Review: The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah

the lowdown
Hercule Poirot is taking his coffee as usual in this little gem of a coffeehouse on Thursday night when all of a sudden she comes in. Looking as nervous as ever, she begins to tell Poirot that she's "a dead woman, or soon will be" and that justice will be paid once its all over. What she doesn't know is that Poirot is a detective and has a friend in Scotland Yard and that he is on vacation...or does she? Poirot is about to stumble onto a mystery greater than ever that will take him across England.

Seeing as I love a good mystery novel, this tops the cake. I was intrigued because the cover called my name, and the title, and the fact that it is a remake on a classic mystery novel by Agatha Christie. Christie made a character as complex and dignified as Poirot and Hannah was able to give him a little life and brought him to life through the eyes of his friend. Reading the book from this perspective was very interesting and very different. It gave the book a mystery hook since you didn't know what the main character was thinking all the time and how he was solving crimes. I hope Hannah continues to remake Christies stories because they are enchanting and keep you on your toes.

the good

• The writing was very clear and easy to understand. Hannah brought to life 1929 London to life on page and managed to keep you interested with the clues and the very important details needed. She had me guessing the entire time and the killer was right in front the entire time.
• The pot itself was very inviting and I wanted to keep reading to see if Poirot had made any progress and to see where Catchpool was going with his findings. The crime is very intriguing and keeps you guessing.

the bad

• Hannah could get a bit wordy at times and that seemed to drag the story on for pages. Maybe keeping the most important things but the long stories and nothingness could be kept out.
• I found myself getting bored at times but like I said above, it was wordy and that is when I would find myself bored and I'd put the book down.

the quote
"There comes a point in most cases-and by no means only those in which Hercule Poirot has involved himself-when one starts to feel that it would be a greater comfort, and actually no less effective, to talk only to oneself and dispense with all attempts to communicate with the outside world."

skip it/borrow it/buy it
 I would recommend borrowing it and if you do like then go ahead and buy it.

overall score:7/10

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