Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery

Written by Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie

Narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt

Internationally bestselling author Sophie Hannah and the world’s favorite detective Hercule Poirot return in this follow-up to The Monogram Murders, the national bestseller hailed by the Washington Post as “literary magic.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9780062561770

Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah is a UK-based beauty and fashion content creator sharing creative, experimental looks to inspire her audience. Sophie shares step-by-step makeup and hair tutorials as well as outfit styling ideas for occasions to her 3 million + following. She's most known for changing up her hair colour and her eye catching festival looks.

Reviews for Closed Casket

[shmuel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Extremely gripping. Better then the blocksum hotel story. Lots of possible culps. Not sure if it would have been possible to guess correctly.

[Alma Quillian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was pretty good,but I found that it really dragged in places, particularly at the end. Ms. Hannah is no Agatha Christie,but is good at copying her style. Creatively,I wonder if this is really an accomplishment.

[Debra Lee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ms. Hannah is very good at bringing t he Dame back to us. I very much appreciate her writings in the Era of Hercule at his best..

[Clare Gaia Russell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

She does Dame Agatha proud with both books. This is #2, and it's just as compelling as the first one.

[Latika · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three and a half stars scaled up to four.
It could have been quite shortened.
The narration was fantastic, the characters were distinct and brought to life well!

[Andrea Armin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting characters and plot. It was well-narrated, and had good direction.

[plumup49 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Narrator very good, story for me was overwritten, became boring.

[Valerie Strawmier · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As usual, Agatha Christie keeps you guessing until the end, thoroughly enjoying every chapter! I love these mysteries and believe you will too! If you're looking for a great listen, this is it!

[marcuskb-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It has been about 30 years since I last read anything by Agatha Christie and, even then, it was nothing with Hercule Poirot in so I can't compare this book to the 'real thing'. So, as a standalone book here's what I thought.I enjoyed the writing from the start, there were rich descriptions of people and locations that managed not to distract from the 'whodunnit' mystery side of things - I was a little surprised at first that the book is written from the perspective of Edward Catchpool and it was a little while before Poirot arrived. Having said that, I don't think this took anything away from the story and (as I mentioned before) I can't compare this to Christie's Poirot stories.I enjoyed trying to work out who the killer was and was led to false conclusions, as you should be by a decent murder mystery!My only negative comment about this book (and the reason it lost a star), was that it felt as though Poirot was explaining the same point over and over as he explained who the killer was and their motive for murder - it seemed to me that this could be tidied up a bit so as to avoid treating the reader as a simpleton who needs a lot of explanation.I have Sophie Hannah's first Poirot novel (The Monogram Murders) and will definitely be adding it to my read pile, I'll also dust off some of my Christie books (including some with Poirot) and I'll be able to make a comparison.

[LIZ ALDRIDGE · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Completely consistent with the Hercule Poirot environment that Agatha Christie gave us, but even better written than the original. Thank goodness for both Agatha and Sophie!!

[johnchic_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Let me describe this book succinctly using American baseball jargon. "A swing and a miss, strike two."Why?I happened to receive Closed Casket from my local library during a re-reading of Murder on the Orient Express. I left the Express to read Closed Casket, I was glad to find the real Poirot again upon my return to the Express.No comparison, Hannah's Poirot is a mere shadow of Agatha's. Who occasionally acts completely out of character.Based on my reading of The Monogram Murders, I borrowed, instead of bought, Closed Casket. Closed Casket was much better than Monogram Murders.I am looking forward to borrowing the next in the series.

[spiritedstardust · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Rich mystery writer decides to stir shit up by changing her will with everyone present.

[Cheryl Wills · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sophie should do many more like this. Better than Agatha Christy in many ways. Awesome reader.

[romonko · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I must admit that I did not enjoy Sophie Hannah's first Poirot reboot book, but after reading some of the reviews on this her second one, I thought it night be a worth a try. This was a more enjoyable book for sure. I liked the characters (with the exception of Sophie Hannah's Poirot who seems like a ghost of the original Poirot). The mystery is tricky and intricate, but I thought it went on a bit too long, and got too convoluted at the end. I must admit that I did figure out who the murderer was at about 2/3 of the way through, and I thought it took a little too long to get there. A shorter book with more of a direct denouement, would have improved this book to my way of thinking. But all in all, it wasn't a bad example of a country house murder in the style Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers or Ngaio Marsh. The murder was sufficiently bloody, but also very puzzling. I particularly liked Inspector Catchpool. It may be worth while to read another book in the series if the books keep improving like this one did.

[Pricarte · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very entertaining, like all the novels by this author. Her ability to confuse you with the solution to the case is astonishing. (Translated from Spanish)

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This rather intricate mystery has some clues for astute readers to pick up, and some red herrings to add confusion. But readers are not privy to enough clues to solve the murder until close to the end of the story. And that, likely, is what makes it a compelling tale. Lady Playford has changed her will, leaving most of her vast fortune, not to her two grown children, but to her personal secretary. She makes this announcement at a dinner, to the astonishment of her family, employees, and invited guests. Needless to say, it does not end well for one of these people. People may complain that this continuation of Agatha Christie’s characters is not true to writing style of Christie, but even if that were true, it should not detract from the fact that this story is well written in its own right. The writing is tight, the story is well thought out, and the new character of Edward Catchpool works well as the narrator of the story.

[therebelprince · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An engaging read. This is the second of Sophie Hannah's Poirot mysteries, authorised by the Christie estate. Can anyone believe it's been 100 years since the diminutive Belgian first tottered into England?

The book improves in most ways upon the previous, The Monogram Murders, although I must admit I'm not completely sold on Hannah's philosophy. It's perhaps not wise to demand too much literary merit from a Poirot book - after all, it's not as if Christie was Tolstoy. Her occasional forays into subtler fare, such as Five Little Pigs, are among her best, and some of her Mary Westmacott novels are valuable reading in an Anthony Powell kind of way, but nevertheless she was a storyteller first and foremost. Still, my complaints about this book are primarily literary: the characters almost all sound the same (Phyllis the working-class maid is the only one who exhibits any trace of dialect, despite the novel being set in Ireland); the dialogue is often ponderously laid out, with characters repeatedly specifying times and names or recalling long lists, as if they were all looking at the evidence files while speaking; and - although it's more taste than style - the decision to split up Poirot and Catchpool for long sections of the book deprives us of spending much time with the Belgian in question. Indeed, the presence of two police officers, a questionably helpful doctor, and the imperious lady of the house all participating in the investigation means that we spend very little time with Poirot until the denouement. (We also don't spend enough time with the enigmatic Lady Playford, if you ask me, but that's because Catchpool spends seemingly weeks at the home doing... what, exactly?)

Anyhow, the negatives out of the way, I found this an engaging enough mystery to read it over the course of one day. This is a more "classic" Christie mystery than Monogram was, with a country estate, ambiguous servants, a last will and testament, orphans, and surprising coronial reveals. The figure of Scotcher is particularly intriguing, and the relationships within the estate are well sketched out - not least due to a helpful floor plan. The solution is complicated, although not as much as Monogram, and fulfills for me that most important of Christie requirements: you can't fathom how anyone could commit this crime yet - upon the reveal - you can't see how anyone else could ever have done it.

(An aside: in the previous novel, Catchpool seemed to have a little secret. In this novel there is nary a mention of it, unless an exchange of business cards in the epilogue is weighted with meaning. Was this pooh-poohed by the Christie estate? Just not relevant to the story? Or had I completely imagined it?)

All in all, a satisfactory read. Vive Poirot.

[andy_dimartino · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

She did a good job capturing the spirit of Poirot

[smik_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second of Sophie Hannah's Poirot stories. The story is told mainly through the voice of Inspector Edward Catchpool, Poirot's friend from Scotland Yard. They have both been invited to a houseparty in Clonakilty, County Cork. A murder occurs but it isn't the one any of the house party were expecting. The amount of space given to Catchpool's voice is just one of the things distinguishing this novel from a "real" Agatha Christie. For another, Christie herself would have underplayed the gruesomeness of the state of the dead body.

