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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.