and I saw instantly how different these two authors are.

Now, the Three Quarters. The best way to tackle this is splitting the book in two halves.

I had such fun with the first half. The premise was intriguing and I had a blast with Poirot, Catchpool and trying to figure out if this was a murder or a poison pen letter, something we haven’t really seen Poirot tackle (though I think this was touch upon in a Miss Marple - The Moving Finger?). I whizzed through the first half of the story and it was because I had such fun, I audiobooked Roger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None.

But the second half… this is where the story fell flat to me. It because a struggle to read. It lost the fun of the first half and became an overly complicated crime novel. It didn’t feel like a Poirot mystery. It felt like the story was trying too hard to be too smart. And because it became so complex, I wondered “if we removed Poirot, I don’t think anyone would noticed. It doesn’t have that special Poirot-ness to it anymore.”

Plus, there were several occasions where the chapters flipped from being third person to first person (with Catchpool narrating) and this was jarring. I didn’t like this and wished it would stick to one style or another.

So, how do I talk about this? It didn’t blow me away like I hope. Because of the ending and how it dragged/messy it became, I wouldn’t be rushing out to buy it. But I don’t want to abandon this series completely. I do want to try another Sophie Hannah story with Poirot or maybe one of her own novels. I am leaning towards Closed Casket, but am more wary of it now. But I do want to try one more time… but I think I might dive into another Christie before I do and, when I do, give myself distance so I’m not trying to compare…

Usual gathering of the suspects at the end, usual Poirot 'eccentricities', usual intrigue, twists and turns but an unusual amount of humour. Cleverly written and in the right Christie style

The latest Hercule Poirot reboot by Sophie Hannah, The Mystery of Three Quarters, is an ingenious new outing for Agatha Christie’s famous detective.

Here we have the classic country-house mystery populated by characters whose lives we feel we actually have a window onto, even if we don’t particularly care for them. Because this is a whodunit the author has to put various clues in place, dotted throughout, but not so deeply buried that the reader can’t recall them when the denouement comes and all is revealed.

Sophie Hannah carries this all off with aplomb. She paints vivid pictures of situations that aren’t overly cluttered or confusing but succinct and easy to grasp. The story moves along at pace and never gets bogged-down.

The crime here is initially hard to pin down and the characters sufficiently ‘woolly’ in their plausibility and alibis to all be possible suspects. Even the murder, when it is finally revealed, isn’t quite so straight forward.

This is the author’s third new outing for Poirot coming after The Monogram Murders and The Closed Casket set in the later years of his career, featuring his valet George. The original stories from this period read more darkly than the early ones. Poirot was perhaps more lonely, more solitary, a little depressed. Not so here. He now has lively sidekicks in the form of Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard and the feisty Euphemia Spring, known as ‘Fee’, who runs the local coffee-shop.

The Inspector is a curious construct offering the necessary bridge with the Police system and a friend in the same first-person way Captain Hastings used to be. What’s more he appears to be Watson to Poirot’s Holmes, writing-up the cases for posterity. The coffee-shop is a place Poirot can’t help but return to, both for the quality of the coffee and the company he finds there.

Any criticism? Well nothing’s perfect. Nothing can actually be “Agatha Christie” except the Dame herself. Here the story is narrated partly in the first-person and partly the third. This I found a little odd at times, but over all it managed to work. There are a few scenes early on that I felt were too comedic, more Wodehouse than Christie, and I found them a little strange given the subject matter, but things soon got back on track.

This book and its convoluted plot is easy to recommend for all fans of the genre. The way it has been written is to make it somehow timeless. Yes, there are references to the year it is set in and capital punishment, but not many. The story could easily be set in any decade of the 20th century, even the 21st. That it is set between the wars is not always obvious.

A good, solid and satisfying mystery then, with characters that believe it or not, you feel will carry on their privileged existences outside of the book.

A recommended read for all fans new and old. You’ll find yourself smiling as you hear those famous Poirot phrases once more!

A typically baffling Poirot mystery -- he always keeps something(s) up his sleeve until the gathering together at the end. More red herrings than in a fishmonger's window. Spoiler Alert -- wet dog's legs!

This is the third novel from Sophie Hannah featuring Agatha Christie's famous detective Hercule Poirot. It is the first one I have read by the author and I am pleased to report it does recall those classic Agatha Christie mysteries. 

