Closed Casket - Blog Tour Review

About Closed Casket

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (September 6, 2016)

"What I intend to say to you will come as a shock..."
With these words, Lady Athelinda Playford -- one of the world's most beloved children's authors -- springs a surprise on the lawyer entrusted with her will. As guests arrive for a party at her Irish mansion, Lady Playford has decided to cut off her two children without a penny . . . and leave her vast fortune to someone else: an invalid who has only weeks to live. Among Lady Playford's visitors are two strangers: the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Neither knows why he has been invited -- until Poirot begins to wonder if Lady Playford expects a murder. But why does she seem so determined to provoke a killer? And why -- when the crime is committed despite Poirot's best efforts to stop it -- does the identity of the victim make no sense at all?

 

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Review:

I don't think it's a secret that I'm a HUGE Agatha Christie fan and so when I heard Sophie Hannah was writing more Poirot books I was more than a little nervous.  What if they weren't good?  What if she didn't understand Poirot?  Or even worse - what if she made him a figure of mockery?  I felt a little better when I read how closely she had worked with the Christie estate - including Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard.  I did pick up The Monogram Murder and while it wasn't my favorite read - the end especially felt a little convoluted - I did enjoy it and felt that Hannah caught the basic personality of Poirot.  

So when Closed Casket came around I had no hesitations picking it up and diving right in.  I have to say - I was not disappointed.  We catch up with Inspector Edward Catchpool who met Poirot in The Monogram Murders and is a wonderful combination of Inspector Japp and Captain Hastings.  He's a solid investigator with good instincts but lacks a bit of imagination and frequently has no clue where Poirot is going when he goes off on his tangents.  As well, we're treated to a classic Christie setting - the house party.  My problems with her first book were basically gone.  Poirot felt much more like Poirot and I loved how the ending was straight-forward yet wonderful complicated in true Christie fashion.  At the same time Hannah brings a bit of her own to the story.  The atmosphere is more suspenseful and I ended up flying through this one - especially the last 200 pages when I had gotten all the characters straight.

I really enjoyed this new Poirot mystery from Sophie Hannah.  I was very pleased with her portrayal of Poirot and found this new mystery completely engaging. I'd love to read more books by Hannah and hopefully there will be more Poirot books as well!  Rating: Very Good (4 Stars)

About Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976. Learn more about Agatha Christie through her official website.

About Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers, which have been published in 27 countries and adapted for television, as well as The Monogram Murders, the first Hercule Poirot novel authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie. Connect with Sophie Hannah through her website, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Things I've Learned From Television

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and The Bookish is a TV freebie in honor of all the shiny new shows about to start.  Now it's no secret that I watch a lot of crime shows and I've noticed that there are some themes that are repeated a lot so I thought it'd be fun to catalog them!

1.  It is never a mannequin, a pile of clothes, or trash. (All of them)

2.  Every crime can be connected to either the Navy or Marine Corps if you try hard enough thus making it under the jurisdiction of NCIS (All NCIS franchise shows)

3.  Sometimes the CIA calls in NCIS for retrieval missions in other countries (NCIS: Los Angeles)

4.  All you need to do is type in a few keywords and you'll discover all deaths and strange incidents at a residence along with any rumors of haunting instantly. Also, wifi is everywhere.  (Supernatural)

5.  Armored car drivers have the most dangerous profession on the planet.  From what I can tell in the average career span is about 6 weeks before you either become the inside man in a complicated robbery or are killed or in some way restrained by the inside man.  (Pretty much all of them at what time or another)

6.  DNA takes no more than an hour and is always obtainable.  (All of them)

7.  If you are walking your dog and then said dog suddenly runs into a wooded area and refuses to come out you're about to discover a body. (All)

8.  Just don't go jogging - no good can come from that. (All)

9.  It's not the first scare that gets you it's the second.  If your cat knocks over something on a table and it startles you when you look up from cleaning up whatever it is there will be a serial killer standing there to grab you.  (Criminal Minds)

10.  All forensics experts also carry guns and investigate murders - after they get their results from the DNA matching which took about 20 minutes of course.  (CSI - all franchises)

What has television taught you?

