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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was very invested in this book in the beginning and I thought the details to be very interesting. But as it went on, it became so convoluted that I didn’t care for the ending or who the murderer was.
So many characters did things just because or for no real reason. And so many characters had such weird motivations for their actions that no normal person would even consider.
All in all, nothing to write home about.
So many characters did things just because or for no real reason. And so many characters had such weird motivations for their actions that no normal person would even consider.
All in all, nothing to write home about.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has been on my shelve for multiple years. It wasn't until my friend kept talking about her murder mystery reads around Christmas time that I finally thought about picking it up.
I'm really glad that I did pick it up.
I never read an Agatha Christie before, so I can't compare if Sophie Hannah did a good job at continuing the legacy. I can however judge on the reading experience for someone who is experiencing Poirot for the first time.
I must say, Poirot and his character grabbed me immediately. It felt like the old days, me as a little kid playing Professor Layton. Just laying back, trying to solve the mystery but also just trusting this character to explain you what actually happened. I LOVED THAT!
I did however not enjoy the character of Catchpool in the beginning, he kept interrupting Poirot. That was annoying to read as it felt like a lazy choice of the writer to set the scene around the relationship between Catchpool and Poirot. Eventually this did get better and the reading became more enjoyable (because I could enjoy Poirot just figuring everything out while I was a confused mess)
I must say that the ending dragged a little bit. After the big "AHA" it just kept on dragging so she lost me a bit there. That made it a 4 star for me instead of a 5 star. But I am excited to read more by Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie!
I'm really glad that I did pick it up.
I never read an Agatha Christie before, so I can't compare if Sophie Hannah did a good job at continuing the legacy. I can however judge on the reading experience for someone who is experiencing Poirot for the first time.
I must say, Poirot and his character grabbed me immediately. It felt like the old days, me as a little kid playing Professor Layton. Just laying back, trying to solve the mystery but also just trusting this character to explain you what actually happened. I LOVED THAT!
I did however not enjoy the character of Catchpool in the beginning, he kept interrupting Poirot. That was annoying to read as it felt like a lazy choice of the writer to set the scene around the relationship between Catchpool and Poirot. Eventually this did get better and the reading became more enjoyable (because I could enjoy Poirot just figuring everything out while I was a confused mess)
I must say that the ending dragged a little bit. After the big "AHA" it just kept on dragging so she lost me a bit there. That made it a 4 star for me instead of a 5 star. But I am excited to read more by Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie!
I really wanted to like the Monogram Murders; the idea of someone taking Agatha Christie's beloved Poirot and doing him justice with new stories was very appealing. Unfortunately this book was a great disappointment.
The central plot is certainly intricately constructed, but unfortunately it is extremely convoluted and ultimately tedious & unbelievable. The final 4 chapters of 25 involve a very lengthy explanation of how the crime was committed, with numerous twists and turns. However I was already long passed caring and just wanted the book to end by the time we reached this protracted denouement.
There are multiple problems beyond the convoluted plot, but the main one is the narrator and sidekick Inspector Catchpool. He is incredibly irritating from the start, which builds quickly to help totally spoil enjoyment of the book. He is supposed to be a police officer but from the get-go appears ludicrously incompetent (minor spoiler: at the start of the book he literally leaves 3 corpses in a hotel overnight because he is squeamish about dead bodies, for a reason cryptically alluded to throughout the book), and he is written in an overly heavy handed matter as a foil to Poirot. But instead of occasionally challenging Poirot or disbelieving him to help misdirect, he seems to spend every moment disparaging and dismissing Poirot, contradicting him on every single page. The negativity and hollow observations get tiresome fast, and the characters generally miserable personality add to the doom and gloom. I quickly found myself hoping the murderer would bump this character off but (spoiler alert) was disappointed he made it to the very last page.
Following in Agatha Christie's foot steps is obviously very difficult, and credit to the Author for trying. Unfortunately this comes no where near catching the magic of a Christie novel, with an overly convoluted plot and a terrible sidekick in particular making this a painful read.
The central plot is certainly intricately constructed, but unfortunately it is extremely convoluted and ultimately tedious & unbelievable. The final 4 chapters of 25 involve a very lengthy explanation of how the crime was committed, with numerous twists and turns. However I was already long passed caring and just wanted the book to end by the time we reached this protracted denouement.
There are multiple problems beyond the convoluted plot, but the main one is the narrator and sidekick Inspector Catchpool. He is incredibly irritating from the start, which builds quickly to help totally spoil enjoyment of the book. He is supposed to be a police officer but from the get-go appears ludicrously incompetent (minor spoiler: at the start of the book he literally leaves 3 corpses in a hotel overnight because he is squeamish about dead bodies, for a reason cryptically alluded to throughout the book), and he is written in an overly heavy handed matter as a foil to Poirot. But instead of occasionally challenging Poirot or disbelieving him to help misdirect, he seems to spend every moment disparaging and dismissing Poirot, contradicting him on every single page. The negativity and hollow observations get tiresome fast, and the characters generally miserable personality add to the doom and gloom. I quickly found myself hoping the murderer would bump this character off but (spoiler alert) was disappointed he made it to the very last page.
Following in Agatha Christie's foot steps is obviously very difficult, and credit to the Author for trying. Unfortunately this comes no where near catching the magic of a Christie novel, with an overly convoluted plot and a terrible sidekick in particular making this a painful read.
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No