Poirot to return in new novel authorised by Agatha Christie's family

Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's much-loved fictional Belgian detective with the little moustache, pince-nez glasses and unmatchable"little grey cells", is to return in a new novel fully authorised by Devon-born Christie's family.

It has been announced that the new novel will be published worldwide in September 2014 and will be written by the British crime writer and poet Sophie Hannah.

Agatha Christie frist introduced her brilliant detective to the world in her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920. Written with the full backing of the family, the as-yet-untitled new book will be the first ever Agatha Christie continuation novel.

Mathew Prichard, Chairman of Agatha Christie Limited and grandson of Agatha Christie said:

"It was pure serendipity that led to Sophie Hannah being commissioned to write this book. Her agent happened to approach HarperCollins in exactly the same week that my colleagues and I had started discussing a new Christie book.

"Her idea for a plot line was so compelling and her passion for my grandmother’s work so strong, that we felt that the time was right for a new Christie to be written."

Sophie Hannah’s Poirot novel will be published by HarperCollins worldwide, 38 years after Agatha Christie’s last novel, Sleeping Murder, was published in 1976, and 39 years after the final Poirot, Curtain.

Sophie Hannah is a leading writer of psychological crime fiction and is published in 24 countries. Her most recent novel, The Carrier, garnered glowing reviews, including from The Guardian who said: "The genius of Hannah's domestic thrillers - apart from the twistiest plots known to woman - is that she creates ordinary people whose psychological quirks make them as monstrous as any serial killer."

Sophie Hannah said of the project:

"Agatha Christie was the writer who made me fall in love with mystery fiction, at the age of 13. I read and collected all her novels within a year, and have been a passionately - some might even say obsessively - devoted fan ever since.

"It was Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple who, between them, made me want to devote my working life to crime fiction, and it was Christie's brilliant plotting and deep understanding of the human psyche that shaped my identity as a crime writer.

"Therefore, it is almost impossible to put into words how honoured I am to have been entrusted with this amazing project - in fact, I still can't quite believe that this is really happening! I hope to create a puzzle that will confound and frustrate the incomparable Hercule Poirot for at least a good few chapters."

David Brawn, Publisher – Estates, at HarperCollins, said: "Agatha Christie was – and still is – the world’s best-selling novelist.

"The stories she wrote and the characters she created have withstood the test of time and been successful on film, television, audio, stage, and online. But as we approach what would have been Agatha Christie’s 125th birthday, I am delighted beyond measure that Hercule Poirot will live again in the pages of a book, and take readers back to where it all started."