Every Frenchman Has One - Review

Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia de Havilland (Amazon)

Olivia de Havilland is probably best known for her role as Melanie in Gone With the Wind but the movie that I really associate with her is a terrifying movie about a woman in a mental institution called The Snake Pit which still gives me the shivers!  In terms of de Havilland as a person I know almost about her so when I saw that her short tongue in cheek memoir that had originally been published in 1962 had been reissued and was on Blogging for Books I just couldn't resist.

I was a little worried this would change my opinion of de Havilland.  She's always seemed perfectly lovely and oh so lady like but what if she isn't?  Luckily, not only did this book not lower my opinion of her it actually raised it.  For not only is she perfectly ladylike but she also has the sly-est humor and the most delicate touch of snark.

This book is all about her observations of what it's like to be an American mother living in France.  She stumbles over Fahrenheit to Celsius conversions when her son has a fever and quite by accident learns the type of flowers you should never ever send a (living) friend.  She learns French though not without a few bumps and learns what you really ought to serve on Christmas day.  Her telling of her slipups are so funny and I have the feeling she'd be a wonderful person to share lunch or even a cup of tea with.

This is a small little book - only about 143 pages including a recent interview - and one I thoroughly enjoyed.  This is a book I found that is better sipped than gulped.  A chapter or two is absolutely delightful but trying to read it in one sitting feels a little tedious.  I will say next time I watch a movie featuring Olivia de Havilland I'll enjoy it even more after to getting to know her a bit in this lovely little book!

This Week in Reading - September 4

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Christmas in Eternity Springs by Emily March - I love this series and the previous book - Reunion Pass - was one of my favorites so I'm super excited to spend Christmas in Eternity Springs!  (Publisher)

Without a Doubt by Nancy Cole Silverman - This series has been tempting me since the first book was published but somehow I haven't read any of them.  So when the author approached me about reviewing the 3rd book AND that 3rd book featured jewel heists which is one of my favorite things there was no way I could resist!  I'm really looking forward to starting this one!  (Author)

So only two books this week!  I do have a few requests pending on NetGalley and probably a pre-order or two that will be arriving here next week but I am trying to decrease the incoming books.  I desperately need to make some progress on my shelves!

Currently:

Reading:  Finding Libbie by Deanna Lynn Sletten and Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Listening: The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan.  I was going to start the 3rd Flavia de Luce but then my hold came through on the first Percy Jackson so I started that one instead.  I'm more than half way through and really loving it.  

Watching:  I'm desperately trying to catch up on all the season finales that I missed since we're coming up on season premiere time.  Football season is starting which means Saturday and Thursday night here will be all football all the time.  I like football and I get a little extra reading time in so it's my favorite times!

Off the Blog:

I'm still going to the gym regularly and still really enjoying it.  I'm feeling better and my mood is definitely been better thanks to all those endorphins.  The main problem is that come bedtime I'm TIRED which is seriously cutting down on my reading time!  That and I'm still struggling to find a balance so that I can have gym time, house project time and blogging time but I feel like I'm making progress so I'll get there eventually.

The Tornado is still doing well in school - especially with math.  This past week was his first week of spelling words and I had forgotten how much of a pain getting a small child to go over their spelling words was.  I doubt he did well on his test on Friday so I'm betting when he gets the score it won't be as much of a problem.  So far he does not like getting bad grades.  They also did a round of all the drills this past week to get the kids used to the procedures.  I'm used to fire drills and tornado drills but apparently they've added an intruder drill which is a little disturbing.  The school is kept very secure and I'm glad that they have procedures for something bad happening but it's still just a little frightening to think about.

J's birthday was this week and we went out to dinner and then had cake.  I got him a laptop of his own so we're not sharing computers and the Mary Roach book Packing for Mars thought that was kind of on impulse.  He's been enjoying the laptop and the timing was good because the next day the SpaceX vehicle exploded on the launchpad so we watched the YouTube video of that followed by some explosions of vehicles J (he's an aerospace engineer) had actually worked on and then a few successful launches of his stuff.  This is what space geeks do for fun!

