The Killings at Kingfisher Hill Quotes

“Poirot nodded. "I see what causes you the struggle. Yes, my friend, it is always easier when the criminal gives one the satisfaction of being very clearly the embodiment of evil with no contradiction in his character -- only the badness from top to bottom. Sadly, this is rarely the truth of any human being. It is possible to feel the sympathy for a person who has done something terrible and at the same time hold them responsible for their actions. The satisfaction of solving a murder, in such instances, comes from two sources: the belief that the law must be upheld in even the most difficult of circumstances, and then following that law without allowing your resolve to be swayed by pity for the perpetrators who must now face justice.”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

“There is nothing thrilling about murder,” Poirot declared with force. “It is tragic and devastating and continues to cause suffering many years after it has happened—to the innocent and to the surviving loved ones of the guilty. It is and will always be an abomination—a stain on the face of the earth.”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

“...And once a first murder has been committed, the second becomes so much easier. The law against killing our fellow men and women is not there only to protect them, but also to protect us from our worst impulses.”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

“Mademoiselle, if you had not intended it, it would not have happened," said Poirot. "Hands do not move unless minds make them move....”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

“Poirot smiled. "You think that I waste time on trivialities, mademoiselle? Non. These little details, apparently unconnected to the two killings, are vital to know. They are the little key that will open the heavy door.”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

“And, like all who behave as tyrannically as he does, he has almost no understanding of his own behavior. If tyrants understood what they did and why they did it, they would surely behave differently—don’t you think so, M. Poirot?”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

“She smiled at us—a smile that was demure and moderate, welcoming and cautious—as she entered the room and sat in the chair that we had set out for her.”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill

“...Let us stay in this room forever and never open the door. We can tell ourselves the lie that all is well and that all the harm that's been done can be undone. [...] Please, nobody say a single word. Please let me go on believing it for as long as I possibly can.”
― Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill