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The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

The New Hercule Poirot Mystery

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The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

By: Sophie Hannah, Agatha Christie
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
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About this listen

The world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot - legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile - returns to solve a fiendish new mystery.

Hercule Poirot is travelling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned him to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. There is one strange condition attached to this request: Poirot must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family.

On the coach, a distressed woman leaps up, demanding to disembark. She insists that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. A seat swap is arranged, and the rest of the journey passes without incident. But Poirot has a bad feeling about it, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered in the Devonports' home with a note that refers to ‘the seat that you shouldn’t have sat in’.

Could this new murder and the peculiar incident on the coach be clues to solving the mystery of who killed Frank Devonport? And can Poirot find the real murderer in time to save an innocent woman from the gallows?

©2020 Agatha Christie Limited (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives

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Critic reviews

"What Sophie and Agatha have in common is a rare talent for fiendish unpredictability. They make you see how the impossible might be possible after all." (Sunday Telegraph)

“I was thrilled to see Poirot in such very, very good hands.” (Gillian Flynn, best-selling author of Gone Girl)

"Perfect...a pure treat for Agatha Christie fans.” (Tana French)
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I found this book hard going and struggled to finish it. I loved the previous books but not this one. The story is weak, characters uninteresting and it felt more like I was listening to a stage play, with no momentum, dull location, just all talk.

Disappointing

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I love Poirot and I am excited every time I hear a new story will be released. Sadly every time one is released I have the same feeling at the end, disappointmen. The author does some great things and her Poirot and his sidekick Catchpool are both great characters. The story is paced well and builds but every time the solution is a let down and this was the worst by far for me. it leaves me with a feeling of why did I bother.

The performance is great, so good it elevates the story. Sadly the mystery seems a step too far for the author.

If there is another Poirot I'll of course buy it again as I live in hope that one day the mystery will equal the characters and the performance.

A disappointing conclusion

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The weakest of the four new poirot mysteries, but still an interesting listen with a strong performance and characters I found easy to visualise. Will look forward to a fifth

Still very good

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Poirot is on his way to investigate the death of Frank Devonport at the behest of Richard Devonport. He is travelling with his companion and police detective, who is a really good sidekick by the way. Their attention is drawn by the antics of a young woman who seems particularly distressed and also convinced that someone is intent on killing her.

Her behaviour and insistence on swapping seats sets a series of events in motion that garners Poirot's attention and gets the little grey cells bouncing, however he isn't quite prepared for the surprises awaiting him at the esteemed Kingfisher Hill residence. A mystery on the way to solve a mystery - only Poirot can find himself in such a complex situation.

I have to say the more Hannah writes Poirot the more her voice sounds like Christie. Listening to the audiobook actually gives the listener or reader a better feel for said voice, because the narrator has the characters down to a fine art, especially Poirot. Julian Rhind-Tutt is an excellent choice.

I look forward to reading the next in the series and can only hope that eventually someone will revive the series in film or tv format featuring the stories of Christie's famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot with Hannah at the helm of the ship. I miss Suchet and this gives me Suchet-Poirot vibes.

Hannah is getting more Christie with each book

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Brilliant narration. I’ve listened to a few from this series now and this was my least favourite. I just felt it was really complicated to listen to and I found myself switching off a little.

Great narration as always but let down by story

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The story is pretty good, however, it is performed by a fabulous narrator who is always brilliant ....

Great Narrator

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I love Christie's Poirot, and have read all the stories many times. I think Sophie Hannah captures the character of Poirot very well. His new sidekick Inspector Catchpole is likeable and effective. The story is good and the narration works well. Recommend for Christie fans and fans of classic mysteries in general.

Enjoyable

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Kept me gripped from start to finish. Loved all the twists and turns. A definite must read.

Brilliant story telling

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Lacks credibility. Author worked back from last page with increasing complexity. A strong editor who stands up to the author needed.

Weak plot

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I think the Christie estate really need to consider trying a different author to continue the Poirot franchise. Christie’s Poirot novels have a gentle humour and likeable characters, all of whom have an authenticity, despite the rarified atmosphere and unrealistic plots. It’s easy to suspend disbelief for a short time and believe her characters and settings could exist.

This story by Sophie Hannah had a ridiculously convoluted plot, histrionic characters (all monstrous) and a story which had sudden plot developments revealed at the end, introducing characters and events which had been hidden from the reader until then (breaking the golden rule of crime fiction that the reader should be able to arrive at the solution themselves).

All in all very unsatisfying. I will not be giving Sophie Hannah’s Poirot a second chance.

Julian Rhind Tutt was superb. It’s just a shame he had to read such a load of rubbish.

Nothing like Christie

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