“Now six books in, Hannah has mastered Poirot’s essence—his quirks, his mannerisms, even the rhythms of his speech—so well that it feels as though Christie herself handed her the pen.” — Ryan Steck, The Real Book Spy and Author of Gone Dark
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Sophie Hannah reaffirms her place as a worthy torchbearer of Agatha Christie’s legacy with The Last Death of the Year, delivering a mystery so taut, so brilliantly constructed, that Hercule Poirot must summon every last one of his famed “little grey cells” to unravel it.
It’s New Year’s Eve, 1932, and our beloved Belgian Detective, Hercule Poirot, is enjoying a lovely, quiet holiday on the gorgeous, isolated Greek island of Lamperos, situated neatly in the Aegean Sea just between the larger islands of Skiathos and Skopelos. Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard once again serves as both Poirot’s traveling companion and the narrator of the story, which opens just as he and Poirot arrive at their destination—a large, oddly constructed home that bears the official name of “The House of Perpetual Welcome,” but is mostly commonly, and rather affectionately, referred to as “the Spitty” by the nine people who live in it year round.
Made of stone and lined with uneven terraces extending from most of the ten bedrooms, the Spitty—which is either an architectural marvel or a nightmare, depending on your preference for layout and general feng shui—is owned by Nathaniel “Nash” Athanasion. Indeed, it was Nash who summoned Poirot to spend New Year’s Eve with his group of religious followers, all of whom have sought refuge in the Spitty, taking up a permanent and free residence in exchange for merely helping Nash and his two best mates, Austin Lyon and Matthew Fair, become a living embodiment of the fruits of the spirit. One’s background and past matter not within the walls of the Spitty. What does matter is their mandatory first rule, which Nash calls the most important of all: Always forgive, no matter what—something all nine occupants have agreed and sworn to practice.
But when one of them winds up dead, stabbed numerous times and left bleeding out feet from the Spitty’s front door in the middle of the night, it becomes apparent that not everyone has mastered the art of unlimited forgiveness.
Hours earlier, Nash had called everyone to his balcony, where all nine housemates, an odd but intriguing assortment of residents, are joined by Poirot and Catchpool just before midnight. It’s tradition to play a game on New Year’s Eve at the Spitty, where everyone present writes down a New Year’s resolution and then places it into a large bowl. For fun, one person takes each resolution out of the bowl and reads it aloud while everyone guesses who the author is. Cathpool, having had the honor of “reader” bestowed upon him, quickly realizes that there are twelve notes, which means that someone wrote down two resolutions.
Moments later, he withdraws and reads a note promising, “the last and first death of the year.” Shocked and confused, it’s initially assumed that somebody is playing a prank on the group, having a go at everyone while secretly laughing, planning to reveal that it’s all just a harmless joke. But when nobody claims ownership of the murderous resolution, suspicion falls from one person to another. Eventually, the cryptic threat appears to fizzle when midnight passes without incident, and soon all occupants withdraw to their rooms, doors locked, awaiting sunup.
And that is when the killer strikes.
Awakened by a blood-curdling scream, Catchpool and Poirot rush to the source of the sound, only to find a gruesome crime scene and one very dead body. With little to no local police presence, Poirot, the world’s most famous detective, leads the investigation, assisted by Catchpool. But as the two of them start to try and unravel the mystery, it becomes clear that they’re each keeping secrets from each other . . . including why, exactly, Hercule Poirot was invited to Lamperos in the first place.
If you love Golden Age mysteries, the kind with a reveal so shocking that it makes you want to flip back to the beginning to see all the clues you missed the first time through, then you have to read this book.
Striking the perfect balance between Golden Age charm and modern readability, Sophie Hannah has arguably delivered her finest work yet with The Last Death of the Year. Channeling the Queen of Crime herself, Hannah crafts a holiday whodunit that is both a sparkling tribute to Agatha Christie and a gripping mystery in its own right. Her command of Christie’s style, structure, and pacing is uncanny—faithful without feeling forced—making the novel a pure delight for mystery lovers. Yes, diehard Christie purists may spot moments where Hannah zigs when Christie might have zagged, but anyone not intent on nitpicking will find themselves swept into a vivid, nail-biting puzzle that stands proudly alongside the best in crime fiction today.
Now six books in, Hannah has mastered Poirot’s essence—his quirks, his mannerisms, even the rhythms of his speech—so well that it feels as though Christie herself handed her the pen. And while the masterfully plotted murder mystery alone is worth the price of admission, the true joy is in spending yet another adventure with the greatest fictional detective ever created.
Intricately constructed and brimming with clever misdirection, The Last Death of the Year is a sparkling puzzle box of a novel, and Sophie Hannah proves, once again, that Poirot is in the best possible hands . . . expect to see this one on everyone’s “Best of” lists at the end of the year.
Book Details
Author: Sophie Hannah
Series: New Hercule Poirot #6
Pages: 288 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-0063424531
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: October 28, 2025
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, GONE DARK, and TED BELL’S MONARCH. For more information, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub. For even more content and book news, subscribe to The Real Book Spy Substack!