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Miss Marple #1

by Agatha Christie, Fernanda Pinto Rodrigues (Translator)

Cover artist: Lima de Freitas

Murder at the Vicarage marks the debut of Agatha Christie’s unflappable and much beloved female detective, Miss Jane Marple. With her gift for sniffing out the malevolent side of human nature, Miss Marple is led on her first case to a crime scene at the local vicarage. Colonel Protheroe, the magistrate whom everyone in town hates, has been shot through the head. No one heard the shot. There are no leads. Yet, everyone surrounding the vicarage seems to have a reason to want the Colonel dead. It is a race against the clock as Miss Marple sets out on the twisted trail of the mysterious killer without so much as a bit of help from the local police.

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Fiction, Classics, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

250 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1930

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

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dame Agatha Christie is the queen of mystery writers who all modern aspirants strive to emulate. I enjoy reading her cases featuring detective Hercule Poirot because he knows the outcome well before the reader. Christie's cases are multilayered and keep unraveling until a book's conclusion. Enjoying these thought provoking cases, I decided to introduce myself to her other famous sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. There is no better place to start than Murder at the Vicarage, the book that introduced Miss Marple to the world.

Leonard Clement along with his wife Griselda run the vicarage in sleepy village St Mary Mead. A hamlet that barely classifies as a town, all people know everyone else's business, and the vicar is looked to for guidance on all matters, religious or not. The case begins as Colonel Lucius Protheroe meets with Clement to discuss a pressing matter. Yet, before Clement can join Protheroe in his study, he finds the Colonel murdered there.

As in Christie's cases featuring Poirot, the police assigned to this case appear to be inept at best. All of the old women in St Mary Mead believe that they can solve the crime better than the inspectors can. No meddling spinster has much to offer Clement on this cases except for his neighbor, the witty Jane Marple. Miss Marple immediately declares that she has seven suspects, but she is pretty sure she knows whodunit. As in many modern cases featuring private eyes, the police do not appreciate Marple getting in their way, and beg her off the case. Yet, she has eyes and ears everywhere, and early on it is obvious that Miss Marple will solve the case while the police are slugging through basic evidence.

Unlike the sophisticated Poirot, Miss Marple appears as anyone's neighbor. She is a sweet older woman yet feisty and would be interesting to get to know. Whereas Poirot exercises his little gray cells, Miss Marple snoops around, her main objective to provide safety to the village that she lives in. A forerunner to today's cozy mysteries, Miss Marple appears to provide an easy reading contrast to Poirot's cases which have me thinking throughout.

A voracious mystery reader, I did enjoy Miss Marple as a change because she could be any citizen who desires to solve a mystery. As expected she does reach the case's conclusion before the police, who are at a collective wit's end. Dame Christie is still the standard bearer for all modern mystery writers, and while I prefer Hercule Poirot, I have a feeling I will be revisiting Miss Marple as well. 3.75 stars.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Marple's 1st book!



But beyond that, this is really just a fabulous example of Agatha Christie at her best.
This was my first time reading (actually listening) The Murder at the Vicarage and I was blown away by how enjoyable it was. Especially considering I've read a ton of her books and pretty much knew what to expect out of her mysteries.



I knew I didn't know who did it, but I swear I thought I knew who didn't do it!
I was (as always) dead wrong.

So the gist is that the town Vicar gets caught up in a murder mystery that happens in his home while he's out visiting a sick parishioner.
Whodunnit?
Well, if the police can't figure it out, just leave it to the nosy little old lady who lives around the corner...



Joan Hickson narrated the audiobook I listened to, and she was fabulous.

Highly recommended!

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2022, William Morrow released new editions for the entire Miss Marple series. Each one features a beautiful floral design matched with stunning color combinations.

Like a Publisher's dream, I promptly bought the entire set. Then with all of these precious new softcovers in hand, I thought, when I am going to read all of these?



Since there are twelve full-length novels, I told myself, very sternly I might add, that I would read one per month for all of 2023. That sounds like a solid plan, right?

