The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side

As with the previous of Agatha Christie\’s \”Miss Marple\” books, I\’m officially rating her 1962 novel \” The Mirror Crack\’d from Side to Side: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries Book 9) \” at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5 even though I\’d like to knock half a star off to 3-1/2 stars. In general, the writing\’s good and interesting (though the stereotypical secondary and tertiary characters are a bit annoying). Surprisingly for a \”Miss Marple\” book, there\’s even internal evidence to support Miss Marple\’s final result (nothing that could stand up in court, of course). On the other hand, that internal evidence is part of why I\’m knocking half a star off: once things started happening, I immediately fastened on it for my own hypothesis of \”whodunit\” and it turns out I was right. Making things even more aggravating, everyone pointedly ignores various things that, if examined, would have led them to the murderer. Also, the later spree of additional murders seems out of character to me. Still, overall, the book\’s pretty good.

A movie star moves to Miss Marple\’s town. Before you know it someone is dead, but there seems to be no reason why. Miss Marple spends most of her time in her house being looked after so she has to depend on visitors to tell her what is happening in the case. Eventually there are many suspects and more death! The characters are well delineated and the plot is very good indeed. Clues as to whom the murderer is are in the book. You can solve this one of you pay attention! I absolutely loved it.

The village of St Mary Mead experienced a growth (a development): new inhabitants, new houses, new shops. A famous artist arrived and settled in. In the fete given in her new house a woman is murdered. Miss Jane Marple considered the matter. The work of the Scotland Yard and the wisdom of Miss Marple are required to solve the puzzle. As is always the case, the solution depends in careful consideration of the facts. The novel presents Jane Marple in a colorful way with the total display of her grace. Another worth reading of Agatha Christie.

An interesting read that had moments and phrases that didn\’t age well. I felt early on that I had an idea who the perpetrator was, and was thrilled at the end to watch my theory come together! Even having the feeling of already knowing, the story held my attention and I flew through the pages following the clues. My first Miss Marple story and it has me interested in picking up more!

THE MIRROR CRACK\’D finds the quaint village of St. Mary Mead undergoing changes. Besides the charming old village, there is now a supermarket and a modern neighborhood of tract homes. Despite the physical changes taking place in the area, however, human nature remains a constant. Having taken up residence in the local manor house, movie star Marina Gregg hosts a cocktail party. When one of the neighbor ladies suddenly dies from poison, it appears the fatal concoction might have been meant for Marina. Aside from Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple is probably my favorite fictional detective. Her quiet way of getting at the truth is always clever and insightful. She\’s a delightful character, and Christie can be relied on to create a fascinating plot. Despite the seemingly unconnected details, the clues are there if you can just decipher what they mean. The outcome always ties up the loose ends very satisfactorily. If there\’s anything to criticize here, it\’s that our dear old Miss Marple has become so decrepit that she must have a somewhat annoying companion and, since she rarely gets out of her house, her actual presence in the story is more limited than usual. Christie relys on other characters for most of the legwork in this tale and they aren\’t quite as engaging as Jane Marple. We just don\’t get the usual clicking knitting needles to the extent that Miss Marple fans have become accustomed. That minor criticism aside, this is another first-rate Christie whodunit. It isn\’t my favorite Miss Marple mystery, but it\’s pretty darn good just the same. If an entertaining muder mystery is what you seek, THE MIRROR CRACK\’D will fill the bill. I recommend it highly.

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