Closed Casket: A New Hercule Poirot Mystery

Sophie Hannah · Agatha Christie

Sep 2016 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Hercule Poirot, the world's most famous detective, returns in this ingenious, stylish, and altogether delicious mystery from the author of the instant bestseller The Monogram Murders.

"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?

Addictive, ferociously clever, and packed with clues, wit, and murder, Closed Casket is a triumph from the author whose work is "as tricky as anything written by Agatha Christie" (Alexander McCall Smith, The New York Times Book Review).

Ratings and reviews

Better than the Monogram Murders, until about halfway through.....the beginning seemed clearer and more similar to Dame Agatha's style (although still too 'wordy'). The plot suddenly seemed muddled as if another person began writing the last half of the book...it just isn't the same and shouldn't continue...and I can't 'see' David Suchet as this Poirot at all

It's just not terribly good, either as imitation or a stand-alone literary work; it tries far too hard, and it's painfully obvious, plus there's no humor at all. Mrs. Christie's grandson is literally ruining her sterling reputation with these poor, overpriced imitations AND the awful, "updated," unpleasantly feminist television and movie adaptations of her original stories -- honestly, how much money does this man need? A warning to the wise: stay away from Dame Agatha's grave ... the sound of her corpse spinning MUST be positively deafening.

The book is better than most people think. It is a good sequel to Mystery of the Blue Train. The Monogram Murders is not required to understand the book. This book worth reading as long as readers read Mystery of the Blue Train first.

About the author

SOPHIE HANNAH is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers, which have been published in 51 countries and adapted for television, as well as The Monogram Murders, the first Hercule Poirot novel authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie, and its sequels Closed Casket, The Mystery of Three Quarters, and The Killings at Kingfisher Hill. Sophie is also the author of a self-help book, How to Hold a Grudge, and hosts the podcast of the same name. She lives in Cambridge, UK.

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.