Hi, everyone. Sorry for getting the review up late this week! I have been so busy with moving, Thanksgiving, etc. that this post was not on the top of my priority list to have completed. But better late than never (and now you have less time to wait for the next one too). This week I am reviewing The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah. And I am making a fun, tropical drink—a Painkiller or, to work with my title, a Pain-killing. I wanted to do a Halloween-themed drink, but nothing worked with this book. Next week’s review, however, is Halloween galore, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this week’s review.
Painkiller Recipe
2oz Dark Rum
4oz Pineapple Juice
1oz Orange Juice
1oz Cream of Coconut
1 sprinkle Ground Nutmeg
1-2 Maraschino Cherries*
1 Kiwi Slice*
*Maraschino cherries and kiwi slice are optional.
In a shaker with ice, combine rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut. Shake for approximately 10 seconds. Then strain into a hurricane glass filled with ice. Garnish with a sprinkling of ground nutmeg, a slice of kiwi, and maraschino cherries.
I, again, didn’t go crazy with the special ingredient this week, and instead decided to just change the garnish. There is a key aspect of the novel about two engagement rings, one ruby and one emerald, and these symbols are what I wanted to focus on for my special garnish. So, I decided to use ruby red maraschino cherries and an emerald green slice of kiwi instead of the typical slice of pineapple. As these are just a garnish, they are completely optional and don’t really change the flavour of the drink. On the topic of flavour, this cocktail is tropical and delicious. And that’s not just me saying that. My boyfriend, who typically doesn’t like coconut, also enjoyed the drink a lot! So I hope you do too.
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill Synopsis
On a luxury passenger coach headed towards one mystery, Hercule Poirot and his friend Inspector Edward Catchpool find themselves immersed in another. A young woman sitting on the coach becomes increasingly distressed and tells Poirot that if she stays in her seat she will be murdered. Though Poirot’s curiosity is piqued, the rest of the journey passes with no deaths. Once Poirot and Catchpool arrive at their destination, Kingfisher Hill, they begin to look into the murder they have been called to investigate. However, though Richard Devonport, brother of the victim and fiancé of the accused, has called Poirot for help, he instructs Poirot and Catchpool that their true motive for visiting Kingfisher Hill must remain a secret.
Then, when another murder occurs, Poirot must ask himself are the two murders connected? And does the strange incident on the coach have anything to do with his reason for coming to Kingfisher Hill?
Review
“These little details, apparently unconnected to the two killings, are vital to know. They are the little key that will open the heavy door.”
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill is Hannah’s 4th instalment in her revamped Hercule Poirot novels. As I’ve mentioned before, Agatha Christie is my favourite! I’ve also read all of Hannah’s previous Hercule Poirot mysteries—and have really liked them. While it isn’t possible to write the exact same as Agatha Christie, I think Hannah does a good job of writing Hercule Poirot. This novel is no different and I definitely enjoyed it.
I don’t actually have much to say about this one cause it’s a pretty typical Agatha Christie-esque mystery. Hannah is a strong writer and her characters work well. Poirot isn’t perfectly the same as how he is in true Christie’s, but he’s still clearly your favourite Belgian detective. Catchpool is an interesting character, basically the Watson to Poirot’s Sherlock in Hannah’s novels. I will admit that I prefer the classic Christie Poirot novels that have a different narrator every novel, but Catchpool is a good character nonetheless. The side characters in this one were great as well. They were well-written, fleshed out, and unique.
My biggest positive for this novel is that I didn’t figure it out. At least not completely. Some parts were easier to solve, but overall I was surprised. And a mystery novel is nothing if it’s easy to figure out. So, I was quite happy that Hannah stumped me on parts of this one. I also really enjoyed the female-centred storyline of this one. While Poirot and Catchpool are the main characters, the female side characters stood out above all the rest. They were strong, smart, and varied. I was disappointed in the last novel I reviewed because the female characters were so stereotypical and were not shown to be strong or smart. So, reading some well-fleshed out females was a nice change of pace.
I don’t have any glaring downsides of this novel, but it wasn’t perfect. The beginning was a little slow and hard to follow with all the mysteries going on. While it got easier further in I did have to keep reminding myself what was going on at the beginning. My only other real downside is that I wish some things had been explained a little more at the end. And, although it didn’t take away from the story at all and Hercule Poirot always keeps things unexplained, there were a few things I wanted to know more about. Apart from that, there were no discrepancies or truly negative elements for me.
All in all, I totally recommend this novel. The Killings at Kingfisher Hill is a great Christie-esque mystery. Hannah brings her writing prowess to a twisty, three-part mystery that I didn’t solve. I was definitely happy with this novel and also a bit bummed that I didn’t figure it all out. So, if you read it please let me know if you solve every aspect and beat me out! And, as always, even if you don’t read it you should definitely try the Painkiller if you love tropical drinks.
My Rating:
Thanks for reading! And, if you read the book or try the cocktail let me know in a comment, on Instagram, or in person (if you know me). Also, if you haven’t yet read my previous reviews, I recommend reading Where the Crawdads Sing, The Black Shadows, and The Perfect Guest List if you liked this one!
Teghann
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