Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night is another novel featuring the Belgian detective initially created by the late, great Agatha Christie but resurrected by Sophie Hannah. It’s a pretty good addition to the series, but no one can match the style of the Queen of Crime.

Hannah has provided her own narrator in the shape of Scotland Yard Inspector Edward Catchpool, who is a fine ally and foil for Poirot. Anyway, Catchpool is visiting Poirot when his mother shows up and begs them to look into the murder of a hospital patient who was apparently one of the happiest men one could ever hope to meet. Catchpool has some resentments toward his mother and is reluctant to spend his Christmas with her as he and his Belgian friend solve a murder. They meet an unusual family, and a woman is frightened for her husband who wants to solve the murder alongside Poirot before he succumbs to a terminal illness. Poirot and Catchpool agree to look into the matter and head out to the estate. Poirot unleashes his little grey cells yet again to solve one murder and perhaps prevent a second one.

Hannah is a pretty good writer and does capture the spirit of the Christie novels well enough. I am not one of those who will just spout off some sycophantic exclamation that Hannah is just as good as Christie, but she isn’t bad. It’s pretty fun to read new exploits of Poirot. Catchpool is fine as a sidekick and narrator, although there isn’t much that’s terribly unique or interesting about him. The complicated relationship with his mother kind of moves the needle in that area though.

The mystery itself is fine. The somewhat strange or crazy family members is typical of a Christie novel. Hannah is overall a good choice by the Christie estate to bring back Poirot. She is a talented writer, so I may look at her other works. I do read some of these pastiche works, and I have no real objection if Hannah continued with her version of Hercule Poirot.

This latest novel is interesting but not much else.

Next up, I am joining The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.