Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah Narrator: Julian Rhind-Tutt
Series: New Hercules Poirot Mysteries #2
Published by HarperAudio on September 6, 2016
Genres: Historical Mystery
Length: 10 hours, 10 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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"What I intend to say to you will come as a shock..."
With these words, Lady Athelinda Playford -- one of the world's most beloved children's authors -- springs a surprise on the lawyer entrusted with her will. As guests arrive for a party at her Irish mansion, Lady Playford has decided to cut off her two children without a penny . . . and leave her vast fortune to someone else: an invalid who has only weeks to live.
Among Lady Playford's visitors are two strangers: the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Neither knows why he has been invited -- until Poirot begins to wonder if Lady Playford expects a murder. But why does she seem so determined to provoke a killer? And why -- when the crime is committed despite Poirot's best efforts to stop it -- does the identity of the victim make no sense at all?
An internationally famous Irish authoress changes her will, leaving her estate to a dying man, and invites Poirot and Catchpool to her estate for the event. A bizarre turn of events follows. Poirot and Catchpool must solve a murder and everyone in the family and household has secrets.
Closed Casket is the second standalone historical mystery in the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries series.
As with many series, this second installment got off to a smoother start and dove quickly into the situation and introducing the characters. Lady Playford’s decision makes no sense to her lawyer, her children, or to the two investigators who speculate why they have been invited to an otherwise family party with the Playfords, their lawyers, and the daughter’s fiancé, a brilliant forensic pathologist from Oxford. Poirot speculated with Catchpool that perhaps Lady Playford fears foul play after her announcement, but Lady Playford isn’t the one found dead.
As with The Monogram Murders, Closed Casket seems straight forward and then the twists get going. Not so much with the evidence and the case in the present, but the connections from the past that lead Poirot and Catchpool to the truth. The Irish Garda are naturally reluctant to have a famous Belgian private detective and an English Scotland Yard inspector poking into their case.
The personalities in the cast of characters are vibrant from the purposefully mute butler, the eccentric authoress, her abrasive daughter, and her vague son, his sharp-tongued venal wife, and the sarcastic fiancé with the brooding silent of one lawyer and the jocular food-loving indifference of the other one. A cook who might do murder if anyone invades her kitchen or gets in her way during meal prep and a lachrymose housemaid who has a crush on the wrong man. Poirot and Catchpool are a good team in this one with Poirot giving poor Catchpool less of a hard time as they divide up witness interviewing and searches for answers.
All in all, I enjoyed Closed Casket a great deal and felt it was much better than the first book particularly with the crisper ending chapters. I’m looking forward to pushing forward with the series.
Narration:
Julian Rhind-Tutt does well with such a large cast of unique characters. The Irish accents weren’t really attempted much and Poirot’s French accent still feels exaggerated to me, but its growing on me the longer I listen in. He has a good sense of pacing and tone for the comedic moments, the suspense, and even for the changing emotions particularly during the reveal.
Listen to the clip: HERE
About Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling writer of crime fiction, published in forty-nine languages and fifty-one territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, Sophie published a new Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders, which was a bestseller in more than fifteen countries. She has since published three more Poirot novels: Closed Casket, The Mystery of Three Quarters and The Killings at Kingfisher Hill, all of which were instant Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers. Her next Poirot novel will be published in October 2023.
Sophie’s murder mystery musical, The Mystery of Mr E – co-written with her friend and composer Annette Armitage – is currently being filmed and will be released as a movie in 2023. The film is directed by Martyn Tott and produced/made by Landrigan Entertainment Ltd. In 2013, Sophie’s novel The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards. She has also published two short story collections and five collections of poetry – the fifth of which, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A Level and degree level across the UK. She has published a self-help book called How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment – The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life.
Sophie has recently helped to create a Master’s Degree in Crime and Thriller Writing at the University of Cambridge, for which she is the main teacher and Course Director. She is also the founder of the DREAM AUTHOR coaching programme for writers. She lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.
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As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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OOoo these sounds good.
Yes, I was really glad to find her cozy series that carry on with some Poirot detective mysteries. 🙂
That sounds like a good one.
I had such fun with this series. 🙂
Fantastic review Sophia. I really should listen to these. I love Hercule.
Yes, she really captures Poirot’s personality really well and her mysteries are nice and twisty. 🙂
I very much agree that this was better done than the first book. It feels much more like the author was comfortable with the characters. I really need to read more from this series! It’s nice to get a little more time with Poirot even if he’s a bit different than Christie’s version.
Yes, she definitely hit her stride here. I managed to start out of order since I took up the most recent released which really made the first book feel like a first. 🙂 I do enjoy her Poirot, too. Just enough difference to be interesting, but not so different as to be disappointing.
I love Agatha Christie so I would probably enjoy this sort of continuation of her Poirot mysteries. Do you need to read the prior book before this one?
That was what drew me too. No, I think you could get away with starting with any of them. The first one has a very brief explanation of how Poirot and Catchpool met as fellow tenants in a boarding house, but the rest is focused on the standalone mystery they solve.
Thanks for telling me, Sophia! I will request this one to start with.
Glad to help. I actually started with latest release, the fifth book and did just fine so I don’t think it matters much if you go in order or not.
I love seeing this series be a continuation in a way of Christie’s characters. Glad you enjoyed this one better than the first too.
So far, only crossover character is Poirot. Boy would it be fun if she wrote one with Ariadne Oliver as part of the detectives.