The Case of the Perfect Maid: a Miss Marple Short Story

Miss Marple #SS 16

by Agatha Christie

When her maid asks Miss Marple to intervene in the delicate problem of her rather opinionated cousin Gladys, Miss M doesn't think much can be done. Poor Gladys, also a maid, has been accused of stealing a precious brooch belonging to her employers, the two reserved Miss Skinners. While one sister malingers with mysterious ailments, the other attends to her every need, and they've both decided that Gladys must go. One day there appears a paragon, the perfect maid, to replace Gladys. Anyway, that's what the Skinners and almost everyone in St. Mary Mead think!

Librarian's note: this entry relates to the short story, The Case of the Perfect Maid. Collections and the other stories by the author are located elsewhere on Goodreads. The Miss Marple series includes twelve novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching Goodreads for: a Miss Marple Short Story.

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Short Stories, Audiobook, Classics, Fiction, Crime

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[EveStar91 · Rating 4 out of 5]

...That seems to me most significant! I hear there was some trouble about a brooch. I think there must be something in it, you know, because one doesn’t let a servant go nowadays unless it’s something rather grave. They’ll find it most difficult to get anyone else. Girls simply will not go to Old Hall.

St. Mary Mead, like every other place in every age apparently, considers good service for reasonable prices impossible to get... but is astonished when two sisters manage to hire a Perfect Maid, right after letting go one of the maids from this village with a lukewarm reference in The Case of the Perfect Maid.

Jane Marple, like every kind retired lady, is concerned about the maid's future, and even more concerned the 'Perfect Maid' has reasons of her own to agree to such a low salary. Unlike just any other kind lady, Miss Marple is too clever and observant to get to the root of the ongoing mystery! A good plot with engaging characters, recommended to Miss Marple fans.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
[3/4 star for the premise; 3/4 star for the characters; 3/4 star for the plot; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 stars in total.]

[Elsa Rajan Pradhananga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting although it leans slightly towards being elementary. A very short Agatha Christie story where an adorable Miss Marple remind naive readers that there's no such thing as a perfect maid.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Marple knows.
She's like Santa Claus or something when it comes to who has been bad or good, and her friends and neighbors would do well to listen to her advice when it comes to the hiring and firing of servants.
Or employees, as we call them these days.



A sweet but flighty domestic named Gladys is fired after being suspected of stealing jewelry from the two sisters who employed her. While they didn't outright accuse her, the taint of scandal is enough to ruin her chances of future employment. Luckily for Gladys, her cousin is Miss Marple's maid. And she pleads her silly cousin's case to her beloved little old lady.



Jane isn't all that sure she can help at first. But once she pays a visit to the sisters and notices that their new maid is too good to be true, she starts to get suspicious of some of the goings-on in their house.
If anyone can save Gladys' reputation in the village, it's Miss Marple.


Originally published in The Strand magazine in 1942.
Read as part of the short story collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the ending of this short story weren't so rushed, I think I would give it 5 stars. Miss Marple is quite an insightful person. Scribd.com's English text, and translation for Portuguese + audio in English from Google Translate.

SYNOPSIS: "When her maid asks Miss Marple to intervene in the delicate problem of her rather opinionated cousin Gladys, Miss Marple doesn't think much can be done. Poor Gladys, also a maid, has been accused of stealing a precious brooch belonging to her employers, the two reserved Miss Skinners. While one sister malingers with mysterious ailments, the other attends to her every need, and they've both decided that Gladys must go. One day there appears a paragon to replace Gladys, the perfect maid. Anyway, that's what the Skinners and almost everyone in St. Mary Mead think!"

[Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A maid accused of theft. An aunt convinced of foul play. A niece caught in the crosshairs.
The gossip are like gold here—tongues wag louder than warning bells.

What makes this one sparkle is Miss Marple herself- underestimated, razor-sharp and gloriously unbothered by puffed-up men with inflated self-importance. She solves crimes like she solves crossword puzzles—casually, brilliantly and without ever spilling her tea.

[Agla]

A maid is falsly accused of stealing from her employer, she is someone Miss Marple knows so she is sets about to correct this injustice, smear to the woman's reputation. Very nicely done Miss Marple!

[Jack Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. It is likely that, as the UK became more middle class as the 20th century progressed, more families could afford household help. Christie's ear for societal conversations was remarkable, and the subject of shortcomings in such help shows up frequently in her writing. This story surfaced in Strand in 1942; my read was from Miss Marple: the Complete Short Stories. Edna, Miss Marple's maid, comes to her and, after much futzing around, asks if she would intervene on behalf of her cousin Gladdie, also a maid, who was being unexpectedly released. Her cousin works for the Skinner sisters who are newcomers to St. Mary Mead. Miss Marple goes to visit. Lavinia explains "I've got my reasons." The theft of a brooch is mentioned. Miss M also meets the younger sister, Emily, who is an invalid but distrusts doctors! A few weeks pass. The replacement for Gladys turns out to be the perfect maid, Mary Higgins. Discreet, efficient, the wagging tongues in town are so supportive. What could go wrong? A few more weeks and then there's really something to talk about. This one's got lessons galore. It's the story which falls a little short! (De2020/De2025)

[Fizah(Books tales by me) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be a great story if not for the subtle racism within the story. What on earth is an 'Indian temper'? Bearing in mind that I am not Indian, I wasn't aware that rage was exclusive to Indians. (Sarcasm, of course).

