The Mystery of Three Quarters (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
When four seemingly unconnected individuals receive letters claiming to be from Hercule Poirot and accusing them of murdering the same person, it gets the Belgian sleuth’s immediate attention. Adding to the mystery, the coroner has already ruled the death to be accidental. Helping Poirot sort out the clues and track down sparse leads are the amiable Scotland Yard Inspector Edward Catchpool and, to a lesser extent, solicitor Rowland “Rope” McCrodden, a defense attorney somewhat surprisingly noted for his advocacy of the death penalty. What began as no apparent crime at all slowly develops into a web of jealousy, greed, and murder that touches each of the many characters.
The setting and cast are vintage Christie, with a great country house in the late 1920s, and individuals who turn out to be far more connected than is apparent at first. Old and hidden relationships, a changed will, dysfunctional families, and a scattering of insecure or eccentric characters give the novel the distinctive feel of a work by Christie herself.
Despite the obvious efforts to follow Christie’s style and her characters—Poirot and the others—author Sophie Hannah has not produced a mere knock-off. Instead, this work deserves to stand on its own merits of excellent plotting and interesting characterization. It seems more like a continuation of the Poirot novels rather than simply an imitation. If there is a weakness, it is probably the lengthy denouement, which explains, in perhaps too great detail, most every unresolved question the reader could have. For many readers, however, that will be more plus than problem. I highly recommend this novel to all lovers of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie, and good mysteries.
