I love the cover of Sophie Hannah’s fourth Hercule Poirot mystery, The Killings at Kingfisher Hall. However, I’m not the target audience. I found it tedious to spend the first five chapters of the book traveling with Poirot on a bus from London to Surrey.
In February, 1931, Poirot and his friend, the story narrator, Inspector Edward Catchpool, have plans to travel by motor-coach with twenty-eight strangers. Catchpool notices one young woman immediately, “the unhappy woman with the unfinished face”. She seems unhappy, but grows even more distraught when Catchpool introduces himself as a Scotland Yard inspector. And, her hysterical behavior on the rest of the trip upsets everyone, as she claims she’ll be killed if she sits in a certain seat. That seat is next to a woman Catchpool considers cold, rude, and hateful because of her reaction when he picks up the book beside her, mistaking the author for someone he knows. Poirot, though, has an enjoyable trip, deciding to sit with the cold woman, and hearing her story that she’s a murderer.
When Poirot and Catchpool arrive at their destination, Sidney Devenport’s house, Poirot finally deigns to tell the inspector what is happening. Although they are to pretend they’re there to rave about a game Devenport and a friend invented, they are really there to investigate the murder of Devenport’s oldest son, Frank. The younger son, Richard, hired Poirot. He doesn’t believe the confession made by Frank’s fiancee, Helen Acton. Helen is now in prison, and everyone expects she’ll hang for the murder. But, there’s a problem. Frank and Richard’s sister, Daisy, is the cold woman from the motor-coach, the young woman who confessed she’s a killer.
Oh, what a tangled web. Everyone has secrets in this long-winded story, even Poirot. And, Poirot, as always, delights in keeping secrets from Catchpool. Instead of letting him in on the information, he assigns Catchpool the task of asking a list of questions. It’s only when Poirot has his audience gathered in the final climatic scene that he reveals all.
As I said, I don’t believe I’m the target audience. Readers who enjoy Poirot’s long, drawn out explanations may appreciate the book. I found all of the characters dislikable, except Catchpool, and I only felt sorry for him. Daisy Devenport is a rage-filled witch. Poirot is a crafty manipulator who believes no one is as intelligent as he is. Because I read for character, it was hard for me to enjoy a book with a cast of unpleasant people who reveled in their unpleasantness.
Sophie Hannah’s website is www.sophiehannah.com
The Killings at Kingfisher Hall by Sophie Hannah. HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN 9780062792372 (hardcover), 288p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.
Thanks for your review. Sometimes I really enjoy Agatha Christie and especially Poirot, and sometimes just find all of it to be long-winded, and I've never really been able to get into the Sophie Hannah books.
I really appreciated your comment at the end where you say it's hard to enjoy a book with a cast of unpleasant people who revel in their unpleasantness. I just finished an audiobook, totally different type of book than this, and can't understand all the positive reviews when all the characters were unpleasant and there was no one to like, identify with, understand their motive even if they were unpleasant, or even feel sorry for.
Grandma Cootie, If I hadn't been reading this book for a journal review, I wouldn't have finished it. Character, character, character. I usually don't finish this type with unpleasant characters. I didn't finish Gone Girl, and this one had characters who were almost as dislikable.