Written by Agatha Christie
SUMMARY:
Released in 2011 by publisher William Morrow, this 368-page softcover compiles twenty Miss Marple mysteries from the following Agatha Christie titles: The Thirteen Problems (aka The Tuesday Club Murders) (1932); The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (1939); Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950); and Double Sin and Other Stories (1961).
The complete contents are: # 1-13 (Thirteen Problems); # 14 (Regatta Mystery); # 15-18 (Three Blind Mice); and # 19-20 (Double Sin).
- Tuesday Night Club 11. The Herb of Death
- Idol House of Astarte 12. The Affair at the Bungalow
- Ingots of Gold 13. Death by Drowning
- The Bloodstained Pavement 14. Miss Marple Tells a Story
- Motive v. Opportunity 15. Strange Jest
- The Thumbmark of St. Peter 16. The Case of the Perfect Maid
- The Blue Geranium 17. The Case of the Caretaker
- The Companion 18. Tape-Measure Murder
- The Four Suspects 19. Greenshaw’s Folly
- A Christmas Tragedy 20. Sanctuary
Note: A previous version of this book was published in 1985.
REVIEW:
This first-class anthology printing frequently depicts St. Mary Mead’s elderly sleuth at her best. Living up to its potential, most of these tales deliver vintage Agatha Christie, in terms of sheer entertainment.
Despite a surplus of clever solutions, however, Miss Marple’s most unsatisfying weakness is readily apparent. As St. Mary Mead’s master sleuth invariably solves these cold cases from afar (i.e. per second-hand/third-hand witness accounts often years later), her deductive reasoning, or lack thereof, is at times rather implausible.
One is supposed to chalk up Marple’s most unlikely inferences to a woman’s instincts and/or a savvy grip on human nature. Yet, Christie repeatedly risks depicting Marple as virtually omniscient by story’s end; perhaps then it’s no coincidence that the narrator of Marple’s first novel, Murder at the Vicarage, often describes her as exactly just that.
The plus side is that possibly exasperated readers are compensated for some contrived finales with usually well-played storytelling, solid continuity, and a healthy dose of Christie-style charm. Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories offers everything that long-time fans and Marple newcomers need for an enjoyable bedtime read.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Christie’s foreword from The Thirteen Problems is included. The first page is a short Christie biography.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
