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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I really liked the complexity of mystery once it was fully unraveled, however, there were a few too many moving parts for me to get as invested as other Christie stories. Still a great Marple tale though!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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:
Yes
i liked it better on a reread - altogether, i think it's one of Marple's best
mysterious
medium-paced
Enjoyed the initial premise, but some of the characters weren't very strong and I figured out whodunnit early on
mysterious
My first ever Agatha Christie book. The story was quite intriguing, the setting felt very 'downton abbey'-like. Loved all the gossiping neighbors, although the characters were quite two-dimensional and easy to mix up. I don't think this is a genre I should read from too often, how ever from time to time it can be very delightful.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
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:
Yes
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my second Agatha Christie book in a row. Such a captivating read!
The story is set in an English village where the inhabitants thought they knew each other, but in fact everyone carried their own secrets. And one day in this tranquil village, a murder was announced in the social gazette. At first, everyone thought it was just a detective party, and they all attended out of curiosity. But then to their horror that a man was really murdered under their noses.
I've always had a soft spot for stories set in an English village. Perhaps it is the cosiness and the way it allows me to imagine what life is like in the country. This is similar to 4.50 from Paddington in that both stories are set in the countryside, but I love this book so much more because the characters here are more likeable than the loathsome brothers in the Paddington book. I especially like the scenes where the villagers all pretend to be passing by Miss Blacklock's house at the announced time of the murder, but really want to witness what is going to happen. The way they all comment on Miss Blacklock's central heating and chrysanthemums is hilarious. Only Bunch, Miss Marple's niece, has the directness to express her eagerness to witness the "murder".
The plot is so cleverly written that the murder is far more complex than it appears on the surface. A drawback of the story, however, is that in the second half of the book, too many clues were dropped that I had probably guessed the identity of the murderer when Detective Craddock discovered a pile of letters between the Blacklock sisters (why would a sender want to keep her letters to the recipient?), and further confirmed my suspicion when Miss Murgatroyd was killed . So at the moment when the real murderer is revealed, I do not have the astonishment that I usually get in other mystery stories.
Anyway, I love this book, and I always look forward to reading another in the Miss Marple series that features more of Miss Marple. (There are more Miss Marple moments in this book than in 4.50 from Paddington, but I would still like to see more).