[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” padding_bottom_1=”0px” padding_bottom_2=”0px” admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.20.0″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”#6e45a0 0%|#ffa077 100%” background_color_gradient_start=”#4800a0″ background_color_gradient_end=”#ffa077″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” hover_enabled=”0″ custom_css_main_element=” background: #fcf5d3; \/* For browsers that do not support gradients *\/|| background: -webkit-linear-gradient(#fcf5d3, #ec6540); \/* For Safari 5.1 to 6.0 *\/|| background: -o-linear-gradient(#fcf5d3, #ec6540); \/* For Opera 11.1 to 12.0 *\/|| background: -moz-linear-gradient(#fcf5d3, #ec6540); \/* For Firefox 3.6 to 15 *\/|| background: linear-gradient(#fcf5d3, #ec6540); \/* Standard syntax *\/” transparent_background=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/sophiehannah.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/closed-casket-OPT.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”The Closed Casket UK” _builder_version=”4.16″ animation=”off” sticky=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/sophiehannah.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/ClosedCasket_OPT.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”The Closed Casket US” _builder_version=”4.16″ animation=”off” sticky=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ specialty_columns=”2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”||0px|” custom_padding=”||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px|” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.5)” custom_padding=”||0px|9%” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”title” _builder_version=”4.16″ header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”50px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px|30px||” custom_padding=”50px|20px|0px|0px” custom_padding_tablet=”40px|20px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”30px|20px|0px|0px” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\u2018What I intend to say to you will come as a shock . . .\u2019<\/p>\n
Lady Athelinda Playford has planned a house party at her mansion in Clonakilty, County Cork, but it is no ordinary gathering. As guests arrive, Lady Playford summons her lawyer to make an urgent change to her will \u2013 one she intends to announce at dinner that night. She has decided to cut off her two children without a penny and leave her fortune to someone who has only weeks to live . . .<\/p>\n
Among Lady Playford\u2019s guests are two men she has never met \u2013 the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Neither knows why he has been invited . . . until Poirot starts to wonder if Lady Playford expects a murderer to strike. But why does she seem so determined to provoke, in the presence of a possible killer?<\/p>\n
When the crime is committed in spite of Poirot\u2019s best efforts to stop it, and the victim is not who he expected it to be, will he be able to find the culprit and solve the mystery?<\/p>\n
Following the phenomenal global success of The Monogram Murders<\/em>, which was published to critical acclaim following a co-ordinated international launch in September 2014, international best-selling crime writer Sophie Hannah has been commissioned by Agatha Christie Limited to pen a second fully-authorised Poirot novel. The new book marks the centenary of the creation of Christie\u2019s world-famous detective Hercule Poirot, introduced in her first book The Mysterious Affair at Styles<\/em>. [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font_size=”18″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_margin_tablet=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”0px|7%|10px|7%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]Amazon<\/a> \u00a0 | \u00a0 Waterstones<\/a> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font_size=”18″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px|3%|10px|3%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]Harper Collins<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Amazon <\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Barnes & Noble<\/a> \u201cThis is a literary marriage made in heaven \u2013 Sophie Hannah and Agatha Christie. The plot and setting are pure Christie, but with an extra layer of bamboozlement and a superbly mysterious atmosphere\u2026The comedy is never allowed to lessen an increasing sense of menace.\u201d \u201cChristie explored each variable of the form and wondered how it might be surreptitiously tweaked. It is this Christie that Sophie Hannah channels so ingeniously in her second Poirot novel. The joy of this book is in the way the clues are placed in plain sight while the motivation is not.\u201d \u201cThe murder investigation proceeds both trippingly and thrillingly\u2026Hannah is rightly proud of the fact that the ingenious solution to the murder can be conveyed in just four words. Her sense of fun is infectious. The Christie conventions are observed but given a playful tweak.\u201d \u201cSparkling second outing for Hannah’s reimagined Poirot. The setting (posh Irish country house), the characters (country lawyers, creepy male secretary, stroppy flapper, etc) and the period vocabulary are all spot on, but it’s the utter fiendish unpredictability of the plot that makes Sophie the new Agatha.\u201d \u201cSophie Hannah has proved herself as fiendishly astute as Agatha Christie when it comes to the innermost (read: darkest) workings of human psychology. She also shares with Christie a dry, wry comedic touch that rises to the surface when least expected.\u00a0Closed Casket<\/em>, Hannah\u2019s second sophisticated take on Christie\u2019s Hercule Poirot, is both entertaining and clever \u2013 a canny ode to the great Christie, and a formidable showcasing of Hannah\u2019s own crime-writing skills.\u201d \u201cClosed Casket<\/em>\u00a0conceals its shocks within neat layers.\u00a0 <\/span>Exciting, mysterious and ingenious, this continuation novel feels like the real deal.\u201d \u201cThe ingenious solution to the mystery of Closed Casket<\/em> represents another satisfying addition to the Agatha Christie canon.\u201d \u201cTop-class entertainment.\u201d \u201cClosed Casket<\/em> is deviously plotted, deeply satisfying and does the grande dame of crime proud.\u201d \u201cHannah, as she did in 2014\u2019s The Monogram Murders<\/em> \u2014 an excellent read that Closed Casket<\/em> manages to surpass in quality\u00a0\u2014 fashions a puzzle worthy of Christie.\u00a0 <\/span>Hannah rivals Christie in her ability to concoct a complex but plausible plot.\u00a0 <\/span>Christie\u2019s fans will open Closed Casket<\/em> \u2014 which Hannah stamps with her own imagination while honoring Christie\u2019s work \u2014 with enthusiasm, and close it with satisfaction.\u201d [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CLOSED CASKET Another fiendishly puzzling mystery for the great Hercule Poirot to solve. \u2018What I intend to say to you will come as a shock . . .\u2019 Lady Athelinda Playford has planned a house party at her mansion in Clonakilty, County Cork, but it is no ordinary gathering. As guests arrive, Lady Playford summons […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-354","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”http:\/\/sophiehannah.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chapter-1-Closed-Casket.pdf” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”READ FIRST CHAPTER” button_alignment=”left” admin_label=”Button” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”24″ button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_color=”#000000″ button_use_icon=”off” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”18″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px|8%|30px|” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”]Latest Editions: Paperback\/eBook\/Audio
\nREADING GROUP QUESTIONS<\/strong><\/a>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”40px||40px|” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_audio audio=”http:\/\/sophiehannah.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Closed-Casket_opt.mp3″ artist_name=”Harper Audio” album_name=”Closed Casket” image_url=”https:\/\/sophiehannah.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/casket-audio.jpg” admin_label=”Audio” _builder_version=”4.16″ caption_text_color=”#000000″ background_color=”#ffa077″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”light” custom_margin=”0px|||” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”40px||0px|” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_2″ saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.4)” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font_size=”24″ header_font_size=”24px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|” custom_padding=”10px|7%|10px|7%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nBUY \u00a0UNITED KINGDOM<\/h1>\n
\n<\/a>WH Smith<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0| \u00a0<\/a> Hive<\/a>
\n<\/a>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_2″ saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.4)” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font_size=”25″ header_font_size=”24px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px||10px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|phone” custom_padding=”10px|7%|10px|7%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nBUY UNITED STATES<\/h1>\n
\n<\/a>Indie Bound<\/a>\u00a0 | Books A Million<\/a> \u00a0| \u00a0Hudson<\/a>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ffa077 0%|#4800a0 100%” background_color_gradient_start=”#ffa077″ background_color_gradient_end=”#4800a0″ custom_padding=”70px|||||” custom_css_main_element=” background: #fcf5d3; \/* For browsers that do not support gradients *\/|| background: -webkit-linear-gradient(#ec6540, #fcf5d3); \/* For Safari 5.1 to 6.0 *\/|| background: -o-linear-gradient(#ec6540, #fcf5d3); \/* For Opera 11.1 to 12.0 *\/|| background: -moz-linear-gradient(#ec6540, #fcf5d3); \/* For Firefox 3.6 to 15 *\/|| background: linear-gradient(#ec6540, #fcf5d3); \/* Standard syntax *\/” transparent_background=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.5)” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ header_font_size=”50px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”40px|8%|40px|7%” custom_padding_tablet=”30px|8%|40px|7%” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nREVIEWS<\/h1>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”0px|8%|40px|9%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\nThe Times<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nTimes Literary Supplement<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nLondon Evening Standard<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nSunday Times<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nSeattle Review of Books<\/i>, US<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe Australian<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nI<\/em>rish Times<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nWoman and Home<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nGood Housekeeping<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nRichmond Times Dispatch, <\/i>US<\/span><\/p>\n