So a while ago, Amazon had a good deal on the whole Christie/Marple collection for Kindle. Of course I jumped on it, because I adore Agatha Christie, and particularly her Marple books. She’s just such a twinkly old lady (so says Agatha, and so says I).
I think the omnibus goes in order, so this story is the actual first appearance of Miss Marple. We’re introduced to her in her lovely village of Saint Mary Mead, which is a hotbed of all manner of naughtiness, according to Miss Marple. The most hated person there is Colonel Lucius Protheroe. He’s a loudmouth and an all-around jerk. Not nice to his kid, not nice to his (2nd, much younger) wife, and a real thorn in the vicar’s side.
He’s supposed to meet the vicar one night, when the vic is called away to a sick parishoner’s bedside. Mrs. Vicar is out of the house, but the maid shows him to the study so he can wait. When the vicar comes home, there’s a dead man on his desk. It’s pretty clear that the death is not suicide, so who could have murdered this man? There are plenty of people who wanted to, but motive isn’t everything.
The local police begin to investigate, and the nice old next door neighbor lady (with keen eyesight and insight) offers some information and hints, and may be doing a little sleuthing on her own. Overall, the story is an entertaining introduction to one of the best-loved (at least in my house) amateur detectives of all time.
Brace yourselves, because I’ll be working my way through the entire Marple oeuvre. Minus the ones I’ve already reviewed, of course.
