SOPHIE HANNAH
Synopsis:
"What I intend to say to you will come as a shock..."
With these words, 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?
Content:
Language: Nothing memorable, but maybe a few instances of minor swearing.
Violence: The plot centers around a murder (head has been bashed in and there are minor descriptions of blood), poisons are involved in the story, and motives for murder are discussed in detail.
Sex: A married couple, an engaged couple who make occasional references to sex or male genitalia, discussion of past marriages and engagements, and a marriage proposal.
LGBTQ: Not present
My Review: I will be honest: this is, of course, not the same as Agatha Christie's masterpieces. I have found that many people are upset by Poirot's characterization or the fact that Hannah's writing is not the same as Christie's. And it isn't. But, I still found this to be a highly enjoyable story. The end was a bit anti-climatic, but otherwise I was satisfied with Hannah's version of Poirot and happy to follow along on another adventure.