Reviews

Surprisingly good and true to the tone of Agatha Christie. I especially enjoyed revisiting favorite characters and exploring how Miss Marple interacts with a diverse group of characters. My favorites were >

The Second Murder at the Vicarage - Val McDermid
Miss Marple's Christmas - Ruth Ware
The Jade Empress - Jean Kwok

corikane's review against another edition

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funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

iloveflorencepugh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

cdel20's review against another edition

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dark mysterious relaxing 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

5.0

dorhastings's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I think one of the reasons my book club chose this book (besides it being a cozy sort of book to read for our December meeting that I made myself read in October) is that we appreciate the work that goes into adapting another writer's style. I am myself a great fan of Agatha Christie, and while I did not appreciate Miss Marple's style of sleuthing when I was younger, I've grown to enjoy her. I don't love all of Christie's work, but I have a fondness for her books and know I can always pull one up and tuck in on a rainy day for good writing and a good mystery.

Prior to reading this book, I was unfamiliar with all but one of the writers in this set of short stories. I knew of Ruth Ware, but my not knowing of the other writers is not telling in any way about them and is likely more about my own lack of familiarity with the mystery genre of late. It does appear that the writers (all women) are fairly diverse and rather accomplished, and I love to see that. Given that I am not as fond/familiar/nostalgic about Miss Marple, I don't mind too much if any of the adaptations of her are well off the mark. I'm perhaps more willing to allow for artistic license. I certainly did not love some retellings of Hercule Poirot, but that's my own issue.

In general, I enjoyed reading these stories quite a bit, such that I was also interested to read a little more by some of the authors. I immediately went to Libby for the works of Kate Mosse ("The Mystery of the Acid Soil"), Elly Griffiths ("Murder at the Villa Rosa"), and Jean Kwok ("The Jade Empress"). Alas, I'll have to find a way to read Dreda Say Mitchell ("A Deadly Wedding Day"). I did like Ruth Ware's story ("Miss Marple's Christmas"), and though I don't love her writing, I like it well enough. I enjoyed reading about Miss Marple's friendships. There was some creative retellings of her backstory; I too would be pretty interested in her experiences as a young woman.

If you like Agatha Christie, and you like Miss Marple, I'd definitely recommend reading this book for some creative but, I think, fairly faithful telling of one of literature's insightful sleuths.

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