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Death By Drowning and Other Stories

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CD1
Death by Drowning (read by Joan Hickson) - an architect stands accused of murdering an unmarried mother-to-be.
The Plymouth Express (read by David Suchet) - the body of a millionaire's daughter is found under a train seat.

CD2
The Lamp (read by Christopher Lee) - in a haunted house, a young boy discovers an invisible playmate.
The Case of the Missing Lady (read by James Warwick) - an arctic explorer asks Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to find his missing fiancee.

2 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2003

5 people are currently reading
208 people want to read

About the author

Agatha Christie

5,739 books75.7k followers
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)

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5 stars
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92 (36%)
3 stars
71 (28%)
2 stars
11 (4%)
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4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Leah.
1,740 reviews292 followers
July 10, 2024
A short collection of four Miss Marple stories, each with a listening time of roughly half an hour. The stories have all been collected many times, so will be familiar to dedicated Christie fans. But listening to the wonderful Joan Hickson's performance of them is pure pleasure! These recordings are old now and not always of the best technical quality, but I'm glad they're still available. No modern actor can replicate those Edwardian tones that make Hickson the ultimate Miss Marple.

The four stories are:
The Herb of Death
The Thumb Mark of St Peter
The Affair at the Bungalow
Death by Drowning
Profile Image for Laura.
315 reviews
October 22, 2017
Wonderfully interesting stories narrated by the fantastic Joan Hickson. She simply IS Miss Marple!
Profile Image for Alyson Walton.
918 reviews22 followers
February 3, 2023
I struggled with the stories in this collection, I found them to be chaotic, and my mind tended to wonder. One thing drew it back, though: Joan Hickson! She is Miss Marple!
Profile Image for Jenny King.
642 reviews14 followers
February 5, 2021
In general I do not do audio books - my mind tends to wander and I often dislike the reader. However to me, Joan Hickson IS THE Miss Marple, much as David Suchet is Poirot. So listening to this, was like seeing her on the screen - I could happily envision the expressions on her face as she puzzled things out and questioned her suspects!

However I was also blown away by her reading of this - her speech only changed imperceptibly as she moved between characters, however you could always tell when she was speaking as Miss Marple. In terms of the stories, I am reasonably sure that I have read them at some point, but as ever I award top marks.
10 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2019
The audio book is horrible. The person reading is very difficult to understand.
Profile Image for James.
1,819 reviews18 followers
June 18, 2020
Again, another good selection of Agatha Christie novels. Many quite short and can be read pretty quickly.
Profile Image for Rob Cook.
791 reviews12 followers
August 27, 2025
Four excellent short stories with fabulous narration by Miss Marple herself, Joan Hickson.
Profile Image for Hoja.
27 reviews
August 14, 2021
I don't like how it's written, it doesn't captivate the reader unlike most of her books
Profile Image for Aileen.
59 reviews2 followers
January 27, 2011
I love the stories, but dislike Joan Hickson's narration. She has such a plum in her mouth, it sounds like she is swallowing her tongue. But classic Miss Marple stories.
629 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2017
As usual, love the Miss Marple mystery books and the woman who reads them on Hoopla digital! I know that I've seen one of these short stories in the tv series.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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