I was willing to be persuaded, but Hannah's Poirot still does not ring true. He seems in some ways younger, more mobile, and a little less fastidious than the original.

And am I just being petty in my objections to the prominence given to the Agatha Christie name on some covers?

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah/ Agatha Christie is a 2016 William Morrow publication.



Lady Athelinda Playford gathers an eclectic group of people together when she decides to announce a major change to her will, a very controversial decision that could bring about terrible repercussions.

Inspector Edward Catchpool and the incomparable Hercule Poirot, may have been invited due to Playford’s suspicions that murder is on someone’s mind. However, a murder is committed right under the famous Belgian detective’s nose, prompting him to give those little grey cells some mandatory overtime.

This is the first Poirot mystery with Sophie Hannah writing as Agatha Christie that I’ve read. I must confess, the very idea of resurrecting one of my favorite detectives sounded like a marvelous idea… if we could resurrect Agatha along with him.

I was very skeptical of how this would work out, although, I have seen other long running and well loved series taken over by ghost writers work out quite well. I have also seen them crash and burn. So, with an odd mix of excitement and trepidation, I decided to give this book a fair chance.

Honestly, I enjoyed this mystery, if for no other reason than for the pleasure of reading the old tried and true whodunit format used in the golden age of detective novels.

The characters are well drawn, the dialogue is impressive, and there are plenty of interesting details and psychology involved.

While clever on many levels, it wasn’t too hard to guess who the culprit was, and Poirot is a not quite the same guy we’ve all come to know and love.

He’s not as vivid, and his arrogance and fussiness is only evident in one or two places, which are traits I always adored about him and made me chuckle.

Still, I thought the author did an admirable job considering the monumental shoes she had to fill. She makes Poirot her own and created a fun and easy mystery, while capturing the essence of a bygone era, and paying homage to it at the same time.

Overall, I had a pretty good time with this one. It makes a nice diversion from the stresses of life, and I think cozy mystery lovers would find this one to their liking as well.
3.5 stars

[authorjanebnight · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis:
This is not by Agatha Christie but has Hercule Poirot in it as the main detective.
Poirot and Edward Catchpool (of Scotland Yard) are called to a house party by a famous mystery writer. At dinner, she announces a change to her will and shortly after a man is murdered.

My rating:
3/5

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. The dialogue was humorous and Poirot was really funny in how he was presented. I haven't read a great deal of other Poirot books so I have no idea how accurately he was portrayed as far as true to Christie's original work but I did feel the book captured his essence in a funny way.

I was also intrigued by the secondary characters and eager to solve the murder. Up until about halfway through the book I was very much on board and intrigued. The start of the book was probably a 4/5 for me until we got to about the half way point and reveals started to happen.

I found the way the mystery unfolded to be too outlandish for my tastes and I didn't feel like there was enough explanation given on certain points. I was very disappointed with the mystery reveals overall. I felt like it could have been really awesome but instead was only meh. I was especially annoyed because the murderer turned out to be my favorite side character. I also didn't feel like their motive for the murder worked.

Basically, I enjoyed the writing and the characters I just wasn't keen on the mystery.

Also, the treatment of overweight characters was not good at all. In fact, I found it offensive.

So, I can't really recommend this book however I feel that I don't have enough background with Agatha Christie novels to know if the author was simply paying tribute to the original work or if the mystery fell apart on its own merits.

[Cvmilonio · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Really disappointing, I had high expectations for Sophie with The Monogram Murders, but in this installment, she completely fell short. You simply can't have that resolution of the case just because; it lacked originality entirely. I don't give it the lowest rating because the story has its entertainment value, plus the house blueprint drawings in the first pages add a degree of "dynamism." (Translated from Spanish)

[pierthinker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Poirot and his newest sidekick, Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard, attend a country house party in Ireland where they come to believe that have been invited to prevent a murder. When a murder does occur, they work outside the local police force to apprehend the killer.