Well, it would have been, but then I put off starting the first one until March; now I am behind and the pressure is on...



I have to say though, after completing this one, I am reinvigorated in my quest to read all of Miss Marple's novels in order. This was such a fun time.

The Murder at the Vicarage is the first full-length novel in the series and I was actually surprised that Miss Marple is not the MC/narrator. The Vicar, Leonard Clement, is!

I don't know why I didn't know that, but I liked it a lot. It was fun to get to know the icon, Miss Jane Marple, from an outside perspective. You get her pluses and her minuses. A more honest interpretation, you could say.



I really enjoyed the mystery of this. It was completely engaging from the start. The murdered man, one Colonel Protheroe, was a bit of curmudgeon. He was a Judge and definitely had more enemies than friends. Even the Vicar had a cross word for him a time or two.

After Protheroe is murdered at the Vicarage, the entire village of St. Mary Mead seems to become involved in the investigation.

As you can imagine, no other citizen has more to offer in the solving of said crime than our Miss Marple. That woman misses nothing, usually because she's spying on everyone from the comfort of her garden.



It was interesting for me to consider how the tropes involved in this story are all fairly well-known tropes today, but at this time, it wasn't quite like that. It sort of all began with Christie, you know?

Her work has influenced so many creators over the years and her formulaic writing style is the epitome of a classic mystery. I love it. I found this to be so comfortable and fun, it was like a warm drink on an eerie night.



I am definitely continuing on with the series straight away. Next up is The Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery, which will be a reread for me.

It's actually one of my favorite Christie's that I have read, so I am really excited to revisit it with my stunning new edition!!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4.5 stars for Murder at the Vicarage, the first novel in the Miss Marple cozy mystery series, written by Agatha Christie in 1930. I've read ~ten novels by Christie and this one is near the top of the list for me. From the characters to the setting and the plot to the tone, it's an intriguing and immersive read. It started out a bit slow for me as the scene was being set, but once the murder happened, it took off in quick force. I can happily say that I had 2 potential guesses as the culprit(s), and I was correct (which doesn't always happen). I also knew there was way too much reference to 'time on clocks' for it not to be important; someone messed with the spinning needles to change the appearance of when the murder happened. But only by minutes... and you'll never guess how important it was!

For many, this will be too on-the-nose or over-simplified when it comes to the layout at approach of Miss Marple's investigation. Though she's responsible for solving it, she's not the main character. The vicar tells us the story of what happened to the deceased, and he interacts with the detectives investigating the crime. Another priest is nearly murdered, but he's not very well liked, so it's okay, right? Some think so... but not all the 'little old biddies' (how the book refers to them) are in agreement. The gossip is out of control in this book, but I adored it for what it was -- a clever plot technique to reveal clues and keep us guessing. Add in the very peculiar marriages between the different priests and their wives, and it's baffling what life was like a century ago. But I'd give nearly anything to be part of it.

What appeals to me most in these Marple novels is how she drops a few thoughts, then scatters around. She leaves mysterious notes for someone to come see her, then won't reveal everything she's thinking. She teases us. But it's as much fun as it is frustrating. She knows, but she's not 100% certain how... so she won't say it all at once until she's got every nasty little detail ferreted out.

The poor vicar suffers in this one as the murder happens in his house -- everyone is up in his business. We know it can't be him or his wife, but wow do they look suspicious. Add in the side-stories and you've got one easy read. It just makes me smile to absorb these quaint settings and stories. I think even though this is the last in my April Agatha Christie Readathon, I am going to keep reading one a month this year.