'The Mystery Of The Three Quarters' is set in 1930’s London, when 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. He goes inside, only to find that he has a visitor waiting for him who also claims to have received a letter from Poirot that morning, accusing him of the murder of Barnabas Pandy.

From this start a plat unfolds where four letters were received seemingly from Poirot and each person was accused of the murder of Barnabas Pandy. Poirot is soon on the case and the book features plenty of skeletons coming out of the closet of various family members and those acquainted with Barnabas Pandy. In true Christie style Poirot gathers all those involved together in a room to unveil the murderer.

Sophie Hannah certainly keeps within the style of an Agatha Christie book and it is good to see Hercule Poirot on new adventures. Recommended for Poirot fans and those who like a classic murder mystery read.

As a lover of all that Agatha Christie wrote, I was delighted that Sophie kept up the character of Hercules Poirot. All his little habits and idiosyncrasies were there, and as with Christie you were never sure who had done it, until the very end. Going from one suspect to the next but never getting it right.

A great read, and, as with Christie novels, one I did not want to put down.

Well what can I say? My own little grey cells got plenty of exercise while reading The Mystery of Three Quarters!

Sophie Hannah is the perfect choice to write the continuing adventures of Poirot. She's absolutely nailed his quirks and eccentricities, and his attention to detail, and retained Christie's clear and decisive prose.

In this mystery, Poirot investigates four identical letters sent to seemingly random recipients accusing them of the murder of Barnabas Pandy., and purporting to be from Poirot himself.

But nothing is as it seems as Pandy's death has already been deemed an accident, and what connects the four people who received the letter if anything?.

It's down to Poirot to investigate, and bring all of the suspects together for the great reveal.

As with Christie, no matter how hard I tried to work out the connections and who the guilty party/parties may be, I found that my powers of deductions were not up to Poirot's!

The character development is spot-on, and the plot reveals itself slowly and surely.

A triumph in the Poirot canon.

Thanks to NetGalley and the HarperCollins for the e-arc.

Although I am an avid watcher of Poirot, Miss Marple, etc, this is the first "Agatha Christie" type novel that I have read. I have to say, Sophie Hannah has recreated Poirot perfectly! I mean wow! I have to admit that I did use David Suchet's voice in this book for Poirot. Sophie kept me guessing all throughout this book and had me absolutely gripped to the end to the point where I took my lunch break at my desk at work an hour earlier than usual, and then realised that because I was sitting on a bank of desks by myself in the corner, that if I took another hour for lunch then people would not realise I'd already been. I couldn't get away with a third hour though...One of my colleagues another day asked what I was reading, and I ended up having to give her an update every day on what had happened - even when she went off on annual leave. That's never happened before!
So, to sum up, this is an absolutely gripping book , it never lets you go, and I did not expect that ending...wow wow wow!!

The book is fantastic. Its easy to dive into and get lost in. Theres twists and turns and I can hand on heart say that I didn't know who done it until I was meant to.

The story is about four people who are each claiming that Poirot is accusing them of murder by letter. Poirot wants to know why someone is using his name to accuse each of these people and more to the point, why the person believes they have murdered Barnabas Pandy. Each of the accused say they dont know the man.

Im a lover of Agatha Christie so this book of course got my interest. If youre looking for a complete copy of Agatha, this isn't it. Theres parts of the book where you would swear Agatha wrote it, parts where it felt like reading a brand new Christie novel but then theres the parts where you find yourself thinking Agatha would never have said or done this. And thats okay. I dont think anyone will be able to live up to her but Sophie Hannah sure gives her a run for her money!!

I received an ecopy of The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah from Netgalley. I was intrigued as to whether Ms Hannah could pick up the baton from the much loved Agatha Christie and write an authentic novel starring our old friend Monsieur Hercules Poirot.

In the main I was delighted, the detective appeared to be in tip top form and I noticed no hint of any deviation from character.

The plot however, did seem a little cumbersome at times especially with it's conclusion which, frankly, I found more than a little farfetched.

An engaging novel nevertheless and one which I would recommend to any lover of Christie style crime drama but maybe not to the true officiendo.

