Written by Sophie Hannah
SUMMARY:
In 2014, HarperCollins published Sophie Hannah’s 302-page Monogram Murders, per authorization from Agatha Christie’s estate. Set in London, early February 1929, the weary Belgian sleuth seeks some downtime by pretending to be out of town. Having taken up residence in a quiet lodging house, Poirot is an unofficial consultant for his housemate, Scotland Yard detective Edward Catchpool. A chance meeting at a local diner with a jittery mystery woman known only as ‘Jennie’ sends an obsessed Poirot on a quest to find her before a killer does.
At London’s posh Bloxham Hotel, Catchpool investigates a ritual triple homicide (or possibly a murder-suicide pact). The poisoned victims are found separately in their guest rooms, each bizarrely with a cufflink title “PIJ” ominously placed in his/her mouth. A malicious note denouncing their deaths had been found at the hotel’s front counter just prior to the corpses’ discovery.
With a fourth murder imminent, Poirot and his new protégé’s methodologies clash re: deciphering who the ghastly culprit is. Separating pertinent facts from inconsistent witness statements becomes thoroughly muddled. Unless Poirot & Catchpool untangle the truth, the dire tragedy sealing a young couple’s fate years before in a rural English village may doom another innocent person.
Note: This book is available in hardcover and paperback editions.
REVIEW:
Despite its gimmickry, Hannah’s concept re: an apparent murder-suicide pact dating back sixteen years is intriguing. Her fresh plot, at times, even sparks of something Christie herself might have devised. The tinge of religious hypocrisy adds some depth, but it’s also one of many twists where Hannah overplays her creative hand. Instead of readers indulging some grains of salt, The Monogram Murders teeters on a lethal salt overdose.
For instance, Poirot’s enigmatic deductions are implausibly drawn from too little proof or even distorted misinformation, whether it’s by second-hand or third-hand commentary. Hence, Hannah’s take on Poirot makes him virtually telepathic, as compared to a rightfully befuddled Catchpool. It doesn’t help that this Scotland Yard too gladly concedes Poirot unfettered authority while discreetly ignoring Catchpool’s evident ineptitude.
Chapter 2 (“Murder in Three Rooms”) is the first red flag: a nauseated Catchpool evidently doesn’t incur a reprimand (let alone a suspension) for abandoning a gruesome crime scene he is supposed to supervise after being there only five minutes. Catchpool’s narrative concedes that he doesn’t even coordinate the removal of the corpses first. Hours later, he returns with Poirot, who instantly assumes command. Such plot holes become even more prevalent later in the game. At one juncture, readers are gifted a plausible solution, which should have made The Monogram Murders a satisfyingly novella.
However, far too much padding comes into play to justify the novel-length page count. Roughly the last hundred pages continually reworks this supposed answer to such exasperation that Hannah overcooks her final reveal. Various convoluted ulterior motives superseding other motives are divulged before finally getting to the real reason why these three people died at the hotel.
It’s as if Hannah has just neatly tied a bow on her mystery before needlessly opting to add further knots. As readers discover, her big climax deteriorates into a preposterous tangle. Without exposing spoilers, it’s a major letdown that one victim’s presence in London is finally attributed to near-absurd gullibility.
In a nod to a favorite Christie cliché, Hannah’s Scotland Yard rounds up, at Poirot’s behest, virtually the entire cast for the ‘big reveal.’ Going three chapters, this overblown sequence’s aura is a grand jury hearing mixed with a stereotypical televangelist program. Just imagine a long-winded Poirot playing Perry Mason!
It’s hard to keep one’s eyes from rolling, as previously-uncooperative witnesses/suspects now crumble and divulge their sins/crimes/etc. in front of the entire hotel staff, under the weight of Poirot’s bullying. Readers will sympathize with Catchpool’s queasiness observing this charade.
As for potential sequels, Hannah smartly dangles a few loose threads. Among them is perhaps giving lively waitress Fee Spring more screen time, at least if she is interacting with a disinterested Catchpool. Yet, one element sorely needs tweaking: Hannah’s Poirot must be refined from less that of an all-knowing, blowhard caricature.
Otherwise, the darkly neurotic Catchpool is a weak stand-in for Captain Arthur Hastings/Inspector James Japp. What’s even more frustrating is that large sections of The Monogram Murders make for an engrossing read, but Hannah can’t seem to leave well enough alone. Still, she definitely has the capability to make necessary improvements to better satisfy long-time Christie fans.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
The book was apparently well-received, if three pages of gushing endorsements are any indication. Among these endorsees are authors Gillian Flynn (of Gone Girl fame), Charles Todd, Alexander McCall Smith, and Tara French, as well as NPR, USA Today, Booklist, and even Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