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this her first Marple novel published in 1930 ( not counting short stories) Jane Marple is not even the main character but undoubtedly the most intelligent and soon talent wins out. The quiet southern English village of St. Mary Mead where nothing ever happens it does when a hideous murder enter the peaceful, fictional settlement. The proper Rev. Leonard (Len) Clement likes a little fun however, lives here with feisty wife Griselda, much younger than he, irrelevant teenage nephew Dennis and incompetent maid Mary. Not quite a cozy family but good enough until unpleasantness strikes. A hated local wealthy magistrate is shot inside the Vicarage while Rev. Clement isn't present...shocking the village. Some people even suspect the vicar...who disliked the victim. Nevertheless the village has too many people who hated the dead man and Inspector Slack just the opposite of his name needs help. Bored Mr. Clement is only too happy to oblige but the road to revelation takes many dips and the police will not take him seriously. Deceit permeates, clues endless, knowledge fleeting. But an ace up his sleeve is dear Miss Marple, she looks frail yet her mind is sharp and the killer or killers will find this out. Did you not know about this conclusion ? Agatha Christie discovered that herself after the novel was read and Miss Marple not the preacher became the star and we are all grateful ...who doesn't like a seemingly harmless old lady with hidden skills. Colonel Melchett did, the Chief Constable of the county was more than happy... still the credit will remain with the police. And everyone important is now....contended...including Miss Marple who enjoys the obscurity until the next homicide occurs, such is the world of the mystery writers. One final word or words, the genre has been around since the days of Poe and Doyle, its last story is in the distant future.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 English Mysteries - Miss Marple Group Read
Having read this less than 4 years I was surprised at how little I remembered of the book. Is it age or just the fact that in the intervening years I have read a large number of detective mystery stories. I'm plumping for the latter option. 😊
This book, the first with Miss Marple, is set entirely within St Mary Mead, in fact the vast majority is within 100 yards of The Vicarage, and guess who happens to live next door ? Yes, thats right, the redoubtable Miss Marple.
This book sees Miss Marple bring all her knowledge of humanity to bear to solve the crime, obviously with a little help from Colonel Meltchet.
I originally gave this book 4 stars , but am seriously considering upping to 5 stars. I shall ponder.

2017 Reading the Detectives - Miss Marple Group Read
What a marvellous book, I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to read Agatha Christie's books. I read this many years ago but only remembered the Joan Hickson TV adaptation, and even then I didn't guess who did it prior to the denouement. Every time Miss Marple is mentioned I just see Joan Hickson (not Geraldine McEwan, nor Angela Lansbury, nor Margaret Rutherford, nor Julia McKenzie), always Joan Hickson, I can see her hesitating and saying "oh well" in a self deprecating manner as she does in the book.
Anyway enough on actresses, the book, was excellent and has spurred me on to read more Marples.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder most proper.

Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage was my first Miss Marple. Now that I've had her I can say with knowledge born of experience, she ain't half bad!

The characters are dapper dandies and old teetotaler biddies. High manners and speech abound, aside from the occasional parlor maid, flatfoot, or old age pensioner. These sort of tea cozy mysteries are just a little too quaint, even for me...and I've read all of James Herriot.

Murder at the Vicarage has some clever misdirection. The murder is plausible, the details creditable and the solving of it all rewardingly confounding. The writing style is somewhat reminiscent of PG Wodehouse. He and Agatha were contemporaries, living through and writing within the same era, and I believe admired each other's work on some level. I tally this as a positive as I am a big Wodehouse fan. His work is light-handed, making for airy reading. The same can be said here. Mostly stress-free, highly enjoyable stuff that won't tax one's emotions too deeply.

[Mohammed Arabey · Rating 4 out of 5]

هل تعرف تلك الجارة الكبيرة في السن، التي تعيش وحدها فلديها الكثير من الوقت فتتسلي بأن تري (تراقب) كل جيرانها، تعرف كل شئ عن الجميع وتحركاتهم

هكذا قررت أجاثا كريستي تقديم أول بطلة نسائية لسلاسل التحقيقات البوليسية..ميس ماربل

هي ليست "محققة" كهيراكول بوارو او شيرلوك...فقط هي الجارة العانس الفضولية دقيقة الملاحظة بقرية سانت ماري ميد

