Hercule Poirot's Silent Night - Sophie Hannah

CAN HERCULE POIROT SOLVE A BAFFLING MURDER MYSTERY IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS?

It’s 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool’s mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.

Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else – someone utterly ruthless – also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot . . .

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

I received an advance copy of Hercule Poirot's Silent Night in exchange for an honest review.

As a longtime fan of Agatha Christie, and especially Hercule Poirot, I think it's so fantastic to have new material to read. I've enjoyed each one of Sophie Hannah's previous stories, and so was really hoping I'd enjoy this one too.

Although I don't think Hercule Poirot's Silent Night is my favourite new Poirot novel, it's a very solid one. It has a great range of characters, and a lot of different mysteries that all come together at the end. But I think what is does best is capture that Christie feeling, of a closed mystery with plenty of twists and turns. I also loved the continuation of the relationship between Poirot and Catchpool, which brings the text to life.

It's another hit for me!

My Thoughts

The first Agatha Christie novel I ever read was Hercule Poirot's Christmas, and so I loved the idea for this book. A murder mystery that I could cosy up with sounded like perfection. The story, filled with a mystery in the present and an unsolved case of the past, seemed like it had so potential.

The story itself, however, wasn't necessarily one of my favourites. I can't quite put my finger on what didn't click for me, because on paper everything was there. There were so many clever clues that I was kicking myself for not picking up on, and the final reveal was very clever - although the individual who was ultimately responsible felt a little obvious to me. Everything was there, but it wasn't quite right. Very nearly, but not quite.

If I had to hazard a guess at why, I think I would have to say that I didn't quite connect with the characters. I loved that we got a bit of an insight into Catchpool's life, with his mother playing a prominent role in the story, popping up and causing trouble. However, most of the characters didn't feel quite as fleshed out as I was hoping for, and so I struggled a little bit to feel that connection. 

Overall, though, this book really captured the atmosphere of a Christie novel. These books are naturally longer than original Christie stories, so they don't have that fast-paced feel in the same way. Nonetheless, it had that closed door mystery with a finite cast of suspects. I loved the setting of the big house where everyone was staying, and all the interpersonal relationships that made tensions run high.

But I think what I continue to love most about Sophie Hannah's Poirot novels is the relationship she is building between Poirot and Inspector Catchpool. It's a shadow of the relationship Poirot has with his ultimate sidekick, Captain Hastings, but one that I love reading about. Having Catchpool around to bring the story to life - to reflect us, as readers, picking up on all the right clues for all the wrong reasons - makes the story infinitely more enjoyable. If Catchpool continues to be in these stories, allowing Poirot to shine, then I'm sure I'll continue to love them.

Rating: ✫✫✫✫.5