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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I think this might be one of my favorite Christies, despite being light on Marple herself. Her friend and assistant for this adventure, Lucy Eyelesbarrow, takes center stage and I adore her.
Miss Marple's friend Elspeth McGillicuddy sees a woman being strangled as her train out of Paddington briefly runs alongside another. The three women sort out the location of the body and Lucy, a young woman with a prestigious university degree who went into business for herself doing short-term domestic help, creates an excuse to find it, scope out the suspects familiar with the property, and identify the killer, reporting to "Aunt Jane" as she goes. It's high on charming company, and I find the premise particularly interesting.
In addition to the train element, there's an exceptional inheritance plot. Several adult children stand to inherit a fortune when their father dies. Any of the three living sons, or the widower of a deceased sister, could have been the man on the train...but instead it's the family doctor, the love interest of the remaining, unmarried sister, who saw an opportunity to pick off the other heirs as they proceeded in a matrimonial direction. There's the additional twist that the initial victim was not an heir at all, but a fraud claiming to be the mother of the deceased eldest son's nonexistent child. Each member of the family has an interesting, melancholy life, nicely contrasted, and the teen grandson & his friend are a hoot. Exactly what I needed when I picked it up.
Miss Marple's friend Elspeth McGillicuddy sees a woman being strangled as her train out of Paddington briefly runs alongside another. The three women sort out the location of the body and Lucy, a young woman with a prestigious university degree who went into business for herself doing short-term domestic help, creates an excuse to find it, scope out the suspects familiar with the property, and identify the killer, reporting to "Aunt Jane" as she goes. It's high on charming company, and I find the premise particularly interesting.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
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
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Idk why I saw some saying they predicted the ending and it was disappointing because it was far from disappointing!
I was so dead sure it was Alfred or Bryan who murdered the woman and hid her in the family house but now im thinking about it, it does seem abit stupid
Enjoyed that Miss Marple played a huge role in orchestrating the investigation from her friend! Really liked Lucy Eyelesbarrow - such an efficient yet affectionate woman who grew to like the household. And I love Craddock too. Actually one of my fav Miss Marple's books out of those I have read.
Martine being Alexander's friend's mother threw me completely off cos who else could be the woman. The doctor being the murderer was the main thing that threw me off COS I REALLY LIKED HIM - its kinda a shock knowing he did all that. Poor Emma
Enjoyed that Miss Marple played a huge role in orchestrating the investigation from her friend! Really liked Lucy Eyelesbarrow - such an efficient yet affectionate woman who grew to like the household. And I love Craddock too. Actually one of my fav Miss Marple's books out of those I have read.
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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:
Yes
I really enjoyed the character of Lucy in this book - it was fun to have someone actively engaged in sleuthing alongside Marple.
The Crackenthorpe family were really interesting to read about because there were so many tensions at play. It meant they all made excellent suspects!
The Crackenthorpe family were really interesting to read about because there were so many tensions at play. It meant they all made excellent suspects!
I really enjoyed the build up of this one, mostly because of Lucy, she was a great new character. The location was also pretty cool, this house just outside town with its property surrounded by railways. The characters of this family also felt pretty individual, which is always more enjoyable to read. The only thing that didn't fully work for me was the end reveal: it was a little too abrupt and everything was over very quickly, whereas the build up was quite slow. Also the murderer hadn't even been hinted at once, so it felt a little out of nowhere. Still overall enjoyable.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes