Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah Series: New Hercules Poirot Mysteries #6
Published by William Morrow on October 25, 2025
Genres: Historical Mystery
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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New Year’s Eve, 1932. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool arrive on the tiny Greek island of Lamperos to celebrate the holiday with what turns out to be a rather odd community of locals living in a dilapidated house. A dark sense of foreboding overshadows the beautiful island getaway when the guests play a New Year’s Resolutions game after dinner and one written resolution gleefully threatens to perform “the last and first death of the year.”
Hours later, one of the home’s residents is found dead on the terrace.
In light of the shocking murder, Poirot reveals to Catchpool the real reason he’s brought him to the island—the life of another community member has been threatened. Now both men resolve to ensure that the first murder will be the last.
A remote Greek Island with a cultish community for the New Year and, of course, someone gets murdered while Catchpool and Poirot are guests. Sophie Hannah’s New Hercule Poirot Mysteries were a recent discovery for me and I was pleased as punch to see a new installment set during the New Year’s Holiday with the ‘stranded guests- remote island’ situation.
The Last Death of the Year is the sixth in a series of standalone historical cozy mysteries set in the 1930 era in the world of Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Sophie Hannah’s plots and characters are all diverse and original with only Poirot as the familiar figure from Christie’s novels and stories.
It’s New Year’s Eve 1932 and Poirot drags a reluctant Catchpool along with him to visit an odd little group on a Greek Island. Odd because they believe strongly in ‘forgiveness for the past’ at the House of Perpetual Welcome right up until one of their own is bumped off not long after they are all encouraged to play a game. Write out a New Year’s resolution and everyone is to guess whose is whose, and, oh, by the way, someone will be dead before the New Year. Can a New Year’s resolution be the motive for murder, Catchpool wonders? Poirot certainly thinks so, or does he? Inspector Catchpool notes that every last person is keeping secrets, is as annoying as all get out, and have motives to end the victim. Poirot, as usual tsk-tsks over Catchpool’s deductions and keeps his own thoughts close until its time to ‘wow’ the group with his reveal.
The Last Death of the Year was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed simply following along as Catchpool’s dry humor and curmudgeonly-ness over Poirot’s high-handedness never failed to entertain. I enjoyed that they were in an exotic new locale and it was a setting not unlike one Christie would have planned for her characters and mystery. It even has some wow factors with the way the murder is set up and some of the ‘secret reveals’ along the way. But, for land’s sake, there was no figuring this one out even if I’d tried and I could only stand that crowd of suspects in short increments of time. Vital clues were kept to the end and the motive was so obscure that it made very little sense to me.
And, so, I liked it, but didn’t love it. I still recommend the series for those who want a historical cozy with an amusing team of detectives and some startling situations and mysteries to solve.
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.
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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Sorry you didn’t love it, but glad you enjoyed it.
Yeah, it was parts fun and parts frustrating- all in one, LOL!
I was kind of meh on the last book in the series that I read (I’m several behind) but I do want to read this one. I love the premise and the setting. I’m glad to see that even though it wasn’t a total win you did enjoy it.
A couple earlier books struck me that way, too. I think with this series one has to anticipate that it could go either way between meh and enjoyment.
I’ve never read the originals, so I think I should start there.
I agree! You definitely don’t want to form your mental idea of Christie’s Poirot and writing style from Sophie Hannah’s (they are distinct and I don’t mean that as a disparagement).
Sounds interesting. Sorry some of it wasn’t great.
It had its good and its not so good. But, I still want more of the series so that makes it a win. 🙂
Greek Island??? I might need to read this one next!
Oh yeah, perfect winter vacation mystery locale. 🙂