This is Sophie Hannah's second outing channelling Agatha Christie in producing a new Hercule Poirot mystery. The period detail is authentic and the characters are strongly delineated. The twisty-turniness of the psychological shenanigans is pleasantly complex and baffling. Who saw the actual murderer coming? Not me.

So, why rate this lower than its predecessor, The Monogram Murders? What I like about the Poirot books is not just the settings and the plotting and the convolutions of the human condition. I like Poirot and his foibles and funny ways. In this book, told from the perspective of Catchpool, Poirot is hardly there. For long stretches he is physically absent from the action and only really pops up at the end to tell everyone who did it.

I prefer my Point with a bit more Hercule in it.

[marcusb01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It has been about 30 years since I last read anything by Agatha Christie and, even then, it was nothing with Hercule Poirot in so I can't compare this book to the 'real thing'. So, as a standalone book here's what I thought.

I enjoyed the writing from the start, there were rich descriptions of people and locations that managed not to distract from the 'whodunnit' mystery side of things - I was a little surprised at first that the book is written from the perspective of Edward Catchpool and it was a little while before Poirot arrived. Having said that, I don't think this took anything away from the story and (as I mentioned before) I can't compare this to Christie's Poirot stories.

I enjoyed trying to work out who the killer was and was led to false conclusions, as you should be by a decent murder mystery!

My only negative comment about this book (and the reason it lost a star), was that it felt as though Poirot was explaining the same point over and over as he explained who the killer was and their motive for murder - it seemed to me that this could be tidied up a bit so as to avoid treating the reader as a simpleton who needs a lot of explanation.

I have Sophie Hannah's first Poirot novel (The Monogram Murders) and will definitely be adding it to my read pile, I'll also dust off some of my Christie books (including some with Poirot) and I'll be able to make a comparison.

[pennsylady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Closed Casket
(Sophie Hannah)

This is my first Poirot by Sophie Hannah, but second in the series.

The Monogram Murders: A New Hercule Poirot Mystery was Sophie Hannah's first offering.
I admit I am not an Agatha Christie devotee.
Not on purpose, I simply haven't taken the opportunity over the years.
Therefore, I'll not attempt to merit this novel in light of her unique story telling and plot development.
I found the plot clever, the characters diverse and well drawn and
thought provoking red herrings scattered throughout.

3.5 ★

Goodreads giveaway

[bookswoman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 2nd book in the new Hercule Poirot mysteries wasn't as good as the first one. I like Poirot and Catchpool but the bulk of the other characters were all pretty awful people, with the exception of the Matriarch and she had her faults as well. Truly, by the end of the book I didn't care which of them killed the secretary, they almost all had motives and all were not nice people.

I'll read the next in the series because I did enjoy the 1st book and I like spending time in Agatha Christie's world.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OK, so Sophie Hannah is not Agatha Christie, and we all know how I feel about other authors continuing on with classic characters; however, the story isn't a bad one and has elements of the traditional Christie classic. It's a decent read, and it's nice to see Hercule Poirot in action once again.

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I will freely admit that is impossible for me to be unbiased when it comes to Agatha Christie. I love everything Dame Agatha, and I could not have been more excited when Sophie Hannah received permission from Christie's estate to write new Hercule Poirot books. Hannah is a brilliant writer in her own right, and her first Poirot, The Monogram Murders, was a great read.

Closed Casket tells the story of Lady Playford, who has invited Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool to join her family gathering at her mansion. She has changed her will, a revelation that is sure to spark outrage--and possibly murder. But why would she take this step, and what does it mean?

Hannah spins a great mystery for Poirot and Catchpool, with lots of twists and turns, and the spirit of Christie and her country home murder mysteries throughout.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Closed Casket – Hercule Poirot Returns

Sophie Hannah has risen to the challenge to become the voice and mind of Hercule Poirot and mimic everything that the Grand Dame of Crime Fiction created. Hannah has picked up where Agatha Christie left off and it is impossible to notice that Poirot came to life over 100 years before, this is a seamless addition to the Christie canon.

