The inimitable: Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night (Sophie Hannah)

#HerculePoirotsSilentNight #NetGalley

This title is the fifth and latest Hercule Poirot novel to be penned by Sophie Hannah who has the approval of the Christie estate. This one is my favorite so far.

Hercule Poirot and companion Catchpool are thinking about what they will do for Christmas when their plans are upended by Catchpool’s mother. Cynthia, the mother, is a real presence in the novel and, at times, had me laughing out loud over her interactions with her son.

Cynthia convinces Poirot and Catchpool to visit a family whose house is falling into the sea and whose patriarch is dying. These family members, by and large, do not get along. There are two brothers married to two sisters, the brothers’ parents and the sisters’ parents, along with Vivienne and our duo. Note that the sisters’ parents are (ineffectually) acting as the home’s servants and this is not good for Poirot’s dinner plans or digestion.

The family patriarch wants to go to a hospital to die. His wife is against this plan as a prior patient (a man described as lovely and a postman) was murdered there. Said patriarch wants to work on the case and is realizing a life’s dream when he plans to collaborate with Poirot. He is aware that this could lead to his own murder. The story takes off from here. Note some of the interesting scenes; for example, find out how Catchpool learns a lot while decorating Christmas trees.

This title offers an excellent traditional mystery along with some eccentric characters in a Christmas run up. All of this makes Hercule Poirot’s Christmas a perfect holiday gift for a mystery reader.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 24 October 2023

NOTE: This book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly while Library Journal notes that “fans will devour this novel…”