The Last Death of the Year Review: Poirot Rings in a Confusing New Year

Read time: 3 minutes

🎧 Listened in audio | 📢 Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
⏱ Duration: 9 hours | Genre: Mystery
🏷️ Publisher: Harper Audio & William Morrow on 28 October 2025

Book Blurb:

It’s New Year’s Eve, 1932. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Catchpool step onto the Greek island of Lamperos expecting a quiet holiday, but chaos is already brewing. A dinner game turns deadly when a chilling written resolution promises “the last and first death of the year.” By morning, one guest lies dead, and Poirot finds that there’s more to this case than coincidence. With secrets, social tension, and a ticking clock, Poirot must separate misdirection from motive before the island’s grim prophecy claims another life.

Let’s talk … murder!!!

The story starts with a killer hook, literally. A murder is announced, complete with the victim’s name and the time of death, and you immediately think “wait, what?” But when the moment passes and nothing happens, the tension turns into confusion. Then it spikes again when the supposed victim later becomes the killer. It’s a bold idea, but it also sets up a high bar that the payoff doesn’t quite reach.

Poirot and Inspector Catchpool do what they always do best, asking questions, observing people, and piecing together behavior. Still, the investigation felt a little off. The island’s characters didn’t stand out. Even with all the suspects and motives, none of them left an impression, and that took away some of the classic Poirot charm.

The ending was the biggest letdown. The reasons behind the advance announcement, the timing, and the whole why of it didn’t make sense. What should have been a clever twist felt forced instead of flowing naturally from the story. Julian Rhind-Tutt’s narration keeps things moving, but the resolution didn’t live up to the setup, which is a rare miss for a Poirot story.

Would I Recommend It?

I wanted to be thrilled by this New Year’s Eve mystery, but it fell short. The premise was strong, the investigation competent, but the ending didn’t click for me. If you’re a diehard Poirot fan, it’s still worth a listen for the atmosphere and clever moments, but temper expectations.

If you liked this, try these:

• Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah — Another Poirot continuation with a tighter structure and satisfying twist.
  Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz — A modern take on the classic British whodunit with a brilliant meta angle.
  Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• Still Life by Louise Penny — For those who love character-driven mysteries set in atmospheric small towns.
  Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes — Historical intrigue with layered relationships and period charm.
  Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie — Classic Christie wit and psychology with a small-town murder that keeps you guessing.
  Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy

Your turn! The mystery that wasn’t?

Ever read a mystery where the setup hooked you, but the payoff felt flat? Let’s trade notes. Which book had the most promising premise that didn’t quite deliver?

Book Links:

Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal

• Indiebookstores.ca
• Bookshop.org
• Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover
• Follow Sophie Hannah’s author page for more bookish information
• Check out more books from Harper Audio and William Morrow