A Pocket Full of Rye

It\’s often said that mysteries are good for only one reading. Like videos of weddings and sports events, once you know how it ends, the novelty wears off. Not so with Agatha Christie’s A Pocket Full of Rye. Although I’d long been aware of Agatha Christie’s works, this is the first of her books I’ve read. I must admit, it’s easy to understand her popularity as a writer of mysteries! The characters are clearly delineated, enabling the reader to form a mental picture of each. The dialogue is on a par with Mark Twain’s, tailored to the accent, tone, and personality of each individual. The story moves apace. And, most ingenious, the reveal at the end is (well, for me it was) an utter surprise – and yet all the clues are presented beforehand. (I admit I did catch all the clues as they came up; but I was caught up in the narrative and misled by the twists & turns!) Whether you’re a fan of whodunits, a writer of taut fiction, or just want to read a good solid page-turner that invites you to give it a second go to catch all the clues you missed the first time around, I highly recommend A Pocket Full of Rye.

Everyone loves to say that in mysteries it is always the least likely suspect. In this mystery, it is the most charming the one that is most agreeable and of course the most attractive. Rex Fortescue is a brilliant businessman who is suddenly poisoned. So many members of the family had a motive especially the much younger second wife, but then she perishes. Another body is discovered in the garden, the housemaid. What could Gladys have known that would get her strangled and a clothespin put on her nose. The killer is playing a game based on a nursery rhyme from Mother Goose. Inspector Neel is the brilliant police officer that will solve the case after being pointed in the right direction by Miss Marple. Agatha Christie delivered a very good book. I have to admit I saw who the murder must be simple because he was too sure of himself.

Amazon has managed to link the reviews of another two of Agatha Christie\’s \”Miss Marple\” books together (\”A Pocket Full of Rye\” and \”Sleeping Murder\”). So, they\’re mixed up on each book\’s page and once a person submits a review for one book, they can\’t do so for the other. So, I\’m editing this review to show my reviews for both books: \”A Pocket Full of Rye (3 stars out of 5):\” I had high hopes for Agatha Christie\’s 1953 Miss Marple novel \” A Pocket Full of Rye: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries Book 7) .\” All the way up to about the 88% point (according to my Kindle), I was impressed with the interesting and fairly well done story and mystery. The theme implied by the title is clever, too. I have some issues with not liking most of the characters (personal problem on my part), the policeman in charge using leading questions, and the lack of even a hint of tracing phone numbers (not sure if that was possible in 1953). However, those are fairly minor. But, at the 88% point, Christie basically dumps everything she\’s written onto the floor and has Miss Marple pull some convoluted theory out of her hat with no evidence whatsoever (or even rumor). What a let down. Up until then, I was prepared to rate the book at four stars. Afterward, I was angry enough to drop it down to two stars. But, since the book was enjoyable through most of it\’s length, I\’m splitting the difference and going with a Tolerable 3 stars out of 5. A shame. \”Sleeping Murder (2 stars out of 5):\” Agatha Christie\’s 1976 (and last) \”Miss Marple\” novel, \” Sleeping Murder: Miss Marple\’s Last Case (Miss Marple Mysteries Book 13) ,\” is not very good at all. I suppose the murder, itself, is passable in Christie fashion. But, the sheer level of coincidence for her to set the stage is ridiculous. Add in that the plot basically revolves around two very nice young people ignoring Miss Marple\’s advice and bulling around a china shop with no regard for whose dinnerware they break, and the book becomes a chore to read. For icing, Christie has Miss Marple doing some gardening even though for the last 10 years or so, she\’s been specifically forbidden from doing so. I\’m rating the book at a Pretty Bad 2 stars out of 5.

I read a Pocket Full of Rye as the May selection for the Read Christie 2021 challenge. The theme for May was a story featuring tea. Rex Fortescue has just drunk a new cup of tea when he has a violent reaction and dies at a nearby hospital. Mysteriously his pockets are found full of rye. What caused his death? Inspector Neele is immediately on the scene. He discovers there are many who would wish Rex’s death, including his own family. When Miss Marple arrives on the scene, she helps him to realize that the death is part of a story rhyme. “Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye. . .“ Who is the killer and where will they strike next? I thought I had this one figured out – but Agatha Christie got me again. I love her twists, turns, and surprises at the end. This was my first Miss Marple mystery and what surprised me is that she wasn’t present until about one hundred pages into this novel. I was surprised that she didn’t appear for so long and was a secondary character to the main inspector. I’m interested to learn whether this is true for all of her novels or not. Nemesis, another Miss Marple mystery, is the selection for this month. Favorite Quotes: “Confronted by the unexpected, her poise was shaken.” “Human nature is much the same everywhere, is it not?” Overall, A Pocket Full of Rye is an another great Agatha Christie mystery. I can’t get enough of them! Book Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

As anybody who reads the Miss Marple books knows, she often trains young housemaids, so they can go into service. When Miss Marple reads that one of the young maids she trained, Gladys Martin, has been found strangled – a clothes peg left on her nose – in the garden of the house where she worked, she sets off at once to see who did such a wicked thing. Murder had already visited the family, as the head of the household, Mr Rex Fortecue, was poisoned at work and, in his pocket, was a handful of rye… The crimes in this novel are all lined to the nursery rhyme, “Sing a song of sixpence…” and yet it all seems unbelievable to Detective Inspector Neele, who is sent to investigate. However, as Miss Marple points out to him, there must be blackbirds and, indeed, there are blackbirds. She quickly gets to know the members of the family and, of course, manages to unravel the reasons behind the murders. Meanwhile, D.I. Neele, having heard of Miss Marple’s reputation, is quite happy to listen to what she has to say. This is one of my favourite Miss Marple mysteries. I love the opening of the book, the characters and the way Christie deftly creates the various plot twists. Miss Marple is also very involved in the storyline and her outrage on Gladys behalf is wonderful to see. Although never emotional, she is obviously quite attached to those young girls who pass through her little cottage in St Mary Mead, and she is determined to see justice done.

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