Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple Mystery Series)

247 pages

English language

Published April 10, 2000 by NAL Trade.

ISBN:
978-0-451-19978-2
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
44001013

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4 stars (1 review)

Murder at the Vicarage (1930)is the first Miss Marple mystery book by Agatha Christie. Miss Jane Marple is a village busybody who applies human nature to crimes. Colonel Protheroe, magistrate universally despised, was shot in his study, unheard. His wife Anne admits newly arrived artist Lawrence Redding is an old flame, and both confess to murder. The local inspector and Miss Marple sort through to the truth.

The murder of Colonel Protheroe shocks the town of St. Mary Mead, where the main entertainment is tea and gossip. Among the neighbors of St. Mary Mead, the most meddlesome, observant and shrewd person is Miss Marple. His intervention will be decisive in the resolution of a crime for which there are no suspects.

Death in the vicarage, published in 1930, was the first appearance of one of the most important characters in the work of Agatha Christie, the spinster and insightful Miss …

57 editions

Review of 'Murder at the Vicarage' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Just a very enjoyable murder mystery book. Having only ever read Orient Express a couple months ago as far as Christie novels go and having been somewhat disappointed with how "dry" it was, I wasn't expecting much, but this one surprised me with its great humor and tone, colorful cast, little b-plots and mystery. The vicar is a truly enjoyable PoV character with an inner monologue I found often very funny, the police are incompetent and self-absorbed, the town regulars are just a bunch of weirdos and Miss Marple is a delight everytime she's "on screen", something that happens less than I expected but I think ends up working really well, specially since she's so often sidelined by "the professionals" only to show up and drop some new bombshell that leaves them flabbergasted. Also she has a shitty author nephew whose only reason for being in the book is sucking …