The first Miss Marple, the one which tests all her powers of observation and deduction.
“Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe,”declared the parson, brandishing a carving knife above a joint of roast beef, “would be doing the world at large a favor!”
It was a careless remark for a man of the cloth. And one which was to come back and haunt the clergyman just a few hours later—when the Colonel is found shot dead in the clergyman’s study. But a sMiss Marple soon discovers, the whole village seems to have had a motive to kill Colonel Protheroe.
"The Murder at the Vicarage" is memorable because it introduces the delightful Miss Jane Marple. With her love of gardening, binoculars for bird-watching close-at-hand, and an uncanny ability to find similarities between the present situation and her past experiences and acquaintances, Miss Marple is introduced in her home village of St. Mary Mead. We will return here many times and reacquaint ourselves with the characters introduced in this mystery---the vicar Leonard Clement and his wife Griselda, Mrs. Price Ridley, Colonel Melchett, Dr. Haydock, and others.
The murder victim, Colonel Protheroe, is a hateful man disliked by everyone he had dealings with. Therefore, the list of suspects is much longer than usual. There is the victim's second wife, the visiting artist she loves, a mysterious lady with the telling name of Mrs. Lestrange, a teenage daughter, an archaeologist, and a secretary.
There are plenty of red herrings in this one and it is up to Miss Marple to reveal if the most likely suspect is also the guilty one in this cozy read for those of us who thrive on evil in small village life.
About the Author
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott.
4 comments:
I forgot just how much I like Agatha Christie. It's been busy lately, so I chose to listen to it on audio this time around while I ran and drove around with errands. It was good mystery, that really did shock me (I gasped very loudly when the murderer was announced and scared all of those in my car). I was totally wrong with my assumption of the murderer. Great one to listen to.
Favorite Quotes:
“The young people think the old people are fools -- but the old people know the young people are fools.”
“There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.”
I wanted to add a recommendation, if you like autobiographies, the agatha christie autobiography is very interesting.
I too haven't read Agatha Christie for a very long time. I read a lot of her books in Jr. High and High School; however, not many since. I like that most of her book is dialogue with hardly any description. I also like the maps so you don't even have to try and imagine where everything is located. I will have to put her on my list of "I have no books to read, what can I read now".
Favorite Quotes:
"I have lived long enough in the world to know that arguing with anyone in love is next door to useless." p.28
"They say all the world loves a lover-apply that saying to murder and you have an even more infallible truth." p.187
Love Agatha Christie! I've been rereading some I've read before, which works for me, because I can never remember anything! Fun pick, Athena!
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