My first novel by this author of Poirot and it was great. Loved the story and the narration that it’s been written in. This one doesn’t disappoint!

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This the first book by this author that I have read, and I really enjoyed it. The characters are so well written and the plot is engaging from the start. I'm very keen to go back and read the others in the series.
Highly recommended
4.5 *

From start to finish I couldn't put this book down. The twists and turns all the way through the book kept me on my toes right till the end. I would absolutely recommend this book to anybody who loves a crime who done it book. I would rate this book as 5 stars. Go online and order this book, you won't be disappointed.

A pleasingly entertaining mystery.
This is Sophie Hannah's fourth Poirot story and just as good as the others (in fact, perhaps my favourite!) Although there are some references to the previous case, it can certainly be read as a stand-alone mystery. I whizzed through it in a couple of days as I couldn't wait for the inevitable final-chapter reveal. They are huge boots to fill, but Sophie Hannah does a wonderful job of bringing to life the infuriatingly pompous and yet somehow evocative little belgian detective and his methods of unravelling the twisty plots. Definitely worth a read!

I've read all of Sophie Hannah's new Hercule Poirot novels now, and they are all beautifully written and a very enjoyable read. I like how she makes the distinction of creating her own original policeman for this series, so he and Poirot have their own relationship, which builds on the originals and yet makes them different. The setting for this novel, in a luxurious country estate, is unusual, and the coach journey Poirot and Catchpool make at the beginning of the novel is an intriguing start, and the plot has many twists and turns to keep the reader interested.

I am a huge Agatha Christie/Poirot fan and was pleased to see the books by Sophie Hannah, I have read a couple before and thought they were acceptable.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill start with a bus journey not at midnight as Inspector Catchpool tries to pretend, but at 2pm on a freezing February afternoon. We have a gathering of people waiting to board the coach to get to their various destinations, but who is the woman with the matching green jacket and hat and why is she making such a fuss?

Poirot and Catchpool are off to Kingfisher Hill itself in response to a letter sent by Richard Davenport who implores Poirot to help his fiancee, Helen, who is on trial for the murder of Richard's brother, Frank who she was engaged to at the time of the alleged crime.

I found the book quite laborious at times, almost trying to be too clever, there were literally no likable characters in the book, Poirot and Catchpool were both, occassionally, humourous but just felt the book was very long drawn out.

This was quite a convoluted story, for which in the end, there was a very simple solution. Sadly I found it a little frustrating


]

I must confess that I am only familiar with Agatha Christie through the increasingly stylish television adaptions and I love Sophie Hannah's crime novels. There was lots about this I really enjoyed particularly at the beginning of the novel and I loved the idea of the little key, which I thought would have made a great title. I liked the idea of the luxurious gated community and thought the author was particularly strong on settings. But the relationship between Poirot and Catchpool jarred on me and some of the lead characters seemed bonkers and not psychologically convincing. It was full of twists and turns which were impossible to predict ( or at least I found them impossible to predict ) . It was a good read though and has inspired me to check out Miss Christie's work which is no bad thing I think. So I am grateful to the publishers and to Negalley for an ARC.

Richard Davenport summons Poirot and his friend inspector Catchpool to prove the innocence of Helen, his fiancee, who now awaits hanging for a murder of his brother Frank. They agree to meet in Richard's home, Kingfisher Hill estate, where they wittness pretty complicated family dynamics. Also their journey in luxury passenger coach to the estate was really peculiar, because an almost hysterical woman claimed that someone tries to murder her if she sits on a particular seat.

Well, I really really love all Agatha Christie's novels, but I just cannot warm to Sophie Hannah's mysteries. I try very hard, every time, but ... no, they are not for me.

Too slow, narrative is tangled, something is just off. Poirot is a bad copy of an original, french phrases don't click as they should, there is no humour involved, the novel is somehow written by force.

I will stick around with original Poirot novels.

I got the The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah, from NetGally for a fair and honest review.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill, starts when Poirot and is good friend from Scotland Yard Inspector Catchpool are going on a luxury coach journey to Kingfisher court to help investigate a murder,

However before they get on the bus a young woman panics saying that if she sat in the only remaining seat then she will be murdered.

When Poirot swaps sets with the panacing woman, the person who he is now sitting nest to hem, says she once committed a murder.


The Killings at Kingfisher Hill, is the fourth book written by Sophie Hannah, about Agatha Christie’s famous Belgum detective, and the first which I Have read.

This is one of those books which is part of a series which can be read on its own as there is no reference to any of the previous books in the series.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill is a really intriguing cozy mystery with a muder taking place in the full view of a number of witnesses, and a large number of clues placed around the book, some of which are read herrings.

