Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night: A Novel (The New Hercule Poirot Mystery)

Sophie Hannah’s Poirot series has the approval of the estate of Agatha Christie. This is Hannah’s fifth novel featuring the master sleuth whose little grey cells always provide the way to a most elusive solution to the crime de jour. The author stays true to Christie’s characters, along with their foibles and tendencies. Scotland Yard’s Inspector Edward Catchpool is Poirot’s sidekick this time around.

It is Catchpool’s mother, Cynthia, who barges into Poirot’s private quarters in London and demands his immediate commitment to solving the murder of a seemingly innocent patient at St Walstan’s Hospital in Norfolk. Cynthia is a bossy busybody who is spending the Christmas holiday in Norfolk at the mansion of her dear friends Arnold and Vivienne Laurier.

Several plot threads, involving Arnold’s fatal disease, the imminent demise of their mansion (Frellingsloe House), and two brothers married to two sisters, must be paid close attention. As with the original Agatha Christie mysteries, readers are advised to immerse themselves in the quaint English atmosphere that surrounds a holiday retreat away from the hectic life in London.

Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night offers a welcome respite from the everyday news we see online. Sit back and relax. The holidays are coming.