Written by Agatha Christie
SUMMARY:
Originally published in 1962, this 208-page Pocket Books paperback reprint was released in 1985. Also known by its extended British title: The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side, it’s a sequel to 1942’s The Body in the Library.
Years before, a murdered girl’s corpse had scandalized St. Mary Mead’s Gossington Hall and its classy residents, Col. and Mrs. Bantry. The widowed Mrs. Bantry has since observed her ex-residence pass through multiple owners, including its newest: fading film star Marina Gregg and producer-director husband Jason Rudd.
A suspicious death at a high society charity event hosted there by Gregg & Rudd leads Mrs. Bantry to call upon an old friend. Now eighty years old, Jane Marple discreetly investigates how chatty charity worker Heather Badcock was secretly poisoned in front of at least a dozen witnesses.
Pondering if Marina Gregg was the intended victim, Miss Marple and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Dermot Craddock traverse a maze of potential suspects. The proximity of unexpected links to Marina’s troubled past suggest that she isn’t out of danger. Icing a blackmailer and at least one potential witness might still be on the killer’s to-do-list. Before it’s too late, Miss Marple’s intuition must decipher why Heather Badcock and Marina Gregg’s fates are intertwined.
REVIEW:
Setting aside clichés that Christie relies upon to bring her characters into convenient proximity of one another, The Mirror Crack’d is an okay mystery. Significantly, the core elements for a Miss Marple whodunnit are present. It’s just that some plot contrivances (i.e. a long-forgotten marriage where one spouse doesn’t recognize the other; Arthur Badcock’s relationships with Heather Badcock & Marina Gregg) are far too extraordinary, even by Christie’s standards.
The novel’s biggest hurdle (which also applies to a faithful, all-star 1980 film adaptation starring Angela Lansbury) is that the plot is too often tedious. Saving its best material for last, some poignant revelations tying up loose ends prove well-played. Yet, despite an intriguing premise, The Mirror Crack’d doesn’t rate as one of Agatha Christie’s better works.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The pertinent quote from Lord Alfred Tennyson’s work is included. There is also a list of characters identifying the novel’s cast. Christie’s dedication is to film actress Margaret Rutherford, who was the Hollywood’s first Jane Marple.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
