Oh my gosh! I simply can’t believe it!!! Good grief! And, as Batman’s Robin would say: “Holy Smokes!”
Yes, this is literally how I feel right now! I kid you not!!!
Imagine my surprise to just find out that “Agatha Christie Limited” has okayed an author to write a Hercule Poirot mystery novel. I know I said this before, but “I kid you not!!!”
Before I give away how I feel about this (Duh!) I am going to ask you all for your opinions.
What do you think of best-selling British author Sophie Hannah getting the go-ahead for writing a Hercule Poirot mystery?
P.S. The new mystery is set to be released in September 2014.
Donna says
NO. Just plain no! I can’t believe her estate or whoever has been appointed to take care of her books would okay something like this. It’s impossible for anyone other than Agatha to write books about Hercule, Miss Marple, and so on. BTW, the official Agatha Christie site on Facebook has been getting slammed by her fans every since the announcement. It doesn’t look promising…and I must say I’m with the majority on this one. It just isn’t right.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, I am guessing that no matter where you went on our globe, if you asked someone to name ONE very famous mystery author, and also to name the two characters made popular by that author, the answers would be: Agatha Christie, Miss Marple, and Poirot.
That’s a mighty tall order to follow!
nb says
I am TIRED of Hercule and have noooo interest in his reprieve
Danna - cozy mystery list says
nb, when you say you tired of Hercule, I am wondering if you tired of reading or watching Hercule…
Patti S. says
How can this be? Didn’t Hercule Poirot die in the book Curtain? Sorry, no one can take the place of Agatha Chrisitie. Some things should just be left alone!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Patti S, pretty incredible, isn’t it?
Kalena says
Despite a good workout of my little gray cells, I cannot fathom why anyone would take on this sure-to-fail assignment. As a writer myself, I am also offended by the lack of respect for Christie’s intellectual property.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kalena, didn’t one of the recent Miss Marple movies have Tommy and Tuppence in it? And, wasn’t the movie based on an Agatha Christie book that was neither a Miss Marple mystery nor a Tommy and Tuppence mystery book?
“lack of respect for Christie’s intellectual property” is a nice way of putting it…
(Yikes, I think my comments may be giving people a hint of how I feel about this. I better temper my responses!)
Donna says
I feel exactly the same way, Kalena. It is a lack of respect for Christie and her legacy.
Danna, a year or so ago there was a rumor of a new TV series featuring Miss Marple as a young girl! Jennifer Garner was supposedly going to play the part. There was such an outcry from the fans that the show idea was quickly dropped. Let’s hope the same happens with this new book!
Joshua says
You know, Poirot was never my favorite Christie creation, so at first I was a little ambivalent to the idea. But then, Donna, you reminded me of this absolutely terrible Jennifer Garner idea for Marple, who is my utmost favorite, and I remembered how much I balked at that idea. I just don’t see the need at all with the Poirot idea.
Having said that, I admit I would be highly curious and would probably read it just to see how it was handled. Which is probably what the publishers are counting on.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Joshua and Donna, I totally missed this Jennifer Garner Miss Marple movie idea. I’m sorry, ’cause I would have loved to write an entry about that!
Julia says
Danna,
You’re right – they did insert Miss Marple into a Tommy and Tuppence story (“N or M?”). I guess they liked the story but since they’re not producing T&T movies anymore they decided to throw Miss Marple in to make it fot with that series. They also changed the ending of one of the other Miss Marple stories, altering both motive and killer from the original.
Actually they did that with at least one of the Poirot’s as well (which particularly bothered me because it’s one of my favorite stories and the theatrical release is not avaialble in Region 1 DVD format).
Joshua says
Speaking of, I wish they do would do a reboot of the Tommy and Tuppence stories as a TV series. I thought the 80s series was good, but, for me, it never really captured the effervescence of T&T. And I do like the idea of them aging as a team/couple/family if they could manage to capture that in a filmed version.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Joshua, and what would make it even better is if they could get Francesca Annis and James Warwick to appear in it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Julia, the best Miss Marple television shows (to me) would have to be the ones with Joan Hickson. Since then, it seems that the producers have taken more and more liberties with Christie’s work. Also, the early David Suchet Poirot movies were (again my opinion) much better than the later ones. Lots of liberties taken all around!
