{"id":3162,"date":"2023-12-08T16:25:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T23:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2023-12-08T16:25:02","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T23:25:02","slug":"a-gift-for-mystery-lovers-hercule-poirot-on-the-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/?p=3162","title":{"rendered":"A gift for mystery lovers: Hercule Poirot, on the case"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>HERCULE POIROT\u2019S SILENT NIGHT. \u00a0By Sophie Hannah. William Morrow. 362 pages. $30.<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson<\/p>\n

Yes, that\u2019s right. Just in time for Christmas, there\u2019s a new mystery out starring Agatha Christie\u2019s inimitable Hercule Poirot, the eccentric, dandified little Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head, turned-up moustache and busy \u201clittle grey cells\u201d that solve even the most difficult murder cases.<\/p>\n

Of course, Dame Agatha Christie, has been dead for 37 years now. Like the four recent novels that preceded it, Hercule Poirot\u2019s Silent Night<\/em> is written by Sophie Hannah, the British poet and novelist who\u2019s been authorized by Christie\u2019s estate to write new stories starring Poirot. To do so takes a lot of nerve, given that Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, and Poirot is her most popular sleuth, followed by Miss Marple.<\/p>\n

Hannah seems to be as up to the challenge as anyone could hope. Critics and fans have generally welcomed her new Poirot mysteries, including this one.<\/p>\n

I read Christie\u2019s books long ago after having been introduced to them by my father. Many of them I\u2019ve read more than once. At first my inclination was to compare Hannah\u2019s Poirot \u2013 the character, the mystery, the way he solves it \u2013 with what I remember about Christie\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

But perhaps it\u2019s a testament to how good a job Hannah has done that I soon became sufficiently wrapped up in the mystery and the interesting characters to keep reading just to see what happens. I forgot to think about whether Hannah\u2019s Poirot is true to Christie\u2019s creation.<\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019ve finished, I can say that she does quite a good job. The essentials of Poirot\u2019s character are there, including his delicate stomach and assured superiority. There\u2019s an element of humor about his eccentricities that makes the story even more entertaining. Would Christie have written some things differently? Probably so, but it doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

The story begins in mid-December 1931, as Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool, his friend and our narrator, are planning a restful, pleasant observance of the holiday in London. As they are debating whether to have turkey or duck for their feast, they are interrupted by Poirot\u2019s valet, who says an unexpected woman has come to call. The woman turns out to be Catchpool\u2019s very determined and single-minded mother.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Catchpool insists that her son and, more important, Poirot must accompany her to Norfolk, where she is visiting with a friend, Vivienne Laurier, who lives in a mansion that\u2019s threatening to tumble down a cliff into the sea. Poirot, she declares, must come to Norfolk and solve the case of a man who was murdered in September in an apparently closed hospital room nearby.<\/p>\n

Her friend\u2019s husband, Arnold Laurier, is terminally ill, expected to live only a few months, and he is about to move into that same hospital, on that same ward. His family had been there at the time of the murder, looking at the room they hoped would be his. Arnold, who admires what he knows about the great detective Poirot, is determined to solve the murder himself.<\/p>\n

Vivienne is terrified, Mrs. Catchpool says, that Arnold, who loves to boast about his plans to {play Poirot,\u201d might become the murderer\u2019s next victim. The only solution, Mrs. Catchpool has decided, is for Poirot and her son to come to Norfolk, make Arnold (and herself) happy by celebrating Christmas with them, and solve the mystery so the murderer will no longer be a threat. He can make Arnold feel as if he\u2019s helping the investigation, \u201clike you do with Edward,\u201d she says \u2013 with Edward listening.<\/p>\n

After they arrive by train at the Norfolk mansion, Poirot and Catchpool are strongly motivated to solve the murder quickly so that they do not have to spend Christmas among the odd (and often at-odds) collection of people living there \u2013 not to mention the terrible food that is served.<\/p>\n

But the mystery is not so simple, of course, and dangers lurk. Be prepared for twists, turns and a fitting challenge for those little grey cells.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HERCULE POIROT\u2019S SILENT NIGHT. \u00a0By Sophie Hannah. William Morrow. 362 pages. $30. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson Yes, that\u2019s right. Just in time for Christmas, there\u2019s a new mystery out starring Agatha Christie\u2019s inimitable Hercule Poirot, the eccentric, dandified little Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head, turned-up moustache and busy \u201clittle grey cells\u201d that solve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[300,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-british-mysteries","category-mysteries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3164,"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3162\/revisions\/3164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lindabrinson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}