Agatha Christie’s famed detective, Hercule Poirot (and his “little grey cells”), is set to return on October 28th, 2025, for another impossible-to-solve case in The Last Death of the Year, the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Hannah.
Ever since Christie first introduced readers to Hercule Poirot—the brilliant little man with the egg-shaped head and the perfectly waxed mustache—back in 1920 with her iconic debut mystery novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, readers have been smitten by the Belgian detective. Christie, the queen of the Golden Age of mysteries, who holds the title as the world’s bestselling author with more books in print than any storyteller past or present, went on to write thirty-three Poirot novels in total, along with numerous short stories. Famously, Christie brought Poirot’s story to a close in Curtain, a book she wrote during World War II and kept in a bank vault until its release in August of 1975. Shortly thereafter, Poirot became the first fictional character to have an obituary in The New York Times.
In 2013, it was revealed that Christie’s estate commissioned author Sophie Hannah to write a new Poirot novel, and a year later, her first entry in the “New Hercule Poirot” series, The Monogram Murders, was released. Since then, Hannah has gone on to write five Poirot books, including last year’s Christmas-themed whodunit, Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night. Now, her sixth book in the series is set for publication later this year, and Book Spy readers are getting an early look at the cover art and plot details below,
The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah
Release Date: October 28, 2025
William Morrow
The brilliant Belgian detective rings in the New Year with a chilling murder investigation on a Greek island in this all-new holiday mystery from Sophie Hannah, author of Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night.
New Year’s Eve, 1932. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool arrive on the tiny Greek island of Lamperos to celebrate the holiday with what turns out to be a rather odd community of locals living in a dilapidated house. A dark sense of foreboding overshadows the beautiful island getaway when the guests play a New Year’s Resolutions game after dinner and one written resolution gleefully threatens to perform “the last and first death of the year.”
Hours later, one of the home’s residents is found dead on the terrace.
In light of the shocking murder, Poirot reveals to Catchpool the real reason he’s brought him to the island—the life of another community member has been threatened. Now both men resolve to ensure that the first murder will be the last.
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, after a prolific career spanning six decades.
Sophie Hannah is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers, which have been published in 51 countries and adapted for television, as well as The Monogram Murders, the first Hercule Poirot novel authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie, and its sequels Closed Casket, The Mystery of Three Quarters, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill, and Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night. Sophie is also the author of a self-help book, How to Hold a Grudge, and hosts the podcast of the same name. She lives in Cambridge, UK.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor in addition to running TRBS. He is the author of FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” LETHAL RANGE, OUT FOR BLOOD, and TED BELL’S MONARCH. For more information, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.