The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah
I had the pleasure of seeing Sophie Hannah speak at a writer’s conference several years ago. At the time, I never heard of her, but she seemed quite nice. And she spoke of being presented with the opportunity of writing new stories for the Agatha Christie estate. Even though I found her absolutely charming, it’s taken me until now to pick up one of her books.
My mom absolutely adored Miss Marple. We watched the 1950s movies a dozen times. And there’s something beguiling about this old spinster who solves crimes without even looking up from her knitting. Hercule Poirot was never my favorite. The 90s miniseries would come on PBS from time to time and I just couldn’t get into it. I think its his snobbery that puts me off.
However, after reading this book, I’m open to re-evaluating my position. Is Poirot an absolute snob? Most definitely. But is he also an interesting person to follow as he meanders about the English countryside solving murders? Also yes. And I just went to the library to pick up another Sophie Hannah Poirot novel, so he obviously grew on me a bit.
The mystery itself is fairly complex. In essence, four people have received letters from Hercule Poirot accusing them of murdering a Barnabas Pandy. Mr. Pandy drowned in his bathtub the previous December with no hint of foul play. And Poirot is adamant that he did not solve these letters, even if the recipients don’t believe him.
So, in order to clear his own name and potentially solve a murder, Poirot must figure out who wrote the letters and why.
I love a good mystery. Especially one that takes me until the very last moment to work out. Just as the detective is saying to the room “I’ve gathered you all here for a reason”, I get a sudden flash of inspiration. This book didn’t do that for me. I had no idea of the solution even as Poirot was laying out the facts. The clues were definitely all there, but I’m not sure the mind of anyone but a Belgian private detective could have pieced them together.
That being said, I devoured this book in only a couple of days. I highly enjoyed the ride and even though the solution wasn’t as twisty as I would have liked, it was at least satisfying. Everything was tied up in a nice little bow and made sense. Which can’t be said for all mysteries.
This book easily deserves 4/5 stars. Even coming into it expecting not to like Poirot, it won me over. If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie or mysteries set in 1930s England, I highly recommend it.
KT Byrde Writes 