“What I intend to say to you will come as a shock…”
Hercule Poirot is back in the second instalment of the New Hercule Poirot mysteries by Sophie Hannah. This time around he finds himself in the Irish countryside with his old friend Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Both had been invited by writer Lady Playford and under mysterious circumstances as neither are certain of the reason for the gathering. Lady Playford made the decision to change her will in favour of her ailing assistant, and cutting her son and daughter completely out of an inheritance. Her reasons are unknown and curious, and when her announcement leads to a murder, the questions only seem to grow. With a house full of suspects and many unanswered questions, it is up to Catchpool and Poirot to solve the mystery and reveal the culprit.
Agatha Christie’s Poirot mysteries are among my absolute favourite mystery novels, and I love that with this new series there are new stories to enjoy. With this latest release all the pieces are in place; an intriguing setup, a gathering of suspicious characters with questionable motives, and numerous questions to work towards answering. Although the premise feels very familiar, it’s one of those easy, laid back mysteries that can be a nice evening read. And while it is nice, it is not anything very exciting. I was not particularly drawn to the cast of characters and therefore never fully engaged with the story. Also there are parts that felt a little too wordy and drawn out. It is a nice enough read, however for me, all the pieces didn’t fully click and come together to create a page-turning mystery.
About a Book 
I had to give up on Sophie Hannah; her books are too convoluted, over-explained and tedious for me.
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It’s disappointing. I haven’t read any of her other books, but I did find both of the Poirot books to be too wordy and as you said “over-explained.”
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