Book Review
Mar. 1st, 2026 09:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariA Murder Is Announced
by Agatha Christie
This is the fourth Miss Marple mystery and it is my favorite so far. In the village of Chipping Cleghorn, the town paper carries an announcement one day that a murder will occur that evening at the home of Letitia Blacklock. Assuming it is some sort of murder mystery game, many of the townsfolk show up. The light go out, a burglary is attempted, shots are fired, and a man ends up dead, although evidence points to Letitia being the intended victim. Two more people end up dead in the days following the initial murder. Miss Marple happens to be in Chipping Cleghorn, visiting her niece, and gets involved in figuring out who is doing the murdering, and how and why they are killing people.
I enjoyed this one a lot. It was quite twisty, with hidden identities, multiple suspects, and an interesting web of relationships among the villagers (including a friendship between two women that looked more like a Boston marriage to me). Miss Marple's powers of observation and ability to get people to reveal things in the course of friendly conversation are very front and center. I also liked the glimpse into the way WWII refugees were viewed in rural England of the late 1940s.
by Agatha Christie
This is the fourth Miss Marple mystery and it is my favorite so far. In the village of Chipping Cleghorn, the town paper carries an announcement one day that a murder will occur that evening at the home of Letitia Blacklock. Assuming it is some sort of murder mystery game, many of the townsfolk show up. The light go out, a burglary is attempted, shots are fired, and a man ends up dead, although evidence points to Letitia being the intended victim. Two more people end up dead in the days following the initial murder. Miss Marple happens to be in Chipping Cleghorn, visiting her niece, and gets involved in figuring out who is doing the murdering, and how and why they are killing people.
I enjoyed this one a lot. It was quite twisty, with hidden identities, multiple suspects, and an interesting web of relationships among the villagers (including a friendship between two women that looked more like a Boston marriage to me). Miss Marple's powers of observation and ability to get people to reveal things in the course of friendly conversation are very front and center. I also liked the glimpse into the way WWII refugees were viewed in rural England of the late 1940s.
