Mini Reviews (Sophie Hannah, Gilly MacMillan)

 

Summary from Goodreads:

"Hercule Poirot is travelling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned him to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. There is one strange condition attached to this request: Poirot must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family.

On the coach, a distressed woman leaps up, demanding to disembark. She insists that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. A seat-swap is arranged, and the rest of the journey passes without incident. But Poirot has a bad feeling about it, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered in the Devonports' home with a note that refers to ‘the seat that you shouldn’t have sat in’.

Could this new murder and the peculiar incident on the coach be clues to solving the mystery of who killed Frank Devonport? And can Poirot find the real murderer in time to save an innocent woman from the gallows?"

My Thoughts:

I've been a huge Agatha Christie fan for years with a personal goal of eventually reading everything that she has written (I've got a ways to go in case you are wondering).  I was delighted to hear that Sophie Hannah was continuing the Hercule Poirot series so I jumped at the chance to read this one.  I say this with all respect to Christie and her work - I really couldn't tell the difference.  Hannah has written such a well crafted mystery that I believe Christie would have appreciated herself.  This isn't a book that you will fly through as it is definitely a slow burn.  But it was such an enjoyable ride that this author took me on that I didn't mind the slower pace.  I can honestly tell you that I suspected every character besides of course Poirot and Inspector Catchpool.  There was a variety of characters to suspect and I'm not sure that I liked any of them.  But I did enjoy reading about them and trying to guess if they were the ones behind it all.  And to my delight, I didn't see the ending coming at all.  Looking back, I almost felt like I should have but I didn't.  This was such an amazing tribute to Christie's work and I cannot wait to go back and read the other Poirot books that Sophie Hannah has written!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am excited that we have more Poirot books to look forward to thanks to this author!  If you are a fan of Christie's books or are a mystery reader, I definitely think that you should give these a try.  I haven't yet read the earlier Poirot books that Sophie Hannah has written and it didn't matter in the slightest.  I would say you could probably treat these as standalones almost but I'm planning on reading those other books now as well!  Definitely recommended!

Bottom Line: An enjoyable mystery that felt like Christie wrote it herself.  I can give it no higher praise!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Summary from Goodreads:

"When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…"

My Thoughts:

The Nanny was an atmospheric, slow burning read that I enjoyed immensely.  This is one of those books that isn't meant to rush through.  The author takes her time and builds the suspense up layer by layer.  The characters in this one were an interesting contradiction.  I felt like I should like Jo more but I really didn't.  I felt like I shouldn't like her mother but I actually did.  The author does a really great job of slowly revealing their motivations and the truths behind their shared history.  Let me tell you that this was such a great ride!  I love, love, love slow burns where you can just trust the author to tell a really great story.  I didn't know exactly what was coming but I was there for the ride.  And the ending was perfection!  I honestly don't think that this book could have ended any other way.  This is my 2nd book by this author and it won't be my last.  I love the way she builds up suspense in her books and cannot wait to read more by her!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am eager to read more by this author.  Luckily, I already have another of her books on my shelf to look forward to.  I wouldn't call this book a thriller but instead would label it as suspense.  Go in knowing this book is a slower burn and I think that readers will enjoy it all the more.  I would recommend this book to fans of character driven mysteries and those who enjoy an atmospheric read.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A slow burning suspenseful read that I really enjoyed!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.