وكما ذكر بالرواية، فإن موهبة كتلك تضاهي، بل تفوق خبرة أي محقق في إنجلترا
او علي الاقل هي كذلك في روايتها الأولي، جريمة في بيت الكاهن

كاهن القرية نفسه في البداية كان يتمني أن يقتل أحدهم الكولونيل ليسدي العالم خدمة
وياللعجب، في اليوم التالي يجده صريعا في مكتب بيت الكاهن نفسه حيث كان ينتظره ليراجع معه حسابات الكنيسة حيث يشك في تلاعب باموالها

الضابط المكلف بالتحقيق متعجرف، والسيدات في البلدة لا تدور احاديث النميمة بينهن سوي عن شائعات وحقائق العلاقات العاطفية التي تدور بين اهل القرية الصغيرة
اما السيدة ماربل ، التي تعرف كل شئ ، فهي لديها علي الاقل 7 مشتبه بهم في قتل الكولونيل


وبين جلسات النميمة ، والسيدة ماربل التي تبدو أنها فضولية مزعجة...وحيرة الكاهن والذي يعتبر راوي الاحداث ستشك في الكثير ... حتي الراوي نفسه، بل القرية جمعاء التي لم تكن تطيق الكولونيل
ومن يدري....كلها حبكات مختلفة عجيبة لاجاثا والتي ستبهرك دوما


قد تكون الأنسة ماربل دورها ليس الأكبر هنا في حكاية لكن بالتأكيد ملاحظاتها هي الاهم
هي اول رواية لها من اصل 12 رواية رغم نشر قصة قصيرة لها سابقا اضيفت لاحقا كفصل من فصول رواية لاحقة

استوحتها الجميلة أجاثا كريستي من عمتها و ايضا جدتها..وهي نموذج ستجد مثيلته الكثير وليس في القري الإنجليزية الصغيرة فحسب بل في اي مكان بالعالم

واتذكر انها دوما كانت تتحدث عن الحاسة السادسة للنساء بالاخص برواية مقتل السيد روجر اركويد فقد قدمت ذلك النوع من الشخصيات في دور شخصية اخت الراوي

“النساء تلاحظ لاشعوريا ألاف التفاصيل الدقيقة، دون علمهن بفعلتهن تلك. عقلهن الباطن يُجمّع تلك الأشياء الصغيرة معا- وتكون النتيجة هي الحدس 'الحاسة السادسة'.”

وقررت هنا أجاثا بعد الحرب تقديم ذلك النوع من الشخصيات كبطلة اساسية للروايات كمحققة غير رسمية تماما، في شكل جديد للروايات البوليسية والجريمة من ملكة الجريمة نفسها

هنا ملاحظة الانسة ماربل لجيرانها دوما لها تبريرها ولا يمكن ان تقول عنها فضولية او حشرية بشكل مباشر....فهي دوما تعتني بحديقتها الجميلة ، ولديها منظار مقرب لان هوايتها هي مراقبة الطيور...وكلها امور بريئة تماما كما تري

من الاسباب الطريفة التي قرات عنها انها قدمت شخصية دفاعا عن النساء من تلك الفئة العمرية ، حيث انه قبل تلك الرواية اثار غضبها انه عندما تم تمثيل شخصية اخت الراوي برواية مقتل روجر اركويد تم الاستعانة بدور فتاة شابة بدلا من السيدة العانس...مما جعلها تريد ترسيخ تلك الشخصية في ادبها بدلا من ان يقوم مخرج او منتج تغيير مثل تلك الشخصية

“الشباب الصغير يظنون الكبار حمقي... لكن الكبار يعرفون ان الشباب الصغير حمقي.”

