Taking forward Agatha Christie’s legacy

Agatha Christie’s detective fiction collection is a given in Indian school libraries. And if you, like me, got hooked onto her story-telling, full of twists, you would be well-acquainted with two of her eternal characters – Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.

British author Sophie Hannah’s introduction to Agatha Christie was no different. She was all of 12 when she read The Body in the Library, which she considers one of Christie’s best works – even as she releases her fourth Hercule Poirot novel, a mantle she took up in 2014.

The backstory

“I was hooked after reading The Body in the Library and spent the next couple of years collecting and devouring her entire catalogue,” says the author, who has read all of Christie’s detective novels four times each. And, Murder on the Orient Express, was her first encounter with Poirot.

“I would await his [Poirot’s] every word during the denouement scenes”

“He’s so vividly portrayed and wonderfully idiosyncratic that he leaps off the page. His sense of humour appealed to me and I loved his brilliance, and would await his every word during the denouement scenes,” Sophie tells us.

The fan, whose love for mystery puzzles and fascination with the psychology behind crime grew, never dreamt that she’ll one day continue Christie’s legacy. “It was a huge coincidence – my agent knew I was a devoted fan and made an off-the-cuff suggestion that I could write continuation novels. But it was dismissed because the Christie family had no plans for continuation novels,” she says.

A day later, the Christie family approached the publication house with the same idea and Sophie’s name was suggested. “I felt the pressure of wanting to do justice to the world’s best-selling author, but I used this as a challenge to create books fellow fans would enjoy,” she smiles. 

What’s new?

Though prep was easy, Sophie was mulling over a plot, which didn’t fit her contemporary vibe. Poirot was the answer to that and her first continuation novel was born.

Sophie’s latest novel The Killings at Kingfisher Hill with Agatha Christie’s star Hercule Poirot

She has refrained from changing anything about Poirot or his timeline. The only exception is her narrator, Inspector Catchpool, is a new person working with Poirot. “I find it interesting to develop characters compelled to do terrible things by their own warped psyches,” explains Sophie.

Today, Sophie builds on the detective story blueprint Christie left behind and has been praised. So, what’s it like to see her renditions go down well with Christie fans? “That’s the ultimate compliment! People saying they were proved wrong felt wonderful,” she says ecstatically.

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From HT Brunch, September 21, 2020

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