The Mystery of Three Quarters

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The Mystery of Three Quarters
Mystery of Three Quarters.jpg
Author Sophie Hannah
LanguageEnglish
Series Hercule Poirot
Genre Detective, mystery
PublishedAugust 23, 2018 HarperCollins
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages400 pp (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN 978-0008264451
Preceded by Closed Casket  
Followed by The Killings at Kingfisher Hill  

The Mystery of Three Quarters [1] [2] is a work of detective fiction by Sophie Hannah. It is the third in her series of Hercule Poirot novels, after being authorised by the estate of Agatha Christie to write new stories for the character. The previous two are The Monogram Murders (2014) and Closed Casket (2016).

Contents

Plot

Four people receive letters purporting to be from Hercule Poirot and accusing them each of the murder of Barnabas Pandy, a ninety-something businessman who drowned - accidentally, it seems - in his bath. Poirot has no knowledge of the letters, nor yet of the late Barnabas Pandy, until he is accosted by one of the recipients, society woman Sylvia Rule, before finding another, market trader John McCrodden, in his drawing room. As he begins to investigate the source of the letters with assistance from his young friend Edward Catchpool, a Scotland Yard detective, he comes into contact with the family of Pandy, which seems to be hiding secrets.

Explanation of the novel's title

Poirot refers to the case as "the mystery of three quarters" because, of the four people who received letters purporting to be from him, three are in some way connected to the late Barnabas Pandy, whose murder the letters accuse each one of. The fourth, however, is seemingly unconnected. Poirot, then, must figure out the relevance of the fourth person, or quarter. To symbolise the four quarters Poirot uses a slice of Church Window Cake, whose fourth square is separated from the other three.

Characters

Main characters

Recipients of the letters

Other characters

References

  1. ↑ "Review: The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah". Criminal Element. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "THE MYSTERY OF THREE QUARTERS by Sophie Hannah - Kirkus Reviews". Kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
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