Closed Casket

When I first heard that Poirot (Christie’s iconic detective) was going to be revived in a series of mysteries penned by Sophie Hannah, I was over the moon with excitement. There can never be too much Poirot for me.

I went back and reread all my favorite Poirot books and then a bit of a doubt started to rise in my mind. Would Sophie Hannah be able to capture the magic of Poirot? I didn’t think so, and so skipped The Monogram Murders – the first in her Poirot series.

But when I came across the second book in Hannah’s Poirot series, Closed Casket last weekend, I couldn’t resist and picked it up.

About the Book

Lady Athelinda Playford – one of the world’s most beloved children’s authors – springs a surprise on the lawyer entrusted with her will. As guests arrive for a party at her Irish mansion, Lady Playford has decided to cut off her two children without a penny and leave her vast fortune to someone else: an invalid who has only weeks to live.

Among Lady Playford’s visitors are two strangers: the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Neither knows why he has been invited until Poirot begins to wonder if Lady Playford expects a murder. But why does she seem so determined to provoke a killer? And why when the crime is committed despite Poirot’s best efforts to stop it – does the identity of the victim make no sense at all?

~ Synopsis from goodreads

My Review

My doubts about this book proved to be right. I found it very tedious and annoying. Sophie Hannah writes as though she’s paid by the word – her writing is so dense and clunky.

It started off promising though. We are introduced to a weekend party and there are a lot of interesting and complex characters, with intriguing motivations and desires. Soon, someone is killed, and Poirot and his sidekick Catchpool are on the investigation.

And this is where my problems with the book began.

Christie’s Poirot is meticulous, he pays attention to details. His analytical and dispassionate nature make him an excellent investigator, and differentiate him from the other people investigating. Hannah’s Poirot though, alas, he just flails around making dramatic statements. While he’s supposed to be an excellent detective, I couldn’t see any brilliant sleuthing on his part.

The finale of Christie’s books are a work of art. Poirot reveals the solution, explaining how we analyzed all the clues and saw through the red herrings peppered through the book. At no time is Christie or Poirot hiding anything from us. The same clues available to Poirot are also available to us.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in Closed Casket. Poirot seems a much reduced character. It’s hard for me to explain, but this new Poirot is only a shadow of the old much-beloved character. In fact, it might have been a better idea to just create a brand new detective. That’s how different he felt.

Overall, a highly disappointing read.

Have you read this book, or the other Christie books by Sophie Hannah? Is this the only dud, are the other books in the series better, or more of the same?

Buy a copy of this book from Amazon.