A Haunting in Venice (2023) was originally published as Hallowe'en Party in 1969 by acclaimed British mystery author Agatha Christie. The name change was made for marketing purposes: a film called A Haunting in Venice was released in 2023, and movie studio 20th Century Studios and book publisher William Morrow thought that readers would be more apt to buy the book after seeing the movie with the name change. Though the film, which was directed by Kenneth Branagh (who also stars as Hercule Poirot), received positive reviews, it was a failure at the box office.
Unlike Hallowe'en Party, A Haunting in Venice features an introduction by Michael Green, who wrote the film. A Haunting in Venice once again follows famed detective Hercule Poirot, who is tasked with investigating the murder of a teenager named Joyce. At a Halloween party, Joyce proudly told everyone around her that she witnessed a horrific murder. Concerned, she hopes that telling everyone around her will help bring the murderer to justice. But no one believes her, and she is killed in the house's apple-bobbing tub. Poirot has to navigate the occult and other evil spirits to uncover who is really responsible for Joyce's death and the death of the person whose murder she witnessed. As with other Poirot novels, he uncovers the killer in a dramatic, climactic reveal.