All of which make this make the book well worth book well worth reading
If this was a cozy mystery without all the baggage that it carries.

As The Killings at Kingfisher Hill is part of the legacy of the works of Agatha Christie and one of her most famous creations, I have to comment if this book is able to stand in this company.

The answer to this question is yes, while it is not up there with the top agatha christie books it does stand up to the comparison of her books..

All this makes The Killings at Kingfisher hill by Sophie Hannah a cozy mystery that is well worth reading

I love Agatha Christie, and I love Sophie Hannah, so I don't know why this pairing doesn't completely work for me. Catchpole is just as annoying as Hastings, without being as endearing. Poirot is maybe too willing to expound on how his mind works (as opposed to his thoughts, of which he is as jealous as Christie's Poirot is).

The plot is an excellent amalgamation of Christie and Hannah, the setting a sort of oddly modern Christie (I don't doubt that weird gated designer communities for rich people existed in Poirot's time, it's just not something I've come across before, so it hit me as a little anachronistic).

The set of characters is bogglingly broad and Hannah does an amazing job of wrangling them all into a just-on-the-edge-of-plausible plot, deliberately obscured identities, false confessions and all.

I'm forever grateful that the Christie estate entrusted this job to Sophie Hannah, because The Monogram Murders is how I discovered her, and she's now one of my most reliable auto-reads. At the end of the day, though, I'd rather read Sophie Hannah's own characters, and then reread whichever Agatha Christie falls off the shelf.

My thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC.

The 4th occasion Sophie Hannah has taken on the persona of Agatha Christie and re-imagined a new Poirot mystery for fans of this wonderful detective.

You wonder if it is getting easier or more demanding.

Certainly it is a work of art, a clear celebration of crime fiction within a certain era and a true reproduction of the best within these widely read classics.

Poirot is the star of this novel and his presence is critical to the resolution of this baffling and disturbing mystery. He is functioning as a specialist attached to Scotland Yard. The story involves a wealthy family and the disquiet and bitterness around sibling rivalries and parental control.

London in 1931. Set at a time when the death penalty was the ultimate punishment for the crime of murder. Poirot is asked to visit the home of the Devonports by son Richard after the death of his disgraced older brother, Frank. Since all talk of the crime is banned within the home, Poirot and his friend Inspector Catchpool travel under a false pretence to stay among the family and their guests for the weekend. To investigate without appearing to do so directly. The account of their endeavours is related by Catchpool and the story expands slowly and methodically. The mists of confusion and misdirection seem to develop wherever they turn and the reader’s confusion is only matched by the opposite emotion of Poirot who postures and preens. You know this crime will be solved with little help from you or Catchpool. The clues are there after the fact but missed by all but that great Belgium brain M Hercule Poirot.

I enjoyed the general characters depicted in this story but absolutely adored every page Aunt Hester graced. The sense of foreboding and malevolence gives it all a cold shivery thrill at times and the shadow of the hangman’s noose brings clarity of thought, urgency for the truth and a sense of jeopardy.

This was my first Sophie Hannah Poirot story, I've always been a bit wary about reading one as I love the Agatha Christie tales and didn't want to be disappointed. I wish now I hadn't waited to read one, I really enjoyed it. Hannah writes in a way that makes you feel as if it is a Christie original, getting Poirot's little foibles perfectly down on paper.

This story sees Poriot and his friend Inspector Catchpool summoned to Kingfisher Hill, to help solve the murder of Frank Devonport. The story twists and turns in true Poirot fashion, and is a fantastic read.

This definitely won't be the last one of Sophie Hannah's Poirot stories I pick up!

I read all the Agatha Christie books and was very interested in trying Sophie Hannah's take on Poirot. The plot was well done and I did recognise some of Poirot's quirks so that made me really happy :-) However I thought Poirot treated Catchppol too much like an idiot - I know that's how Poirot is/works but Catchpool is supposed to be a (good) detective so I found this too exaggerated. I think his personality should differ much more from Hastings' and that he should also find some clues himself.

All in all I enjoyed this story and I will probably try other books by this author. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Hanna's latest outing for Poirot has our Belgian detective and his friend Inspector Catchpool (the narrator of the tale) investigating a murder that has already been to trial and a woman has been sentenced to death for the killing. Poirot and Catchpool find themselves surrounded by lies and mistruths but of course Hercule Poirot is on the case.

I really enjoyed this, as a huge fan of Christie one worries when another author steps in to take the reins however Sophie Hannah is the perfect author for the job!

Having loved Agatha Christie since my teenage years I was looking forward to Sophie Hannah"s breathing of new life into Poirot, and she didn't disappoint. The book captures his idiosynchratic ways, his humour and his relationships just perfectly. The plot, centring around Poirot's journey by coach to a gated country estate on his way to solve a family mystery, is full of twists and red herrings and kept me guessing (incorrectly) until the end. Highly recommended 👌

I've tried hard with these "continuation" novels, but I think this needs to be my last. I am a big Agatha Christie fan, an obsessive even, but I went into these understanding that these are not Christie novels but someone else's interpretation. Changes and different approaches would be fine. But what we got is a mishmash of inaccurate characterisation and a confusing approach to the telling of a murder mystery.

Hastings is gently confused, Catchpool- the Hastings replacement- is aggressively so. He is often angry at Poirot for not explaining, at himself for not understanding and at seemingly everyone for simply existing, that he is hard to like.

I don't think anyone who loves Agatha Christie would ever object to complicated plots and scenarios that stretched credibility. But the plots in this (and previous) novels are not simply convoluted but exhausting. Poirot ties everyone up in knots with his constant questions and confusion. Withholding answers until the right moment is something Christie did perfectly- here it makes you want to tear your hair out.

The best Agatha Christie's are lean and say only what they need. There is no fat on them. These novels are unecesarily long and full of stuff that I really don't care about. One of the main problems is "why did this thing happen?" and it is hammered again and again until I ended up skim reading because I didn't care about the journey. There was so much belabouring of minor points (through dialogue- somehow even more irritating) that i began not to care. With Christie's stories (even the most mad) I always felt as if I was in a safe pair of hands. Here, I feel a bit out of control.

The plot is decent enough but nowhere near the genius of Christie. After all, who is as good as Christie? I would be perfectly happy to accept this as a continuation and accept that it is a reimagining, not a real Christie- but I need more than this.

I can never quite decide how I feel about the Sophie Hannah Poirot novels. On the one hand, I always want to read them, but on the other I never seem to actually enjoy them that much. Out of the three "new" Poirot novels I've read, this one has definitely been the one I enjoyed most. I think the main problem I have with them is that they tend to be a lot more complex (almost confusing!) than the original classic Christie novel. Still, it was an enjoyable read for a Sunday afternoon.

I am not an expert in Agatha Christie's work or the tales of Poirot, only having read a handful of these but Sophie Hannah's writing had me completely immersed in this story. I did guess a few of the plot points but the majority remained a mystery till the last chapter. I completely flew through it, having read from start to finish in a matter of a few days. I would definitely recommend this for fans of the character Poirot or the work of Agatha Christie. Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed this take on Poirot. It was slightly different from Christie's take, but obviously Hannah is a master in her own right and is giving us her take on the well known mysteries. Some characters weren't explored in much detail but I loved Daisy Devonport. I love too how Hannah randomly let snippets of clues drop here and there as the plot progressed. I enjoyed this read. It was light and entertaining and kept me guessing until the end.

Red herrings, twists and turns, lots of lies, confusing motivations and a long list of characters make ‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ by crime writer Sophie Hannah the type of book you need to read when fully alert. Fourth in Hannah’s series of continuation Hercule Poirot mysteries, I finished it with mixed feelings.
Direct comparisons of Hannah and Christie seem unfair as these are continuation novels. Christie was a highly accomplished author who balanced likeable characters with dense but ultimately solveable crimes, while at the same time making the novels appealingly comfortable to read. If ‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ were a standalone novel featuring an unknown detective, it would be free of these comparisons. I enjoyed ‘The Mystery of Three Quarters’, third of Hannah’s Poirot novels, and will continue to read this series. It has also given me renewed impetus to re-read the Christie originals.
The complications start at the beginning. Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are about to board a char-a-banc for Surrey and the exclusive Kingfisher Hill development, when they encounter not one but two women passengers behave strangely. One fears she is about to be murdered on the bus if she sits in a specific seat. The second woman confesses she has killed someone. Christie’s novels always have options – for victim, and murderer – but the options here did seem rather full-on with numerous characters introduced or mentioned in quick succession with none fully-formed in my mind. At one point I felt as Inspector Catchpool does, ‘My mind blurred, then went blank.’ So many possibilities in quick succession made me long for Christie’s more leisurely pace. True to character, Poirot is totally in charge of his investigation. He tells Catchpool, ‘Once one has a point of focus, all of the other details start to arrange themselves around it.’
Throughout I felt two steps away from the action because the murder has happened before the book begins. We are told the story of Poirot’s investigation by Catchpool and hear much of the necessary information as told to Poirot by third parties. Hearsay. I longed to be in the moment as it actually happened, or at the very least immediately afterwards – I think here of Poirot in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, ‘Evil Under the Sun’ and ‘Death on the Nile’.
‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ wasn’t quite what I expected.
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