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Miss Marple #SS 16
The Tape-Measure Murder: A Miss Marple Short Story
Miss Politt has been waiting and waiting for Mrs. Spenlow outside Laburnum Cottage where Mrs. Spenlow lives. But to no avail. She nervously acquires the help of the next-door neighbour, whose gumption and persistence eventually reveal that Mrs. Spenlow is dead inside on the hearthrug. The whole of St. Mary Mead is convinced the murderer is Mr. Spenlow, who shows no emotion upon his wife’s sudden death. With characteristic diligence, Miss Marple reveals that it is perhaps not that simple.
Librarian's note #1: the original name of the short story above does not have the word "The" in the title. And it has a dash. With or without either, it's the same great story!
Librarian's note #2: this entry relates to the short story, "Tape-Measure Murder." 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."
Librarian's note #1: the original name of the short story above does not have the word "The" in the title. And it has a dash. With or without either, it's the same great story!
Librarian's note #2: this entry relates to the short story, "Tape-Measure Murder." 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."
22 pages, Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1941
117 people are currently reading
1564 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,798 books75.1k followersAgatha 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)
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)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
September 2, 2025
"I’ll just take a look through the windows and see if I can find any signs of life."
Perfunctory as it was, though, it succeeded in its object. Miss Hartnell, it is true, saw no signs of life. On the contrary, she saw, through the window, Mrs Spenlow lying on the hearthrug – dead.
A Whydunit more than a Whodunit, Tape Measure Murder follows Jane Marple as she is called to solve the death of Mrs Spenlow discovered during a routine dress-fitting appointment. When a supposed call from Jane takes Mr. Spenlow out on an alibi, Jane has to solve the mystery to make sure the right person is arrested.
On the whole, the mystery itself isn't very captivating and the characters' pasts seem an addition just for the sake of it. The world-building and Christie's writing of Marple's character pull the story forward, more than the plot and the other characters.
🌟🌟
[Half a star for the premise; 1/4 star for the characters; 1/4 star for the plot; Half a star for the world-building; Half a star for the writing - 2 stars in total.]
Perfunctory as it was, though, it succeeded in its object. Miss Hartnell, it is true, saw no signs of life. On the contrary, she saw, through the window, Mrs Spenlow lying on the hearthrug – dead.
A Whydunit more than a Whodunit, Tape Measure Murder follows Jane Marple as she is called to solve the death of Mrs Spenlow discovered during a routine dress-fitting appointment. When a supposed call from Jane takes Mr. Spenlow out on an alibi, Jane has to solve the mystery to make sure the right person is arrested.
On the whole, the mystery itself isn't very captivating and the characters' pasts seem an addition just for the sake of it. The world-building and Christie's writing of Marple's character pull the story forward, more than the plot and the other characters.
🌟🌟
[Half a star for the premise; 1/4 star for the characters; 1/4 star for the plot; Half a star for the world-building; Half a star for the writing - 2 stars in total.]
July 30, 2025
Not my favorite Marple.
And yet, is any Marple a bad Marple?
So. This one deals with a woman whose husband is the main suspect in her murder, mainly because he isn't showing the appropriate amount of emotion.
The murdered woman herself turns out to be a bit more than you might expect at first glance, and Miss Marple is smart enough (because OF COURSE she is) to insert herself organically into the investigation and give the police the clues they need to find out who killed her and why.
Nothing is what it seems, and only Jane picks up on the cues that everyone else misses.
I do love smart old ladies, so even if it wasn't (in my opinion) Christie's best work, I'm still glad I read it.
Recommended for fans!
This was originally published in This Week magazine in 1941 in the United States, and then published in 1942 as The Case of the Retired Jeweller in the UK's The Strand Magazine.
Read in the short story collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories.
And yet, is any Marple a bad Marple?
So. This one deals with a woman whose husband is the main suspect in her murder, mainly because he isn't showing the appropriate amount of emotion.
The murdered woman herself turns out to be a bit more than you might expect at first glance, and Miss Marple is smart enough (because OF COURSE she is) to insert herself organically into the investigation and give the police the clues they need to find out who killed her and why.
Nothing is what it seems, and only Jane picks up on the cues that everyone else misses.
I do love smart old ladies, so even if it wasn't (in my opinion) Christie's best work, I'm still glad I read it.
Recommended for fans!
This was originally published in This Week magazine in 1941 in the United States, and then published in 1942 as The Case of the Retired Jeweller in the UK's The Strand Magazine.
Read in the short story collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories.
