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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Marvelous Marple about a few families in a small village who see a personal ad for a "murder" at a friend's home and show up, expecting a game. Of course, someone really does die, and Miss Marple unravels multiple assumed identities and obscured backgrounds, along with small-time illegal ration violations . It's one of the Christies that reminds me how much is lost when adaptations re-set all her work into the 30s, as it is so important to the mentality of these characters that they are dealing with the changes that followed WWII.
The killer is, as I suspected at once, the apparent intended victim. Miss Blacklock claims to be Letitia, who stands to inherit a fortune from a dying friend, but is in reality her sister, Charlotte, trying to claim the money after Letty's own sudden death. The victims throughout the book stand to expose her, and the inheritance plot is complicated by additional heirs showing up to the village. One (Emma) is under a fake name for a prank, and the other (Pip) is overlooked because everyone is slow to remember it can be short for Philippa as well as Philip. Everyone has something interesting going on! There are also small dramas unfolding with a May-December marriage, a struggling writer and his mother, lesbians who keep hens, among others. Marple's "in" for this book, a young friend married to a vicar, is very fun, if not on the same level as Griselda or Lucy for me. It's just a delightful example of her work!
It was quite enjoyable. Charming with the cozy setting and characters, a tad bit humorous, and not entirely predictable. I think most of the clues laid out to Miss Marple are also provided to you, so this was a certified good one. I whole heartedly recommend this.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I did slightly guess where this one was going, which I rarely do with murder mysteries. I was very pleased to be right. It was a good read, some dubious elements that reflect the time of writing, but lots of interesting stuff to think about in terms of the changing post war English countryside that I found fascinating. Over all a very good relaxing read
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Agatha Christie is a wonderful author and her mysteries are intelligent and beautifully crafted. After reading many of her stories, I find myself more and more surprised that each new one can be as interesting and mystifying as the last.