The Murder at the Vicarage

Agatha Christie was already an accomplished author when she composed this, the first Miss Marple mystery. It is the story of a homicide at a vicarage in a small English village. It is clever and pleasant. Needless to say, there is no inappropriate language. I would call the style, post Victorian and civilized. There is a lot of wry humor. Personally, I really like Victorian and post Victorian literature. It does not appeal to all modern readers. I read this book on Kindle while simultaneously listening to the work on audiobook. The narrator was Richard E. Grant. Mr. Grant was excellent. Mr. Grant was able to convey the wry humor that I certainly believe Agatha Christie wishes to convey. I have been reading numerous modern detective stories. In the event that it matters, and it may not in this case, I am also a retired homicide detective. This story by Agatha Christie seems to depend more on clever twists and withheld bits of information. Early on I came up with a hypothesis about the homicide itself, but not the identity of the killer, and I was completely wrong, even on how the homicide occurred. There is a lack of scientific description of sounds which made it impossible for me to examine my own hypothesis. I had no idea who actually did it, not even a \”prime suspect\”. There are many personalities involved in the story. I had trouble keeping track of everyone and probably need to read the story again if I really want to fully understand it. There are also side stories that constantly throws one off the scent. I believe these are referred to as \”red herrings\”. Agatha Christie made liberal use of red herrings in this novel. Between all the different personalities and all of the red herrings, when the inevitable solution finally occurred, I was neither surprised or not surprised. I read a story awhile back with my book club and a lady there said she felt like she needed a \”scorecard\” to keep up with all the characters in that book. I sort of felt that way in this story. I may reread it, but not right now… In summary, I really like this novel and plan on reading more Agatha Christie novels. Thank You.

A solid 4.5 stars for Murder at the Vicarage, the first novel in the Miss Marple cozy mystery series, written by Agatha Christie in 1930. I\’ve read ~ten novels by Christie and this one is near the top of the list for me. From the characters to the setting and the plot to the tone, it\’s an intriguing and immersive read. It started out a bit slow for me as the scene was being set, but once the murder happened, it took off in quick force. I can happily say that I had 2 potential guesses as the culprit(s), and I was correct (which doesn\’t always happen). I also knew there was way too much reference to \’time on clocks\’ for it not to be important; someone messed with the spinning needles to change the appearance of when the murder happened. But only by minutes… and you\’ll never guess how important it was! For many, this will be too on-the-nose or over-simplified when it comes to the layout at approach of Miss Marple\’s investigation. Though she\’s responsible for solving it, she\’s not the main character. The vicar tells us the story of what happened to the deceased, and he interacts with the detectives investigating the crime. Another priest is murdered, but he\’s not very well liked, so it\’s okay, right? Some think so… but not all the \’little old biddies\’ (how the book refers to them) are in agreement. The gossip is out of control in this book, but I adored it for what it was — a clever plot technique to reveal clues and keep us guessing. Add in the very peculiar marriages between the different priests and their wives, and it\’s baffling what life was like a century ago. But I\’d give nearly anything to be part of it. What appeals to me most in these Marple novels is how she drops a few thoughts, then scatters around. She leaves mysterious notes for someone to come see her, then won\’t reveal everything she\’s thinking. She teases us. But it\’s as much fun as it is frustrating. She knows, but she\’s not 100% certain how… so she won\’t say it all at once until she\’s got every nasty little detail ferreted out. The poor vicar suffers in this one as the murder happens in his house — everyone is up in his business. We know it can\’t be him or his wife, but wow do they look suspicious. Add in the side-stories and you\’ve got one easy read. It just makes me smile to absorb these quaint settings and stories. I think even though this is the last in my April Agatha Christie Readathon, I am going to keep reading one a month this year.

It\’s hard to know where to begin…I\’ve read several Hercule Poirot mysteries but this is my first Miss Marple book. I\’ve watched a few of her movies but cant say I remember much about them. There is quite a cast of characters, which also means there were plenty of suspects. There were lots of subtle clues that kept making me change my mind, again and again, as to who the killer was. There were also a few side mysteries, unrelated to the murder, but their clues and people were getting mixed in with the confusion of the murder case. The story is told from the perspective of the town Vicar, at whose home the murder took place. Elderly spinster Jane Marple lives next door to the vicarage. At first, Miss Marple is not around very much but as the case progresses, she pops up more and more. She really is mostly a background character, which surprised me. I\’m interested to read more books to see if that\’s how they all are. Anyway, this was a great mystery and I can\’t wait to read more Marple!

Wonderful! We see our first introduction to Miss Marple in this wonderfully \’twee\’, gentle tale of village life and murder in the Parish of St Mary Mead. The Vicar makes an unfortunate statement at the outset of the novel and murder soon rears its ugly head. Colonel Protheroe, a most disliked character in the village, meets his maker. No-one is remotely surprised, everyone knowing his unfortunate traits only too well. The village is abuzz with gossip and scandal mongering. Miss Marple steps in to solve the crime. Colourfully drawn characters, witty dialogue, plenty of red herrings and suspects alike although nothing escapes the razor sharp mind of Miss Marple. The conclusion is genius in its simplicity. An absolute joy to read.(The BBC audio dramatisation of this novel is also an absolute delight). Highly recommended.

I’m not a huge fan of the Miss Marple books. I’ve read a couple and not been a fan. I should have known better to read another one. Well, I’ve learned my lesson. Agatha Christine just isn’t for me. What I found strange is that Miss Marple only appears in a few irregular scenes and isn’t really a main character. The main character is the vicar. I felt like was a bit of a let-down. I felt the book is very slow even though it’s so short. Very little happens in the second half as the investigators were left groping in the dark. I got very bored at this point. I really couldn’t get behind the characters as they are never really developed.

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