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Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery
Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery
Agatha Christie, Sophie Hannah | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A good adaptation of a classic but leave it be
I really quite enjoyed this version of Agatha Christie's classic Belgian detective despite being a huge fan of the original. Having read most of the collection I was a bit irked at having it rehashed under someone else's guise. Sophie Hannah has done a good job of bringing the old elements from the original but it should be said to leave it be. Hannah quite easily could have created a new character without taking literary licence from Christie.

It seems that in order for her book to be noticed in an already over saturated area, Hannah has reincarnated the character. She needs more confidence in her writing - so I hope that she chooses to be a bit more original next time.
  
The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle
The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle
Stuart Turton | 2018 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.9 (24 Ratings)
Book Rating
Convoluted murder mystery
I would love to watch this as a TV series because as a book it seems rather all over the place. Following Aiden Bishop, who seems to be appear in a new host body every day in order to solve a Gosford Park-style murder, he's also stacked against competitors desperate to flee this entrapment.

The premise is fantastic - it's Inception mixed with Agatha Christie- but I feel the author Stuart Turton may have overstretched himself because by the end it's a tangle of a mess, and finishes rather abruptly, trying to tackle loose ends. I may be in the minority, but I found myself drifting away quite a bit, actually forgetting characters. There's far too many murders and body swapping, and I don't think it reached its potential.
  
The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle
The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle
Stuart Turton | 2018 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
7.9 (24 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mindblowing Murder Mystery
Any fan of a jolly good, old fashioned murder mystery may enjoy a new spin on the favourite format. Imagine an Agatha Christie style thriller from the point of view of several characters, a narrator who swaps bodies and arrives at different times in their week. He must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, avoid the evil Footman and play time to his advantage if he is ever allowed to leave Blackheath. This was a complex, and yet highly enjoyable, work of fiction. Within three chapters you will begin to appreciate the work it must’ve taken Turton to create this tense thriller. It’s an exhilarating peek into the minds of other characters and their perspectives, the more their individual stories overlap, the more the narrative flows. Definitely a book for discussion.