Ann Philipp says
“Despite a good workout of my little gray cells…” good one Kalena.
Kalena says
Thanks, Ann. And that is just one of the many mannerisms and phrases that could never belong to any other author. Glad to see the prevailing opinion that this is a bad idea. But I realize that I’m a little more liberal when it comes to movie adaptations – the Tommy & Tuppence meet Miss Marple theme didn’t bother me.
Karen L. says
One word – NO WAY! O.K., I guess that’s two. I won’t be adding it to my TBR list.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen L, I hadn’t thought about TBR lists. I wonder who would add it…
Julia says
I actually preferred Jill Paton Walsh’s version of Peter and Harriet Wimsey to Dorothy L Sayers’, but since I was never a real Sayers fan to begin with I don’t think my opinion carries much weight. When it comes to Agatha Christie though, I’ve been a fan since I was in grade school, so I find it a lot harder to accept someone else playing with those characters.
Lee Ann says
I feel the same not being a Sayers fan, I also like Walsh. But I don’t think anyone could come close to Christie ‘s books. Just have to see if they are any good.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Lee Ann, they call Agatha Christie the Grande Dame of Mysteries for a reason.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Julia, it’s sort of like they think the can “Nancy Drew-fye” Agatha Christie!
Lois says
Are they CRAZY?!?!? It’s bad enough that some of the newer tv versions of her stories have been mistreated the way they have! (excuse me! I need to go take some deep breaths and calm down…)
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Lois, I have to admit that I felt a little like I needed to take “deep breaths and calm down” when I read this news release!
Susan* says
There have been a couple of Christie plays ‘novelized’ by someone else. (‘Black Coffee’ and ‘Spiderweb’ by Charles Osborne) but even though they were orginally written by Ms Christie, they still weren’t as good as the original ouevre, imho.
A completely new novel? ERK!
I suspect the ‘logic’ (Ahem!) behind this is spelt m-o-n-e-y. 🙁
Although as the third bestselling author / books in the world – outsold only by, in order, The Bible and Shakespeare – you would think that this wouldn’t be a problem, wouldn’t you. Bah, Humbug!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan*, I am guessing you hit the nail right on its head. No doubt “m-o-n-e-y” has a lot to do with this decision. Imagine how many more television series they can make?
Tammy Cullers says
Noooooooooooooo!!!!! I just hope the “Disney Christie” doesn’t come out next!!
Teressa says
This is just plain wrong. I liken it to the recent TV remake of Murder on the Orient Express where Hercule is using a laptop. Some things just need to be left alone!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Teressa, I missed that one! Hercule using a laptop?!?
It’s sort of the same reason I don’t like the new versions of Sherlock Holmes. I prefer my Sherlock Holmes relying on his mental prowess rather than a Sherlock who can find out things based on help from computers. (Which is exactly how the original author intended Sherlock to be.)
Teressa says
Exactly!!!
marion says
Censored. Talk about selling on Christie”s name. Poirot’s was Agatha’s and no one else should touch him. Do something else, publishers and author.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marion, I always wonder why authors actively pursue continuing someone else’s characters. Can’t they think up their own characters?
Becky B. says
Someone writing novels under Dame Agatha’s name would be like having someone copy the Mona Lisa and try to pass it off as the real thing!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Becky B, let’s see if the public speaks with their wallets. If they do, I doubt there will be very many of these “knock-off” Hercule mysteries out there.
Jackie J. Griffey says
This is a worse horror story than Frankenstein’s various efforts. Poirot was wonderful, him and his little Gray Cells and of course he was a fellow chocoholic – LOL. And he did die in Curtain. So no ‘imitation Poirot spirit is going to get a chance to ‘haunt’ my bookshelves. He was. He is (in our memories). And he’s going to stay there, him and Miss Marple too.
