A Haunting in Venice

Ten years after the events of _Death on the Nile (2022)_ (qv), Belgian master detective Hercule Poirot now enjoys a sleuthing-free retirement in 1947 Venice, Italy. But a leopard never changes its spots. Suspicious by nature, Poirot reluctantly accompanies an insisting mystery novelist friend to a Halloween séance to debunk the myth about the supernatural. Instead, a gruesome murder has both desperate believers and shrewd cynics guessing. After all, everyone has skeletons in their closet. As the unprepared guests' hushed whispers echo off the barren walls, a sinister blend of tingling uncertainty and lingering dread invites hair-raising questions. Is the pained hostess' home haunted? With the past's guilty secrets demanding closure and justice, is weary Poirot starting to see ghosts?—Nick Riganas