A review of all the Miss Marple mystery books
Rating:
3 / 5
This is my review of all the Miss Marple mysteries, listed from best to worst:SLEEPING MURDERS - one of Agatha Christie's last mysteries, written a few years before she died. Shows a writing style that had matured to include more action and a plausible ending without a lot of contrived twists and turns, allowing me to deduce the murderer. MISS MARPLE: THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES - I usually don't care for short stories, but this collection of all the Miss Marple short stories was a good read. Lots of clever ideas should one ever want to do away- no, never mind. A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED - the first chapter is a bit slow, but it picks up very quickly after that. I enjoyed the household activities of all the various characters living together as an extended family in a large victorian house. I was able to guess the murderer, but the plot got unnecessarily complicated and tangled toward the end with many characters not being who they were when initially introduced in the story -- a few too many red herrings. THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE - Agatha Christie dabbles with Hollywood characters and plot. This one is almost like a Columbo episode. A pleasant read and a reasonably straightforward plot that allowed me to identify the murderer. A POCKET FULL OF RYE - a good mystery with interesting characters and a plausible ending. I was able to deduce the identity of the murderer, but I was unable to tie together all the events until Miss Marple's explanation. WHAT MRS. MCGILLICUDDY SAW! - starts with a foot race between a short, stout woman and a long-legged porter through a train station on a cold gray December afternoon - ah, I could see it clearly - this is England! I enjoyed this story, but as others have pointed out in their reviews, I found Miss Marple's deduction to be rather weak and undeveloped; I was also disappointed with the identity of the murderer, which I didn't guess. THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY - a strong start, but then it fizzles. I had no idea who the murderer was and would think it unlikely to be guessed by many readers due to weak supporting events in the story. NEMESIS - a tough call, I liked the ending but the story really drags in the middle. Fifty or sixty pages could have been removed without missing them. If you read this one, you may want to read A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY first for background. THEY DO IT WITH MIRRORS - I really don't have a good reason for not caring for this one, but it just didn't draw me in the way some of the other mysteries had. A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY - I cared for neither the shallow characters nor the love-triangle-plot of this story; overall, it was somewhat ponderous. AT BERTRAM'S HOTEL - I couldn't get past the first chapter, there was something "thick and stuffy" about the setting and pace. THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE - I chalk up my dislike of this one to the book's first person point of view - just a personal dislike I have. THE MOVING FINGER - again, written in the first person. And the first chapter was just poking around and I had no interest in continuing.
Must read for all Miss Marple fans
Rating:
5 / 5
This 1932 collection was also published as THE TUESDAY CLUB MURDERS. Many of the stories have also appeared separately in other collections. Like THE LABORS OF HERCULES and PARTNERS IN CRIME it is a series of short stories bridged together in an arc. The opening setting is a gathering in St. Mary Mead at Jane Marple's cottage, attended by her nephew writer Raymond West, artist Joyce Lempriere, Sir Henry Clithering - retired Scotlandyard commissioner, Dr. Pender - the local clergyman, and solicitor Mr. Petherick. The group decides to entertain themselves by describing puzzling crimes they have experienced and to challenge the rest of the group to arrive at the solution. The group at first does not plan to include Miss Marple in their game but condescend to do so when she objects. Naturally Aunt Jane arrives at all the answers. The following year Sir Henry Clithering was visiting his friends the Bantrys (THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY), and mentioned his previous trip to St. Mary Mead and Miss Marple. After dinner that evening another evening of curious problems took place. This time the group included Col. and Mrs. Bantry, Dr. Lloyd, actress Jane Helier as well as Sir Henry and Miss Marple. Again Miss Marple had all the answers, including one to a crime that hadn't happened yet. The final problem was presented sometime later when Sir Henry was again visiting his friends, the Bantrys. A village girl, the daughter of the local pub owner, had killed herself the night before, sad but of no particular interest to Sir Henry. No interest that is, until Miss Marple arrived to request that Sir Henry investigate the murder, not suicide, of the girl. She even gave Sir Henry the name of the murderer! Sir Henry agreed to look into matter and.....well, read the story The mysteries are all perfect little Christie gems, challenging the reader (with all the clues tucked in among the red herrings) to solve the crime before Miss Marple. The device of linking the stories in post dinner party conversation is charming. It is wonderful to meet characters that will return in other Miss Marple stories: Raymond West and Joyce Lempriere; Col. and Dolly Bantry; and Sir Henry Clithering.
Thriteen Is A Lucky Number
Rating:
4 / 5
Picture yourself with a group of friends that include Miss Jane Marple. Sitting around the fire, someone brings up the idea of presenting mysteries that only you know the answer, and the other friends must solve. Guess who wins hands down every time? Yes, that little lady with lace mitts who is knitting little fluffy things.This is a fine book of short stories and, as usual, Dame Agatha outfoxed me every time. Though Miss Jane publicly disdains outlandish plots ("undetectable poison from an African village"), her creator is sometimes guilty of just that. The very few that left me less than impressed involved entirely too much running around, an outlandish premise, and an overabundance of purple prose. My hands down favorite was "Death By Drowning" when Dame Agatha shows her superb ability to misdirect. Even with broad hints, I didn't come near the answer. And never be certain that the villain will be punished, at least right away. "The Tuesday Night Club" and "A Christmas Tragedy" each have her particular brand of cleverness stamped clearly throughout. This would be a wonderful book to have in the guest bedroom, but be sure to read it first!
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