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thaurisil's review against another edition
4.0
In the little village of Chipping Cleghorn, an advertisement appears in the local Gazette about a murder to be committed. Curious villagers gather expecting a game. All of a sudden, the lights go off, three gunshots are heard. When the lights come back on, a stranger lies dead. For a synopsis see the Wiki page.
This was written in 1950 so I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was surprised at the number of war references. Most strikingly, Mitzi, a cook working for Letitia Blacklock, is an Eastern European refugee whose family was killed in the war, and is a stereotypical highly strung, sensitive and self-important woman who screams a little too much. There are references to resistance movements, not knowing who your neighbours really are due to effects from the war, a gun as a war souvenir, and the break up of families and destruction of wealth due to the war.
The clues were ingenious. “Letty” and “Lotty” got me – I knew there was something wrong there but decided that Dora Bunner was just being scatterbrained. How wrong I was – it was a key clue if only I’d thought a bit harder! She has clues all over the place, and they’re not even hidden, but I still couldn’t figure out how the crimes were committed.
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Book: 39 of Christie's novels, 5 of Miss Marple novels
Setting: Village of Chipping Cleghorn
Detective and Companions: Miss Marple, Inspector Craddock, Chief Constable Rydesdale
Crime: An announcement is published in the local village newspaper that a murder is going to be committed. The residents gather for a party, and at the appointed time, lights go off, a gunman appears, shoots at Miss Blacklock, then kill’s himself.
Suspects:
- Letitia Blacklock, owner of Little Paddocks
- Dora Bunner, a muddle-headed friend who stays with her
- Philippa Haymes, a well-bred young Englishwoman living with Letitia
- Mitzi, Little Paddocks’ hysterical Central European cook
- Julia Simmons, Letitia’s second cousin staying temporarily with her
- Patrick Simmons, Julia’s brother
- Mrs Swettenham, a widow
- Edward Swettenham, her son and a writer
- Colonel Easterbrook, a colonel who has returned from India
- Mrs Easterbrook, his relatively younger wife
- Miss Hinchcliffe, a mannish woman
- Miss Murgatroyd, her muddle-headed friend
- Julian Harmon, the vicar
- Bunch Harmon, Julian’s wife and Miss Marple’s friend
I reread this with the Appointments with Agatha group, seven years after reading it the first time. I remembered the killer and the clues (like Lotty vs Letty), and I enjoyed noticing how Agatha Christie had planted the clues and made the mystery actually solvable for us.
This was written in 1950 so I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was surprised at the number of war references. Most strikingly, Mitzi, a cook working for Letitia Blacklock, is an Eastern European refugee whose family was killed in the war, and is a stereotypical highly strung, sensitive and self-important woman who screams a little too much. There are references to resistance movements, not knowing who your neighbours really are due to effects from the war, a gun as a war souvenir, and the break up of families and destruction of wealth due to the war.
The clues were ingenious. “Letty” and “Lotty” got me – I knew there was something wrong there but decided that Dora Bunner was just being scatterbrained. How wrong I was – it was a key clue if only I’d thought a bit harder! She has clues all over the place, and they’re not even hidden, but I still couldn’t figure out how the crimes were committed.
----
Book: 39 of Christie's novels, 5 of Miss Marple novels
Setting: Village of Chipping Cleghorn
Detective and Companions: Miss Marple, Inspector Craddock, Chief Constable Rydesdale
Crime: An announcement is published in the local village newspaper that a murder is going to be committed. The residents gather for a party, and at the appointed time, lights go off, a gunman appears, shoots at Miss Blacklock, then kill’s himself.
Suspects:
- Letitia Blacklock, owner of Little Paddocks
- Dora Bunner, a muddle-headed friend who stays with her
- Philippa Haymes, a well-bred young Englishwoman living with Letitia
- Mitzi, Little Paddocks’ hysterical Central European cook
- Julia Simmons, Letitia’s second cousin staying temporarily with her
- Patrick Simmons, Julia’s brother
- Mrs Swettenham, a widow
- Edward Swettenham, her son and a writer
- Colonel Easterbrook, a colonel who has returned from India
- Mrs Easterbrook, his relatively younger wife
- Miss Hinchcliffe, a mannish woman
- Miss Murgatroyd, her muddle-headed friend
- Julian Harmon, the vicar
- Bunch Harmon, Julian’s wife and Miss Marple’s friend
I reread this with the Appointments with Agatha group, seven years after reading it the first time. I remembered the killer and the clues (like Lotty vs Letty), and I enjoyed noticing how Agatha Christie had planted the clues and made the mystery actually solvable for us.
leo_glz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
gab_free_'s review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very Agatha Christie. If you like that, you'll like this!
Content Warnings
Minor: Antisemitism
Like many Agatha Christie stories, her personal antisemitism shows through in a depiction of a Jewish character.cyberslash's review against another edition
I want to like it, but the premise just didn't really interest me all that much. I also feel there are too many characters. When I thought they were done introducing all the characters, they started introducing even more.
juliettesbooks's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
natalia86's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
Hasta ahora es la mejor novela de Miss Marple que leo. Una buena trama, que comienza con un anuncio en el diario y que reúne por lo tanto a todos en busca de diversión y una historia. Hasta ahora es el mejor libro en el que aparece Miss Marple
laura_sine's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
walnootje's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25