حسنا، هكذا قالت ماربل السيدة التي يبدو انها تعرف الكثير عن الطبيعة البشرية كما تعرف كل احوال اهل قريتها الصغيرة، والفضل يرجع، للبستنة ومراقبة الطيور علي ما اظن


والي قراءات اخري للانسة ماربل...وللسيدة ملكة الجريمة، اجاثا كريستي

محمد العربي
من 21 يناير 2018
الي 23 يناير 2018

[PorshaJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiddledesticks! How could you not enjoy a book where the word fiddledesticks is used. I'm a fan of Agatha Christie. I read her a lot when I was much, much younger. But I don't remember most of the books I read. So every now and then I plan to pick up one of her books and indulge. And what a better place to start that the first in the Miss Marple series.

Murder at the Vicarage tells the story of well, a murder in the vicarage. St Mary Mead is a sleep town where not much happens. However, the ladies of the town know everyone's business and it's routinely gossiped about. Leonard Clement is the vicar and his wife Griselda, well, let's just say she's not much of the lady of the vicarage house. She doesn't cook, doesn't clean, drives her husband mad, but she loves Len and he truly loves her despite the big age gap of the two. Anyway, Len returns to vicarage one night after being called away to find none other than Colonel Protheroe, dead. Murdered. I doubt many of the townsfolk are upset by this news as Colonel Protheroe was not well liked and was quite mean. But seems there are quite a number of people who might have wanted him dead. So murder...enter some bumbling police who provide great entertainment but no chance of solving this crime. But luckily, there is Miss Marple, with her keen eye, well, that comes along with being a nosy busy body. Miss Marple is quite sharp and along with the vicar, she works to solve this crime.

What a wonderful story. I grabbed the audio and the narrator, Richard E. Grant, did an awesome job. I loved his narration and can still hear the voice of the vicar in my head. I liked the characters of Len Clement and his wife Griselda. I'm happy these two appear again in later Miss Marple books. But I had to knock it just a bit (hence 4 stars). It was so predictable, I guessed early on what happened. Though, it did not take away my enjoyment of this read. Also, there were a lot of characters to keep track of. And if I'm going to be totally honest....I prefer Poirot over Marple. But an entertaining read and great audio narration. I look forward to my next Christie book and more narrations by Mr. Grant. A quick, fun read for any Agatha Christie fan.

[Flo Camus · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.0⭐] 𝙈𝙪𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙚 𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙖 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞́𝙖 es una novela de misterio escrita por Agatha Christie y publicada en 1930. La historia se centra en un asesinato y, cuando el cuerpo aparece en el despacho del vicario, se inicia una investigación que revelará secretos, traiciones y motivos ocultos entre los habitantes del lugar. Es en esta novela donde aparece por primera vez Miss Marple, la icónica anciana observadora, inteligente y de ojos atentos a cada detalle.


Como una fiel admiradora de Christie, debo confesar que este ha sido uno de los libros que menos he disfrutado de ella. No es que esté mal escrito ni que carezca de intriga(porque estamos hablando de la Reina del Crimen, al fin y al cabo), pero creo que es inevitable que, cuando una ya ha leído muchas de sus obras (como yo, que tengo este desafío personal de leerme todas sus obras), empiece a reconocer los hilos, los giros y los juegos narrativos. Todo eso, en un género como el thriller, no es precisamente bueno porque parte de la magia se pierde cuando uno ya le ve las técnicas.

Uno de los factores que influyó en mi experiencia fue, sin duda, el cambio de detective. No logro encariñarme del todo con Miss Marple y eso que me encanta su forma de ser: su sarcasmo, su sutileza, esa inteligencia camuflada bajo capas de “inocente ancianita” que tan bien juega con las expectativas sociales de la época. Sin embargo, mi corazón, mi fidelidad y todo mi cariño literario siguen y seguirán perteneciendo a Poirot. Me encanta su arrogancia, sus métodos meticulosos, su bigote tan característico y su acento. Es como cambiar de compañero de viaje cuando ya llevabas muchas aventuras con el anterior. A pesar de ello, reconozco que este libro es una gran introducción para Miss Marple: su primera aparición ya muestra lo astuta, sagaz y sensible que es a los matices humanos. Es una mujer que observa, que escucha y que no subestima ningún detalle, por más pequeño que sea.

Ahora bien, otro gran “pero” que tengo con esta novela es el asesino. Lo encontré una gran decepción porque era tan evidente que lo descarté de inmediato y ahí está el problema: me dio rabia que fuera precisamente esa persona. Christie suele jugar a despistar, a meter trampas y hacer malabares con la atención del lector, pero aquí no sentí ese juego tan afilado como otras veces. Estaba tan claro que esperaba un giro sorpresa que nunca llegó. No es una resolución satisfactoria para alguien que ya ha sido entrenado por ella misma a esperar lo inesperado.

Dicho eso, sí disfruté la manera en que se resuelve el caso. Me encantó que fuera Miss Marple quien encontrara la verdad, sobre todo en un entorno donde constantemente se le subestima por ser “vieja”, “chismosa” o “solterona”. Me parece un acto silencioso pero potente de empoderamiento femenino, sobre todo viniendo de una época en la que las mujeres no podían ser ni detectives ni policías. Me encanta que Christie haya decidido darle protagonismo a una mujer con ingenio y con mirada crítica, que no necesita uniforme ni autoridad oficial para poder resolver un crimen. Ella lo hace a su modo, desde su jardín, sus reuniones de té y sus observaciones casi invisibles. Todo eso, en sí mismo, me parece revolucionario.


Finalmente, puedo decir que 𝙈𝙪𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙚 𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙖 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞́𝙖 no es una mala novela, pero, para mí, como lectora frecuente de Christie, se sintió predecible, un poco lenta por momentos y con una resolución demasiado evidente. Sin embargo, agradezco haber leído esta historia por lo que significa: el nacimiento de Miss Marple, un personaje que merece respeto y que, con toda su sabiduría de pueblo, demuestra que la inteligencia no tiene edad, ni necesita permiso.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge

BOOK 33 :- AUGUST 2021

4.25 STARS

[Piyangie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is difficult to rate this book. I wanted to do more justice to Agatha Christie and her brilliant mind, but my conscience nags at me; it tells me that, in honesty, I was not drawn into the story as I normally do when I read her novels. So here I'm divided, trying to do justice to both of us.

It was overall a good plot, though not a novel one. The setting is a small village in England where life is slow and stagnant. In such a small village, it isn't surprising that everybody knows everybody's business. Gossip mongers and story creators are all too common in such a closed community. In this setting, Agatha Christie brings in some interesting characters - old spinsters, widows, eccentrics, spirited, and the manipulative. As always, Agatha Christie invests well in her characters.

The Murder at the Vicarage is the first in the Miss Marple series, where we meet her celebrated lady detective. Miss Jane Marple, who has made it her hobby to observe human nature, rarely misses out on any of the important happenings in St. Mary Mead. She is sharp-witted and shrewd, and although she is no professional, nobody can fool her.

Coming from reading the Poirot series, it was quite an adjustment for me to connect with a strikingly different detective (if I may use that word for Miss Marple). Whereas Poirot was brilliant and unreachable, Miss Maple was ordinary and reachable. There was a huge contrast between the strict professionalism of Poirot and the ordinary powers of observation and a decent deductive mind of an old lady who helps solve a murder mystery, which the local police find baffling. Agatha Christie doesn't portray Miss Marple as a sleuth. She doesn't do active investigation; she only acts upon the evidence that was gathered by others and thrown her way.

The story engaged me for a good measure. The events and characters are presented in a tightly woven plotline. There was a fair amount of suspense from the time the murder took place. There were a fair number of red herrings, so it was hard to accurately guess the criminal. It was all good. But after many twists and turns, Christie takes us back to the initial suspect. I was quite confident in my guess of the Criminal before Christie deliberately created confusion. I call that cheating. :) Also, Miss Marple's brilliant summing up felt a little too contrived.

Having said all that, I cannot claim I didn't enjoy the story because I did. An Agatha Christie murder mystery is something hard not to enjoy. But to speak the truth, this didn't live up to my expectations. I wasn't totally drawn in. After all the deliberation, the ending felt like a slap in my face. I'm half satisfied, half disappointed.