[Danie ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story featuring Miss Marple by Agatha Christie. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, cozy mysteries or short stories, give this a read.

In a small English village, good help is hard to come by, but when you know all the families around the village you can tell which servants are worth training. So when poor Gladys is dismissed from her post for breaking a plate, it really seems to be that she tried to steal a brooch from the two sisters that she worked for at the time. Miss Marple knows Gladys may be a little slack as a maid but she is not dishonest. Stranger still, the new maid that replaces Gladys is perfect. Well, perfect until she robs her employers and all the other tenants that reside in the same building. Who is she and how can Gladys get her named cleared? Miss Marple knows human nature and she will set things right.

I love anything Agatha Christie writes and my favorite character is Miss Marple. Just wish the story would last a little longer.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a maid is dismissed for theft, Miss Marple takes an interest, and her focus is on the household of two spinsters, one of whom is an invalid. The twists and turns in this story are delightful, and whom better to teach us it's best not to take things at face value than Miss Marple?

[Debalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read one of Miss Marple’s after ages and enjoyed it thoroughly. I had read the full collection long back, but this still felt new and I had no idea that I had read it before. Gives me an idea for next year’s book choices ;)

Happy reading & happy holidays! ☃️🌝🌼

[Dimitra Muni · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say ? Agatha Christie the name is enough.

[Celine · Rating 1 out of 5]

really pointless. just old women complaining about their maids while they drink tea and a crime happens to occur inbetween their scheduled lunches.

[فاطِمة طه · Rating 3 out of 5]

" و لأنني كما تعلم لا أؤمن بالأشخاص المثاليين، فلكل منا أخطاؤه."
الآنسة ماربيل تعود من جديد بقصة قصيرة تنهيها في جلسة واحدة.

[Laura L. Van Dam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escuchado hoy en audio libro mientras trabajaba con la máquina de coser. Está muy bueno pero perdió impacto porque a la mitad me di cuenta de que lo había leído no hace tanto.

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real estate agent does her best to facilitate the introduction of two old ladies into her community. One is horrid and the other sweet, but also ill. When they hire a lovely Scottish carer Morag the number of thefts in the area increase.
***
This was a Miss Marple short story and the titular ‘maid’ has been updated to ‘carer’. I’m not sure why they’ve taken it away from her (probably because you can’t modernise Marple). And Tim the partner is effectively useless; a foil for the main character to ‘talk’ her thoughts to.
When is theft justified? But think,girl. Of course, they can’t really be helpless little old ladies if they both came up with this strategy and intend to sell the proceeds. That’s not the actions of someone new to the career, eh?
Intriguing. More than a few Christie stories rely on people not really looking at the domestics be they maid or carer.
3 stars

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two spinster siblings, newish to the village, dismiss their maid but leave her with a ruined reputation as a thief. Miss Marple does not approve.

Miss Marple followed meekly to where Miss Lavinia knocked on a door, was bidden enter, and ushered her guest into the best room in the flat, most of the light of which was excluded by half-drawn blinds. Miss Emily was lying in bed, apparently enjoying the half-gloom and her own indefinite sufferings.

*winces* jeez Agatha.
They have replaced young Gladys with a highly efficient older lady from an agency but Miss Marple has her doubts about this new maid. And she is right to do so for when the whole block of apartments are robbed, the prime suspect is this new maid.
4 stars

[Pamela D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story by the fabulous Agatha Christie. Although it is a short work, the story is very tight and comes together nicely. If you want a little mystery to go with your afternoon tea, you have found your book.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pair of sisters get a maid who seems too good to be true. One day, she disappears with most of the sister’s jewels and other valuables from their neighbors. Miss marple figures out that there never was a maid and that one of the sisters impersonated her so they could have a scapegoat for their thievery.

[Ehsan'Shokraie' · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little Miss Marple story,i believe Miss Marple solved a few of her cases by simply being involved in the matter nd having first hand observations..which is usually not the case in a detective s work.
Despite that,and the fact that the story showed promise at the start,it was sadly too short for such a sudden turnover.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love a cozy mystery, this is the perfect short story you are looking for. As always, Miss Marple’s gift of deduction is impeccable, and the crime is solved as Miss Markle brings you the reader along with her in her detective work.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet and good! I didn't actually see it coming.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The perfect maid turns out to be a "perfect" thief.

[Tasneem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do adore Miss Marple.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good maid is hard to find, as Miss Marple says.

[Theresa Mitchel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read. I love the Mrs. Marple books.

[Dr.Abdulwahab Alnaif · Rating 4 out of 5]

إن أكثر الناس ريبة هم المثاليون فلا بد من أن يكون الانسان الطبيعي له اخطاء تجعل منه إنساناً وهذا ما جعل السيدة ماربل تعرف الحقيقة وتنقذ البائسة كلاديس ... كالعادة شهادتي مجروحة بروايات اگاثا كريستي

[Namra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean... it's a short story. Couldn't ask for more. If it were a longer book, the plot twist is quite good in the end.