The Last Death of the Year – Sophie Hannah’s 6th Hercule Poirot Novel

Last Updated on April 22, 2026

In the world of crime fiction, one author has reigned supreme for nearly 100 years, and that is Agatha Christie.

Creating such iconic characters as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, she is one of the best-selling authors of all time, so imagine how daunting it must be to have the mantle passed to you more than 40 years later.

But that is exactly what happened to Sophie Hannah, an extraordinary author in her own right, in 2014.

She published The Monogram Murders, the first Hercule Poirot novel since The Last Case in 1975.

Incidentally, with regards to The Last Case, that book was actually written in the 1940s, but Agatha Christie kept it aside for decades, waiting until the moment when she was finished with Poirot, for it to be released.

Sophie Hannah was then given the extraordinary job of starting a brand-new Hercule Poirot series.

This book, The Last Death of the Year, is the sixth in the series and sees both Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool from Scotland Yard heading to the Mediterranean to solve an attempted murder.

But, of course, this is Poirot, so it isn’t long before somebody is actually killed…

So let’s find out what the book is all about.

The Last Death of the Year

It’s December 1932, and Hercule Poirot, along with Inspector Catchpool, is heading to a tiny Greek island called Lamperos.

On the island is a large residence known as The House of Perpetual Welcome, owned by a man called Nash.

Living in the house with Nash are eight other people, and as it’s New Year’s Eve, one of the residents suggests that they should all play a game.

The game involves all 11 people sitting around the table and writing down a resolution for the coming year, i.e., 1933.

All the resolutions are then put in a basket to be drawn out one by one, while everybody around the table has to guess whose resolution it is.

The problem arises when Catchpool reads out one of the submissions, only to find a poem that explicitly states one of the other housemates will be murdered at a point that will make it both the last death of the year and the first death of the year.

Everybody assumes that it will be midnight because it is New Year’s Eve, a time at which it is conceivable to technically be the last death of 1932 but the first death of 1933.

Shocked and horrified by this attempt to notify everybody in the house that a specific person will be murdered later that evening, everybody rallies around the potential victim.

And yet nobody seems to be particularly perturbed by what they have just heard, so is it a joke? Is it a wind-up? Is somebody actually about to get murdered, and have they all just been warned?

When midnight comes and goes and our potential victim is still alive and well, the general consensus is that it was a practical joke.

They all retire to their rooms, and three hours later, our victim is dead. So who did it?

Can our intrepid duo get to the bottom of the secrets and lies of Lamperos, or will Poirot finally be outwitted?

Uncannily Poirot

I have to hand it to Sophie Hannah. She has done an extraordinary job of creating yet another brilliant Hercule Poirot mystery.

If you close your eyes, you can genuinely see David Suchet wandering around a Greek island trying to solve a murder. From his speech patterns and mannerisms to the way he thinks and acts, every description evokes Agatha Christie’s Poirot to perfection.

The story itself is brilliant, and it hooks you in from the very beginning with an incredibly unique premise upfront.

The narrator, who in this case is Inspector Catchpool, offers you the chance to identify the killer at the beginning, simply by laying out the 11 New Year’s resolutions.

I mean, seriously, how incredibly creative is that from the outset? If you read them carefully enough, you should be able to determine who the murderer is before one has even been committed!

This is incredibly effective at drawing you into the story so that you have a vested interest in finding out who the killer is, because obviously, you want to know if you’re right.

And, forgive me if this comes off with a hint of smugness, but I picked the killer from the resolutions.

I couldn’t actually believe it when it was revealed at the end of the book. I was so thrilled that I did that really, really annoying thing of telling my other half, and then he insisted that I read out the resolutions to see if he could guess. He couldn’t.

Does this mean that I’m as smart as Poirot? Absolutely not. Not even close. It was probably just a very good educated guess, but it did add a real level of excitement.

Unravelling the secrets and lies of the characters, all the while hoping that the character you picked turns out to be the killer was chef’s kiss.

Because, at the end of the day, a book has to draw you and let you guess along, as well as be entertaining, and The Last Death of the Year did this in spades.

All Substance No Filler

I imagine that few authors would ever have the confidence to write Hercule Poirot to the same standard as Agatha Christie.

But that’s the great thing about this particular series of books. Sophie Hannah isn’t trying to be Agatha Christie; she’s merely writing stories in which Hercule Poirot shines just as he has always done.

So even though the books are set in the 1930s and even though the style of language and the way the characters are drawn out are very similar to Agatha Christie in style, you still always know you’re not reading Agatha Christie. Somehow, though, that doesn’t matter.

The Last Death of the Year is a puzzle from beginning to end, and if you want to play along, all the clues are there.

If, however, you’re not particularly interested in playing along but simply want an intriguing mystery, you’ll be just as pleased by the outcome.

In terms of supporting characters, Hannah has gone to enormous lengths to create 11 or 12 really well-rounded people, any of whom, given the right circumstances, could be the killer.

There’s enough intrigue, secrets, lies, and contradictions to keep you constantly wondering who’s telling the truth and who’s lying. And it’s a joy.

Poirot Lives On

Much like Agatha Christie’s books, the new series can generally be read in any order.

Despite The Last Death of the Year being the sixth novel, you can jump into it 100% without having read any of the other previously published books. That said, who doesn’t want to read more Poirot?

If you fancy going back to the beginning, here is the list of the first five Sophie Hannah Poirot novels:

1. The Monogram Murders (2014)
2. Closed Casket (2016)
3. The Mystery of Three Quarters (2018)
4. The Killings at Kingfisher Hill (2020)
5. Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night (2023)

So do yourself a favor, if you love Agatha Christie, get The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah on your reading list.

You absolutely will not regret it.