Reviews

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Agatha Christie

geraldinerowe's review against another edition

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

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.

ellenarcher22's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

gemshep's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-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

rainbowbookworm's review

5.0

Great collection with contributions by phenomenal writers!

lmo23's review

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sashareadssss's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

rainwombat's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Some of the authors really nail the characterisation of the recurring cast of the Miss Marple stories. Others miss by a mile.

lesley12's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A

4.0

Most of the stories worked for me. I thought the strongest were the first two - Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley and The Second Murder at the Vicarage. Two stories that didn't work for me were Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole; the character of Miss Marple was too dithery, and The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus - Miss Marple was too much of a side character for me.

For information I prefer the Joan Hickson portrayal of Miss Marple. If I couldn't imagine her it pulled me out of the story.

sungyena's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? It's complicated

2.75