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday: A Story to Kill - Cozy Mystery Review
Tuesday: Top Ten Loved and Hated Required Rating
Wednesday: Last Chance Rebel - Contemporary Romance Blog Tour Review + Giveaway
Thursday: The Beauty of the End - Mystery Review
Friday: Linkups with teasers from Pies and Prejudice
Saturday: Pancakes in Paris - Nonfiction Review

What's Coming Up:

Monday: Every Frenchman Has One - A Memoir from Olivia de Havilland Review

Tuesday: Top Ten Things I've Learned from TV

Wednesday; Closed Casket - New Poirot Mystery Review

Thursday: Finding Libbie - Fiction Review

Friday: Linkups with Current Book

Saturday: Hometown Girl - Contemporary Romance-ish + Recipes

Have a great week and happy reading!

Pancakes in Paris - Review

Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France

Rating: Just Okay
Source: NetGalley

Description:  Craig Carlson was the last person anyone would expect to open an American diner in Paris.  He came from humble beginnings in a working-class town in Connecticut, had never worked in a restaurant, and didn't know anything about starting a brand new business.  But from his first visit to Paris, Craig knew he had found the city of his dreams, although one thing was still missing - the gold ol' American breakfast he loved so much.  Pancakes in Paris is the story of Craig tackling the impossible - from raising the money to fund his dream to tracking down international suppliers for "exotic" American ingredients...and even finding love along the way.  His diner, Breakfast in America, is now a renowned tourist destination, and the story of how it came to be is just as delicious and satisfying as the classic breakfast that tops its menu. (from Goodreads)

Genre: Nonfiction

Why I Picked This Book: Food, Paris, realizing a dream - how could I resist that?

My Impression:   I have a list of things that I'm quite certain I never want to do - jump out of a perfectly good airplane, hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, fight a tiger in hand to hand combat and now after reading this book I can safely add open a restaurant in France to that list!  At the very best of times opening a restaurant sounds impossibly hard and such a high risk gamble it makes my stomach hurt but in France it sounds even harder.

But before we go with Craig to Paris and serve up some pancakes and American coffee we go on a whole other - and not so much food related - journey.  We go through a, at best chaotic, childhood where other than with his grandmothers food is all about quantity with little interest in the quality.  Even when he first winds up in France food is merely a way not to be hungry and it is quite some time before someone takes the time to show him how to really eat.

In reality the food takes awhile to really show up.  He spends most of his time trying to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter and figuring out how to keep his head above water.  That is of course until his flash of inspiration of what he really wants to do.  The only real book I've ever read about opening a restaurant was by celebrity chef Cat Cora and while that was quite a journey she had Food Network and years of culinary experience, connections, and education behind her.  Craig's pretty much just winging it.  He is everyman realizing his dream of opening a restaurant with the added craziness of opening it in another country.

At times it was fascinating and it was always readable and incredibly informative.  And while there was more about electricians, France's labor laws, and political implications it did leaving me craving pancakes and an order of homefries!  I feel like brunch is in my future very shortly!

But, you know how sometimes you just don't click with a voice?  That's kind of where I was with this one.  It was like when my 6 year old randomly decided he didn't like pizza despite it being his favorite treat for YEARS.  There's no reason and I couldn't explain what didn't work for me if you made me.  It was just an incompatibility of author and reader.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Probably not.  Since I didn't really click with the author's voice I doubt I'll be picking up more books.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  I would.  While it didn't work for me I did find the pacing good and the story itself interesting.  If you've ever wondered what it takes to open a business in France this would give you a good idea!

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Friday Linkups: Pies and Prejudice

It's Friday linkup time!  I'm linking up with the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer, Book Beginnings of Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, and the Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice

This Week's Book Blogger Hop Question:
Do you have books stacked in every room of your house or are you strictly a believer that books belong in bookshelves?

My Answer:
A little bit of both.  I prefer books on bookcases and my husband whose a major neat freak and minimalist definitely prefers it that way BUT I have too many books for my bookcases and right now not enough room to put more in.  I have plans to turn my daughter's room into a reading room now that she's left for college but I've got a few rooms ahead of it. In most of the rooms books are only in bookcases but in my bedroom they're crammed in just about every corner I can get them!

This week's book is Pies and Prejudice (don't you just love the puns in cozy mystery titles!) from Ellery Adams.  This is the first book in the series and I've been really looking forward to it for awhile.  There's a little magical realism, food, a woman looking for a fresh start AND a murder!  It's all stuff I love and so far I'm really enjoying it.  It is making me want pie (which to be honest isn't that hard) and there are recipes in the back so pie will be being made soon!

The Beginning:
Ella Mae LeFaye Kitteridge slammed a ball of dough onto the countertop, sending a snowstorm of flour into the air.

My Thoughts:
I have frequently felt this way when making pie crust.  It does not bring out the best in me!


The 56:
"I like all the pockets.  It feels strange not to have gum or Lifesavers or my phone on hand."

My Thoughts:
This made me laugh as the speaker is complaining about wearing a dress instead of her usual attire which has pockets.  Why is it that the majority of women's clothes have no pockets that can actually carry anything?  That means I either have to carry a purse which I hate or have my husband play pack mule in which case I have to remember to get my stuff back.  It drives me crazy!

So what do you think?  Keep reading?  Our you a bookcase only person or a cram in every available corner person?

The Beauty of the End - Review

The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells (Amazon)
Rating: Good
Source: Publisher

Description:  "I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess..."  So begins the testimony of Noah Calaway, an ex-lawyer with a sideline in armchair criminal psychology.  Now living an aimless life in an inherited cottage in the English countryside, Noah is haunted by the memory of the beguiling young woman who left him at the altar sixteen years earlier.  Then one day he receives a troubling phone call.  April, the woman he once loved, lies in a coma, the victim of an apparent overdose - and the lead suspect in a brutal murder.  Deep in his bones, Noah believes that April is innocent.  Then again, he also believed they would spend the rest of their lives together.  While Noah searches for evidence that will clear April's name, a teenager named Ella begins to sift through the secrets of her own painful family history.  The same age as April was when Noah first met her, Ella harbors a revelation that could be the key to solving the murder.  As the two stories converge, there are shocking consequences when at last, the truth emerges.  Or so everyone believes...
Set in the borderland where the past casts its shadow on the present, with a time-shifting narrative that will mesmerize and surprise, The Beauty of the End is a both a masterpiece of suspense and a powerful rumination on lost love. (from Goodreads)

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  I've been in the mood for thrillers lately and this one was looked intriguing!

My Impression:  The Beauty of the End was one of those sleeper books for me.  The first sentence didn't grab me and I wasn't completely pulled in after the first page but somehow somewhere during the next pages I was hooked without realizing and just had to find out what was going to happen next.

I wanted to know just who was April and what had happened between Noah and her.  There were so many secrets and just little hints that I couldn't wait to find the next hint to see if I had a better idea of what was going to happen.  I was right along with Noah on the investigations and looking for clues in the flashbacks.  The pacing was really great and definitely kept me turning pages and it was a book I looked forward to picking back up to see where it'd go next.

BUT...

Noah.  I mean I feel bad for the guy.  He's had the rug completely pulled out from under him by this girl no less than 3 times and he just doesn't seem to see the cracks.  I like April a lot.  She's definitely been dealt a raw deal and has done her best to make something of herself but she's not perfect and she clearly has her own demons which Noah just can't seem to see.  I felt sorry for her because being the "goddess" that Noah fell in love with as a teenager cannot be easy.  His complete and total faith in April's inability to do some act of violence got a little hard to take at times as did his aimlessness and his seemingly stuck in the day that April walked out.

However, as the story went on I began to like him a little more.  His confidence seemed to grow a little and he seemed more in control over what was happening.  I have mixed feelings about the ending of the book.  I liked the ending for Noah as a character but there were just so many threads that it felt a little more open ended than I like (keep in mind though I like my endings all tied up with a nice big bow!).

This was more psychological than creepy though there were a few unsettling moments.  While it wasn't my absolute favorite thriller this year I did enjoy it and would definitely look for more books by this author.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely!  I've heard good things about her previous book and look forward to picking it up.

Would I Recommend this Book?: If you like books on the psychological end of the psychological thriller genre I think you'd enjoy this one.