Reviews

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Agatha Christie

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adperfectamconsilium's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Marple: Twelve New Stories

This was my introduction to the twelve writers involved.

Naomi Alderman
Leigh Bardugo
Alyssa Cole
Lucy Foley
Elly Griffths
Natalie Haynes
Jean Kwok
Val McDermid
Karen M McManus
Dreda Say Mitchell
Kate Mosse
Ruth Ware

As you would expect from the list of names there is good writing on offer here but of course some feel more like an Agatha Christie written Marple story than others.

The collection starts strong with Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley and The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid that brings in characters from Christie's novel where Miss Marple was on hand to solve the first murder in the same vicarage.
Other highlights are Miss Marple's Christmas where Ruth Ware pulls off a classic locked room mystery, Murder at the Villa Rosa where Elly Griffths has fun with Marple as a secondary character in Italy and The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse plays on Jane Marple's love of gardening.

There wasn't a story that I didn't like although there is a lot of Miss Marple gadding about. She's in Italy, in Manhattan, on a cruise to Hong Kong, another story in America. They're entertaining but Marple never liked straying too far from home all that often. Occasionally, especially the cruise story, it feels like some tales would be more suitable for Poirot.

The collection ends with The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo which is well written up until the shock twist ending which has Marple acting out of character and for me didn't ring true with her beliefs.

So, some are more Christie feeling than others but it's good to have more Miss Marple stories and hopefully this collection will entice unfamiliar readers to try some Agatha Christie books.

prof_chronotis's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

geraldinerowe's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is a fun collection of stories. Some of them are written in the style of the original Agatha Christie books, others not, but all are true to the character of Miss Marple. None are stand outs in the genre, and a few are quite silly, but all of them are well written. If you want a bookish palate cleanser, this is it.

lisas_library_factory's review against another edition

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5.0

This was my first read of a contemporary adaptation of a classic Christie character. I very much enjoyed reading the stories starring the famous Miss Marple reimagined by 12 great female authors. What I found especially well done in this collection was that all authors manages to capture the special characteristics of Christie's Marple and at the same time bedding the stories in a new, more modern context with contemporary themes, such as the problem of racism, feminism and abuse (in academia). My favourite stories were written by Kate Mosse, Lucy Foley, Leigh Bardugo, Karen Mc Manus and Naomi Alderman.