May 30, 2022
4 Stars. A nice little story from Christie in which Miss Marple finds a small clue and reconstructs the crime from it, to the satisfaction of her many fans - plus Colonel Melchett and eventually her nemesis, Inspector Slack. It has always amused me that one of the premises of detective fiction, including our favourite Miss Marple mysteries, is that, despite an incredibly successful track record, the hero / heroine still can't command complete respect, or even next to it. They have to start from almost scratch every time. This short story of 17 pages first appeared in "This Week" in 1941. My reading is from the 2011 compendium, "Miss Marple: the Complete Short Stories." Mrs. Spenlow has been found dead at home by a neighbour and her dressmaker. We all know the husband is the first suspect and it falls to Mr. Spenlow to fill the role. The village is certain of his guilt; he failed to demonstrate the expected degree of emotional grief. Whatever that is. Slack has his mind made up like the others in St. Mary Mead. Spenlow's "too pleased with himself. Some gentlemen can't act." Slack's the reason Miss M. had to visit Colonel Melchett. What else could she do? (December 2020)
August 3, 2025
Nice little deductions disguised as idle chitchat. Miss Marple doesn’t chase killers — she lures them into conversational traps while discussing crocheting patterns.
Mrs. Spenlow’s disappearance sets off a thread of gossip in the village. Miss Marple, the spinster with eyes sharper than a tailor’s shears, investigates it. While the police stitch together a surface-level theory, Miss Marple unpicks the seams of the case with quiet flair and floral logic!!!
Mrs. Spenlow’s disappearance sets off a thread of gossip in the village. Miss Marple, the spinster with eyes sharper than a tailor’s shears, investigates it. While the police stitch together a surface-level theory, Miss Marple unpicks the seams of the case with quiet flair and floral logic!!!
May 21, 2017
Yep. You guessed it. The murder involved a tape measure. (I knew they were dangerous, I mean look how often they lie)
But the questions are who did it and why?
But the questions are who did it and why?
September 21, 2015
From BBC Radio 4: Miss Marple's Final Cases
June Whitfield returns as Miss Marple in the first of three new Agatha Christie dramatisations by Joy Wilkinson.
Gossip spreads through St Mary Mead of a murdered wife and a husband under suspicion and then Miss Marple is called as an alibi.
Directed by Gemma Jenkins
Marking the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth, June Whitfield reprises her role as Miss Marple on BBC Radio 4 in three of the best short stories.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b069ww2b
June Whitfield returns as Miss Marple in the first of three new Agatha Christie dramatisations by Joy Wilkinson.
Gossip spreads through St Mary Mead of a murdered wife and a husband under suspicion and then Miss Marple is called as an alibi.
Directed by Gemma Jenkins
Marking the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth, June Whitfield reprises her role as Miss Marple on BBC Radio 4 in three of the best short stories.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b069ww2b
April 21, 2014
I don't read Agatha Christie, but having watched Miss Marple on tv again (the unforgettable Joan Hickson version) I found a couple of Miss Marple shorts free on Amazon.
Delightful. I could hear Joan Hickson speaking the words of Miss Marple as I read. My only real quibble is that the story felt rushed somehow which means it only gets three stars.
(oh sod it, I'll be generous - the husband was written really well - four stars it is then!)
I might, (only 'might') venture to read a full length Marple novel now. ;)
Delightful. I could hear Joan Hickson speaking the words of Miss Marple as I read. My only real quibble is that the story felt rushed somehow which means it only gets three stars.
(oh sod it, I'll be generous - the husband was written really well - four stars it is then!)
I might, (only 'might') venture to read a full length Marple novel now. ;)
October 18, 2019
I listened to this as part of an audiobook dramatisation with June Whitfield as Miss Marple. Charming, funny and if you're in the mood for a quick Marple, exactly the fix you need.
December 31, 2021
3 1/2 stars
"Everyone would have known if the'd quarrelled! The maid, Gladys Brent - she'd have soon spread it round the village." The inspector said feebly, "She mightn't have known -" and received a pitying smile in reply. - Tape-Measure Murder
That passage made me smile, and earned the story an additional 1/2 star!
"Everyone would have known if the'd quarrelled! The maid, Gladys Brent - she'd have soon spread it round the village." The inspector said feebly, "She mightn't have known -" and received a pitying smile in reply. - Tape-Measure Murder
That passage made me smile, and earned the story an additional 1/2 star!
July 9, 2018
Dullest story I've read written by the Queen of Crime !!!
Frankly I prefer Poirot over Marple, but such a dim story by Christie came to me as a surprise. I mean a murder happens, suspect can be easily identified, but pulling motive out of thin air seemed way too much to digest !!!
Frankly I prefer Poirot over Marple, but such a dim story by Christie came to me as a surprise. I mean a murder happens, suspect can be easily identified, but pulling motive out of thin air seemed way too much to digest !!!
October 23, 2023
Read in the complete short stories
October 3, 2024
Although with the advent of ebooks you can now purchase many of Agatha Christie’s short stories separately it was originally part of a larger collection.
But even at 99p it makes more sense to buy a larger volume of her works; especially if the price is reduced. This story was in Autumn Chills, containing twelve various works by this celebrated author, including two Miss Marple episodes of which The Tape Measure Murder is one.
This short story beautifully captures the essence of St Mary Mead and its famous resident, Miss Marple.
Although the title telegraphs perhaps the true culprit, the actual explanation of the crime, the characters under suspicion and the principal players around at the time of the murder are all wonderfully conveyed. There is an inherent joy in reading and re-reading these pocket mysteries regardless of prior knowledge of the solution. The pleasure is derived from the craft displayed.
What I like about it is that it is a complete detective story although only covering about forty pages. If you read it again you will see all the clues fall into place and the clear and logical deductions of our amateur sleuth. It is a perfect vehicle for Miss Marple and why I love her participation in the longer novels Christie penned.
The author’s writing is compact and to the point. No sleight of hand or rabbits out of a hat - all makes sense and the case is satisfactorily solved. A fan of these books will smile for the clues they noticed along the way but the story has real value in being read. It is neat, clever and you marvel at the simplicity of it all. It is genius and is why new fans are drawn to the works of Agatha Christie each passing day.
But even at 99p it makes more sense to buy a larger volume of her works; especially if the price is reduced. This story was in Autumn Chills, containing twelve various works by this celebrated author, including two Miss Marple episodes of which The Tape Measure Murder is one.
This short story beautifully captures the essence of St Mary Mead and its famous resident, Miss Marple.
Although the title telegraphs perhaps the true culprit, the actual explanation of the crime, the characters under suspicion and the principal players around at the time of the murder are all wonderfully conveyed. There is an inherent joy in reading and re-reading these pocket mysteries regardless of prior knowledge of the solution. The pleasure is derived from the craft displayed.
What I like about it is that it is a complete detective story although only covering about forty pages. If you read it again you will see all the clues fall into place and the clear and logical deductions of our amateur sleuth. It is a perfect vehicle for Miss Marple and why I love her participation in the longer novels Christie penned.
The author’s writing is compact and to the point. No sleight of hand or rabbits out of a hat - all makes sense and the case is satisfactorily solved. A fan of these books will smile for the clues they noticed along the way but the story has real value in being read. It is neat, clever and you marvel at the simplicity of it all. It is genius and is why new fans are drawn to the works of Agatha Christie each passing day.
May 29, 2023
good story and as always in aghatha stories the murder and the killer unknown until the final pages and the reason to kill is unreasonable 😅 but it is good and anyone liked crime stories and novels should be read it .
Read
March 7, 2025I think I was too tired when I started this one, so it was difficult to follow. I hadn't paid enough attention. Miss Marple saves the day as usual 😀
December 19, 2024
1'6🌟
El libro no es malo porque nada de lo que escriba esta mujer lo puede ser pero es muy corto y no puedo evitar compararlo con otras de sus obras.
El libro no es malo porque nada de lo que escriba esta mujer lo puede ser pero es muy corto y no puedo evitar compararlo con otras de sus obras.
June 7, 2018
The only problem with short stories is that every little detail counts because it's supposed to be short so you know that everything that seems irrelevant has to be relevant because they aren't going to waste pages talking about some other crime that happened years back (jewel robbery, in this case). Which makes it a little bit too easy to guess what's important and what's not (like the pin, the robbery, and the characters).
However, it's still an interesting story. As interesting as a short story can get, anyway.
However, it's still an interesting story. As interesting as a short story can get, anyway.
November 15, 2013
Entertaining but the end didn't convinced me so much. However, that was funny.
October 18, 2015
Awesome, twist in the tale.
November 14, 2015
Weak Agatha Christie short detective story.
December 8, 2015
Cute - I love Miss Marple - always so quietly smarter than everyone else around her, like women had to be back then. A nice piece of brain work, short and sweet.
December 31, 2017
Ummm , you can guess the killer by the third line.
July 10, 2018
a short, short story
January 3, 2020
Easily deduced.
December 3, 2021
a miss marple short story about a dead woman who is strangled by a dressmaker, with her tape measure, to keep her from spilling the secret of their long ago jewelry heist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2023
قضية جديدة للآنسة ماربيل.
كيف يمكن لدبوس أن يكشف القضية.
كيف يمكن لدبوس أن يكشف القضية.
December 21, 2024
At first I thought it was someone else, but then realized there’s no way. Kinda figured out who it was towards the middle. Once it was confirmed it all made sense.
December 17, 2025
De titel van het verhaaltje is een beetje een te grote spoiler…
November 18, 2025
targają mną silne emocje
Read
January 6, 2025(for a class) this is why i don’t read short stories i understood absolutely none of that
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews