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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Hits the old idyllic English countryside murder mystery button. It's one of my favorite buttons! Especially when there is a little old lady (or Belgian detective) in the mix.
As for the plot, the beginning with everyone in the house made me think of Clue and I was able to guess one of the twists but not all of them. I feel like Christie never shows you a full hand, so you must be adept at counting cards to have the entire idea before the reveal.
The English nicknames were strong in this book and I kept getting Bunch and Hinch mixed up. Others have mentioned it but yes, there is a total snickerfest involving the word, "pussy" to describe little old ladies. Overall, a charming mystery.
As for the plot, the beginning with everyone in the house made me think of Clue and I was able to guess one of the twists but not all of them. I feel like Christie never shows you a full hand, so you must be adept at counting cards to have the entire idea before the reveal.
The English nicknames were strong in this book and I kept getting Bunch and Hinch mixed up. Others have mentioned it but yes, there is a total snickerfest involving the word, "pussy" to describe little old ladies. Overall, a charming mystery.
mysterious
fast-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
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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:
Yes
Hilariously brilliant.
Another excellent piece of writing and clever plotting by the Queen of Crime.
This one is one my favourite Agatha Christie's. It was nice to have Ms Marple back. She had me guessing for a while, though I had a good idea who the murderer was thanks to one of the characters' slip of the tongue.
This one is one my favourite Agatha Christie's. It was nice to have Ms Marple back. She had me guessing for a while, though I had a good idea who the murderer was thanks to one of the characters' slip of the tongue.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A Murder is Announced is my third Miss Marple mystery, and it's rather a slow starter. I found the first seven chapters (which do include a murder!) rather boring. Marple arrives in the 8th chapter, and it did get better from there. I thought it was obvious who Pip was all along. I had to look up the Pip & Emma pun (it's a play on P.M. = afternoon). I have to assume Christie knew what she was doing with lines like:
"...Lord, I wish I had my own particular old Pussy here. Wouldn't she like to get her nice ladylike teeth into this. Right up her street it would be..."
"Don't you despise the old Pussies in this village of yours, my boy..."
"George, it's my own particular, one and only, four starred Pussy. The super Pussy of all old Pussies..."
"If you'd been up against it, and then, rather like a shivering stray cat, you'd found a home and a cream and a warm stroking hand and you were called Pretty Pussy and somebody thought the world of you... You'd do a lot to keep that..."
I was really not a fan of audiobook narrator Emilia Fox's choices. It seems universal to voice Marple as meek (I cannot fathom why), but in addition to that, Fox voiced multiple female characters as screechy and childish. It was rather unpleasant. And, since so many characters were shrieking loudly, I had to turn down the volume which made it impossible to hear the quieter characters, which included Marple and the police inspector.
Note: I read the dual edition The Secret of Chimneys & A Murder is Announced, but I wanted to track & review the two books separately.
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
Obviously not a book for kids. I mean, there's a reason I don't read Agatha Christie mysteries right before I go to bed. They're pretty intense. But man, is it a good mystery! After years of reading Encyclopedia Brown, Nate the Great and the Boxcar Children, followed by Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden, I'd gotten where I could guess pretty much any mystery before it was solved. And needless to say, that takes half the fun out of the book (they're still good books though and I still read them). Which is why Agatha Christie holds so much interest for me. Only once have I been able to even half guess the solution to any of her mysteries--even the short ones. And I guess out of the rather small selection of her books that I've actually read, this one is my favorite. Because seriously who saw that ending coming?
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
This was fantastic! Having watched the TV adaptation I was familiar with the plot, but I liked the way the book explored motivations and events in greater detail.
I really like how Agatha Christie’s work has stood the test of time. The plot is engaging and the twists and turns thoughtfully done without feeling over the top. I thought it needed more Miss Marple though!
I really like how Agatha Christie’s work has stood the test of time. The plot is engaging and the twists and turns thoughtfully done without feeling over the top. I thought it needed more Miss Marple though!