A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Whilst Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot has been met with some controversy from die-hard fans, this did not stop me from booking a cinema ticket to see A Haunting in Venice on opening weekend, and I am glad I did.

A Haunting in Venice is very loosely based on Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, and I say very loosely! Whilst we have similarly-named characters and Easter egg nods to the original text – the appearance of Poirot’s beloved friend and writer Ariadne Oliver, the party in question, allusions to apple bobbing (where the victim in the original book came to their demise) and a secret garden – this is a very different tale which stands on its own as a Poirot mystery.

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Cause of Death by Anna Legat

Whilst I hadn’t read the previous two Shire Mysteries by Anna Legat, I needn’t have worried. From chapter one, I was immersed in the village way of life, got to know sleuthing duo, Sam and Maggie, and slipped right into the action.

This was a typical, yet enjoyable, cosy mystery – the quaint countryside location of Bishops Well, busy-bodying villagers and a couple of murders – but with the welcome addition of a ghost or two! Crime mixed in with the supernatural…what more could I ask for?

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