Couldn’t believe my eyes this morning when I saw this~ Thanks for this great blog!
Jackie Griffey
Danna - cozy mystery list says
It does seem unbelievable, doesn’t it, Jackie?
Tori Lennox says
I’m conflicted. Like someone else said, I enjoyed Jill Paton Walsh’s Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane novels. So I’m going to reserve judgment. 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Tori, please let us know if they are up to Christie’s standards. (Either way, being a fan of Agatha Christie, I’d rather re-read the original.)
Lexie says
I do not think Dame Agatha would approve. I think this is simple greed of the estate and not worthy of her. Not interested in the least.
Sheila says
Very simply said … not today, not tomorrow, not ever. There is only one writer for Poirot and Miss Marple and that is Dame Agatha!!!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sheila, it does seem like Agatha Christie should own the “rights” to Poirot mysteries…
Christi H. says
I think ‘Black Coffee’ was also a non-Christie Poirot, based on her play but not written by her. I thought it was a little flat. Although I too had the knee-jerk, “NOOOOOOOO!” reaction, I’ll probably give the new one a shot. Now that I think about it, it’s a little surprising that such an iconic character has not only had so few additions to his oeuvre, but avoided the “Sherlock Holmes treatment” as well (or has he? What is this laptop Poirot?!).
Thanks, as always, for the heads-up on this. I love this blog.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Christi H, I just looked up the “laptop Poirot” and found that it is from the 2001 television version of Murder on the Orient Express, which starred Alfred Molina as Poirot. (I wonder how many people who have never been exposed to Agatha Christie think Poirot did indeed have a laptop!)
Teressa says
That is it. The movie is horrible!
Angela says
I don’t understand why any writer would want to take someone’s creation (especially Agatha Christie’s!!) and write with it. Seems like cheating somehow. What, they can’t come up with anymore original ideas so let’s take someone else’s and piggyback it ( I am not familiar with the author who is taking on this task so no offense intended to this author in particular) Anyway, I don’t mind a new perspective on an old character in TV or movies if it’s done well, i.e. stays true to the character, but I don’t really favor this idea of writing new stories as if the creation is your own. So I’m with everyone else, this doesn’t sound right and I probably won’t be reading it either.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Angela, I guess the “piggyback” idea is a good one, if the author’s estate allows it. I imagine the first book will sell (and get a lot more publicity) than it would have with a brand new character.
Angela says
Yes if it boils down to money, (what doesn’t), then I bet it is a sure fire bet for those involved. It still feels like cheating to me though, lol.
Gail W says
It is a tall order. Look what happened to the sequel(s) to Gone With the Wind. On the other hand, there is a proliferation of Pride and Prejudice spin offs with moderate success, not that I have read any of them. LOL
Billie says
You can’t imitate Poirot. Now, I have read the Pride and Prejudice mysteries and spinoffs and had no problem. Maybe my feeling about Poirot is colored by tv versions with David Suchet.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Billie, I just think that Christie was such a great writer that I can’t imagine anyone (no matter how good he/she is) taking over the task of keeping Poirot alive. I wish the people who made the decision had simply decided to perhaps work towards getting this new generation to read Christie’s mysteries, rather than to keep Poirot alive by having a current author write new Poirot books. (You’re right about David Suchet’s portrayal. He makes all the others seem like caricatures.)
Donna says
Ugh. I was just browsing ebooks online and the dreaded Faux Poirot is already listed (on BN) for pre-order! It doesn’t even have a title yet! This is just disgusting. I’m sorry for my harsh words but in all seriousness, if the estate wants to promote Ms. Hannah’s OWN books and characters, fine. However, giving Hercule away to another writer is a terrible idea. I will NOT be pre-ordering or in any way reading this book!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Goodness, Donna, it looks like Barnes and Noble just can’t wait to stock up on more Poirot mysteries!