Hercule Poirot has been invited over to the newly independent Ireland, as the guest of aristocratic author Lady Playford to her country estate of Lillieoak. We are told the story of Closed Casket, through the eyes and voice of Inspector Edward Catchpole of Scotland Yard, a friend and colleague of Poirot’s.

It is October 1929, and both Poirot and Catchpole wonder why they have both been invited to stay as guests. Everything becomes clear over the first night why they are both house guests, when Lady Playford’s secretary, Joseph Scotcher, after dinner is found murdered. So begins the classic Christie, Manor House style mystery.

Throughout the book we get to know all the characters a lot more and some of their thoughts that they have not told each other. Poirot who has his ‘grey cells’ thinking is intrigued by what has gone on, and investigates further, to the annoyance of the Irish Police Inspector sent to investigate the murder.

Even at the Coroner’s Inquest Poirot recognises that everything that they have been told and what has been said in court is not necessarily the truth. The suspects all have their own quirks and secrets that they do not want to come out, as did the murder victim. Like Christie, Hannah does not delve too deeply in to the characters, but is consumed by the whole even of murder in a Country House.

In parts of Closed Casket you can be forgiven if you feel that Christie could have written those passages, but that is the art of an excellent author, who has studied her subjects of Poirot and Christie. It would be easy to point out the things Christie did make Poirot do, but Hannah does, but clearly different people bring their own quirks to the story.

Closed Casket does not disappoint, and I am sure Christie herself would have been delighted with this story if she had written it. For fans of Poirot all his nuances are there, from his gate, his OCD, and how he expresses himself in Franco-English. Sophie Hannah has written Closed Casket so well, that Poirot is just as he was when Christie wrote her last, this is a seamless continuation.

An excellent book that fans of Poirot and Christie will love and take to heart.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Agatha Christie created some of the most memorable and beloved characters ever to populate a mystery novel - Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. The first Poirot novel was published in 1920 and the last in 1975. Forty odd years later, Sophie Hannah was tapped to write a new novel featuring this iconic detective, with the Christie estate's blessing. That first novel was The Monogram Murders.

The latest Poirot novel from Hannah is the newly released Closed Casket.

Hannah introduced us to a new character in The Monogram Murders - Scotland Yard Detective Edward Catchpool.

1929. In Closed Casket, both Poirot and Catchpool are invited as guests to the estate of children's writer Lady Athelinda Playford. (I loved the references to her character Shrimp Seddon) Why, they both wonder? It becomes apparent that 'Athie' is worried that her planned announcement to a house full of staff, family and guests may provoke someone - to murder. Despite Poirot and Catchpool's efforts to thwart any such attempt, a murder does occur. The local, somewhat inept, Garda insist that no one leave the house. And so, Poirot and Catchpool begin their own investigation. I was somewhat reminded of Christie's And Then There Were None in which the murderer can only be one of the residents of the house.

I wasn't sold on Catchpool in the last book - he came off as somewhat pedestrian and seemed to be only there to serve as narrator and blank slate for Poirot. I'm happy to say that Hannah has filled out this character, given him more of a personality and yes, more of a brain. In this book, he is part of the investigation, with his own thoughts and deductions, not merely a foil for Poirot's ideas.

But it is Poirot's 'little gray cells' that drive the investigation. I always have enjoyed the deductions, the piecing together, the reasoning, the seemingly innocuous clue tucked into a paragraph along the way. Christie - and Hannah - force the reader to pay attention. The whodunit can change rapidly as each new revelation is revealed. There is no way to successfully guess who the culprit is. Hannah successfully captures Poirot's style, mannerisms, dialogue and idiosyncrasies.

Hannah has also recreated Christie's traditional mystery style in Closed Casket. The estate setting, the quirky bunch of suspects and the convoluted path to the final culprit. I adored the final reveal in the drawing room - such a civilized discussion of murder. (The dialogue in the book is just excellent - clever, humourous and cutting.) There's much to be said for 'old style' investigations.

Those looking for a book written as Agatha Christie won't find it in Closed Casket. But those looking for a classic mystery written in the style of Christie will enjoy this book. I did.