Reviews

Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah

uutopicaa's review against another edition

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4.0

(English/Español)

The plot was great. I also enjoyed the characters development and the cultural references BUT the mystery was TOO EASY to solve. Even though Poirot discovered several details I did not think about, I think the crime was plain and obvious. I'm thankful to Sophie Hanna for bringing Poirot cases back to my life but even if the narration style resembles the original ones from Agatha Christie, the mysteries will never be as exquisite as the ones plotted by the First Lady of Crime.

I hope we can see more Poirot books in the following years.

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La trama fue genial. También disfruté de la complejidad en el desarrollo de los personajes (todos fueron únicos e interesantes) y de las referencias culturales en relación con el mundo literario, PERO el misterio fue muy fácil de resolver; para la página 140 (de casi 300) ya sabía casi la totalidad de la resolución, salvo por detalles que Poirot explicó al final y de los que jamás podría haber sabido porque hablan de elementos que no se muestran en la narración, sino que se relatan por primera vez cuando se resuelve el caso.

Agradezco que Sophie Hanna haya retomado a Poirot y nos traiga nuevas aventuras, pero aunque su estilo narrativo recuerde al de Agatha Christie, estos nuevos misterio jamás serán tan exquisitos (y complejos) como los que creaba la Primera Dama del Crimen.

Espero que la autora siga escribiendo novelas de Poirot en los próximos años.

korennn's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kocherreads's review against another edition

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mysterious tense
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jimhaberl's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

These still feel enough like Agatha Christie to be delightful. This one felt a bit slower than the first.

sian2002's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

rebecanunez's review against another edition

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3.0

"Ataúd Cerrado" de Sophie Hannah es una fascinante incursión en el mundo del misterio y la intriga que captura la esencia del estilo distintivo de Agatha Christie. En esta obra, Hannah toma el testigo de la renombrada autora y nos presenta una trama laberíntica llena de giros ingeniosos y personajes intrigantes.

La historia se desarrolla cuando Hercule Poirot recibe una carta póstuma, aparentemente escrita por un hombre que murió hace tiempo. Este enigma desencadena una serie de eventos intrigantes que llevan al famoso detective belga a investigar un caso complejo y aparentemente sin resolver.

Hannah logra capturar la voz y la esencia de Agatha Christie de manera magistral, creando un ambiente nostálgico pero fresco para los amantes de la novela de misterio clásica. Su habilidad para tejer una trama intrincada y presentar personajes meticulosamente elaborados añade una capa adicional de autenticidad al universo de Poirot.

A medida que la historia se desenvuelve, los lectores se ven inmersos en un juego de ingenio y deducción, donde cada detalle cuenta. Los giros sorprendentes mantienen la atención, y el misterio se desenvuelve gradualmente hasta un clímax satisfactorio.

"Ataúd Cerrado" no solo rinde homenaje al legado de Agatha Christie, sino que también demuestra la maestría de Sophie Hannah como escritora de misterio contemporánea. Para aquellos que disfrutan de la intriga bien elaborada y la resolución de enigmas, esta novela ofrece una experiencia gratificante que evoca la magia de los clásicos del crimen.

laurjuli's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

syringaflower's review against another edition

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4.0

A bit darker in theme than the first book, but still very good

pinks_paperbacks's review against another edition

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2.0

~~~2.5 stars~~~
***May contain few spoilers***

Hercule Poirot in Sophie Hannah's books is a lot like Joseph Scotcher (a character in this book). What I mean by this is that Hercule Poirot in her books is heavily inspired rather than being revived. Sophie's Poirot is, obviously, merely an imitation of Agatha Christie's Poirot. So when Sophie and her team publish a 'Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot' book they are not standing by it because in reality they are presenting a 'simulation of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot'.

In this particular book it felt as if Hercule Poirot was used as a stepping stone to promote Edward Catchpool, a Scotland Yard officer, and apparently Poirot's sidekick and a character originally created by Sophie. There were three parts in this book and each part had about 12-15 chapters in it. In the second part of the book about 80% of chapters barely mentioned Poirot, it was only Catchpool in action 'as per the orders of Poirot'. It's a Poirot book so I expect to see him in action. Even when he is not revealing his ideas and behaving the way he does I expect to know about that. His absence affected me because Agatha Christie's Poirot in 'Five Little Pigs' was my second grown-up book and it made a deep impression on me. I instantly became a fan of Agatha Christie which encouraged me to read other books and not only her books but other authors' works too. And so when you mention Hercule Poirot I expect Hercule Poirot to be all over the book (not randomly but methodically and purposefully).

Sophie Hannah as a writer is good but I cannot make any other remarks because I have not read her other books (that don't include the apparent Hercule Poirot). When I was reading this book, first of all I felt it to be quite a drag. I think the book could've been slightly more condensed (maybe my review could do the same). Second, I was enjoying it but only when I was imagining Poirot as some other original character by her. But every time that I tried to imagine him as Agatha's Poirot it just seemed off to me. Because I found Poirot to be dominantly comical rather than a character with his authentic complexities. I mean, Poirot was Agatha's creation, in many ways he is a part of her, so naturally when she wrote of him she knew him inside out and that is the reason Hercule Poirot in Sophie's book seems off because it is her interpretation of Hercule Poirot which is not in sync with Agatha Christie's Poirot'.

As far as Hercule Poirot is concerned I am unable to relate him with all the other Hercule Poirots I have encountered in Agatha's books. It seems to me that Hercule Poirot is not just Edward Catchpool's stepping stone. And where Sophie's writing style is concerned, I did like it. Someday perhaps, I'll read some of her absolute original works to get a clear opinion.

So if you are ardent fans of Agatha's works, especially Poirot, then I must caution you that you may not be happy with this book. At the very least we'd be Lady Athelinda Playford (a character in this book).

jemimamc's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0