Three quarters is about right. For me this book doesn't quite hit the giddy heights and just seems to lack a crispness that I have become accustomed to bearing in mind who the main character is. An impossible act to follow I know and the storyline is good and the book is a good read so I would recommend without hesitation. It just felt a little like Poirot by numbers. I did check other reviews to make sure I wasn't being unduly harsh or out of touch but others seem to have felt the same way. I guess you can't have your cake and.... well you'll see

Tried this as l love Sophie Hannah but it wasn’t for me l do like crime books but this was a too gentle pace for me but l do feel true to the intended style and it will appeal to many I’m sure

I have to hand it to Sophie Hannah, she has got the whole Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot and 1930s vibe down to a fine art. Instead of trying to replicate Christie’s style and characters, Hannah gives her readers the feeling they are wandering around in the mind maps and plots of the grande dame of crime, whilst infusing the story with her own style and sense of humour.

I imagine it is both exciting to be the face of the new Poirot and incredibly difficult to live up to such high expectations. Sophie Hannah does so with great panache.

In this third new mystery featuring Poirot, the most famous detective in the entire world (his words), finds himself in the midst of a mystery about the author of a series of poison pen letters. Hercule Poirot himself has accused multiple people of murder, of killing the same man. He has written, signed and sent these letters himself. The accused, start popping up all over the place to threaten, shout and berate him for his thoughtless accusations.

Just one problem, the pedantic Belgian with the meticulously groomed moustache has never heard of the supposed victim, the recipients of said letters and he certainly hasn’t accused anyone of ‘the murder most wicked’ – well at least not lately. Luckily there is nothing Poirot loves more than a criminal trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

Three Quarters is step back into time and it gives the reader a sense of nostalgia. It is the typical Poirot crime mystery readers love to immerse themselves in. Hannah gives her readers the Christie of old but stamps her mark on it with confidence, which makes for a great read.

I was sent a copy of The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah to read and review by NetGalley.
This new Hercule Poirot novel was a very pleasant mystery romp in true Agatha Christie style. Lots of players and lots of twists and turns, with plenty of amusing moments from M. Poirot. A perfect antidote to the relentlessly graphic crime thrillers of the modern day.

Sophie Hannah is a successful crime writer who, since 2014 (with permission from the Christie estate), has been writing new Hercule Poirot stories in the voice of Agatha Christie. The Mystery of Three-Quarters is Hannah's third Poirot tale and perfectly captures not only the iconic character, but the tone of Christie's original books.

Lots of classic Poirot conventions are used here. It almost feels little Poirot-by-numbers, but it does work to give a healthy dose of nostalgia to the read. For example, we see the list making technique, (Poirot literally makes a list of questions he still has about the situation.) Another thing that we've seen frequently in previous books is nicely explained by the man himself, 'One never knows what is of vital importance, or where the connections lie, until the solution is apparent. The most inconsequential-seeming detail can be the one that matters most.' Seeing the details no one else does is a Poirot trait and small details do matter very much in this plot. Plus there is, of course, a reference to the little grey cells. I would have disappointed if there hadn't been.

Now, onto said plot: 'Everything that has happened is peculiar in the extreme.' Narrated by Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard, the story begins when four different people question why Poirot has written a letter accusing them of murdering Barnabus Pandy. The thing is, Poirot did not write those letters... so who did? And who is Barnabus Pandy? This is an intriguing case for Poirot as not only has he been personally drawn into it, but he must work out who wrote the letters and what exactly did happen to Barnabus Pandy... Plot-wise - it ticks all the Christie boxes.

I thought the cast of characters was also strong and really liked how the book explores relationships as much as anything else. ''Human relationships are extremely complicated', said Poirot.' And he's not wrong, especially the ones here - from Annabel Treadway with her constant air of misery to John McCrodden and his battle of wills with his father - but that's what makes it so interesting - everyone seems guilty and not guilty at the same time. Ultimately though, it comes down to this: 'no man can act in a way that is contrary to his own nature,' and seeing into someone's core is, of course, what Poirot does better than anybody.

Throughout, Hannah builds up brilliant layers of suspense, narrative turns and character crossovers, and although it's very cleverly done, it doesn't necessarily throw up any great surprises and did feel a little strung out at - ironically - around three-quarters of the way through. Is it a great detective story? Yes. Does it rank up there with Christie's best? No. But then the bar is set so high, that was always going to be a tough challenge. I don't want to end on a negative though, overall this was a great mystery read and it was a joy to be back in Poirot's company for a new story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

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.