More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/

[Hamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

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“The young people think the old people are fools — but the old people know the young people are fools.”

Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors and her books are a comfort read for me when I want to distance myself away from my usual fantasy reads. Up to this point, I have been a bigger fan of Poirot and Miss Marple books were okay! This is my third book in the Miss Marple series that I read and is actually the book that introduces her!

There is a certain formula in the books I read by Agatha and I think it was missing here! I think the main problem here is that Marple is supposed to be the hero of the story but she is absent for the most of it, she is not a detective, the main character narrating the story is also not a detective which makes the whole thing a bit disjointed and sounds less professional than Poirot books!

“There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.”

Usually characters are explored more thoroughly in the books I read, now I don’t know where does this fall between all her published books but I think Agatha was still developing as a writer then. This was published in 1930 and I think every time I read her books, it feels like going through a time machine and discovering a whole new (or old?) world!

The plot itself is not very special, it is a typical case of a whodunit where things initially looks like one thing and then grow to involve everyone and closes with us finding the real culprit! To be fair, I still got the rush I get whenever the last chapters reveal everything but in this particular book I think it was not enough to make up for the whole book!

“I often wonder why the whole world is so prone to generalise. Generalisations are seldom if ever true and are usually utterly inaccurate.”

Summary: Another good book by Chritstie which is the introduction of Miss Marple, the book seemed choppy at many points and I did not connect to the characters as much as I wanted but overall, it was still a satisfying read!

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First full-length novel of Miss Marple done. And it’s a mixed bag of opinions!

Story Synopsis:
There is a ‘murder at the vicarage’. Everyone is trying to figure out who did it. *shrug!*

Just so you know, this is the first full-length novel in which Miss Marple makes her appearance. However, her character was introduced to the world not through this novel but through a short story named "The Tuesday Night Club", which is a part of the The Thirteen Problems anthology. Now that I have read both, I feel you can begin with either of them, as both don't do a great job of *introducing* Miss Marple other than through indirect references. The information is obviously more detailed here as it is longer.


On the positive side:
😍 I did get to know a lot about Miss Marple the character. I think I will like her, as long as she gets a greater role in the remaining books.

😍 The narrator is a man, so but obviously, he knows nothing and all the women around him are up-to-date on village gossip. I found that hilarious!

😍 It contains some humorous remarks and lovely quotes.


On the ‘I-don’t-know-what-to-think-about-this’ side:
😑 The content is quite judgemental about women and their various negative tendencies. If this were by a male writer, I would have been ready with brickbats and cudgels. But coming from a woman writer, I am trying to figure out if she was being pedantic or sarcastic.

😑 The story starts nicely with a murder (on second thought, maybe ‘nicely’ isn’t the right word!) but the resolution goes in an unexpected direction. I liked the resolution but some of the red herrings were too farfetched.


On the negative side:
😕 The first person narration by the vicar does nothing for the story. He is boring!

😕 There’s hardly any detective work by Miss Marple for most of the story, which is more of a narration of events by the parson. She gets the highlight mainly towards the end of the book.

😕 How do so many people know the exact time something happened?!?!

😕 Typical info-dumping at the end, as in every mystery. (Sorry, mystery lovers, I have yet to become a fan of this modus operandi.)


3 stars.

Fingers crossed for the next - A Murder Is Announced.

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[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I finished this one and I've come to a conclusion... I'm not a Miss Marple fan. Yes, yes, I know, I'm one of those basic Christie fans that she couldn't stand that delights every time Poirot says something witty/arrogant, and looks at all her other characters with a "that's very nice... could you write more Poirot now?" stance. Sure, I would have been polite enough not to say that... but the thought would have occurred (that said my favorite Christie novel is Crooked House which does not feature any of her recurring characters).

No, let me get this out of the way, the book wasn't bad. It was entertaining enough and while I was pretty sure I knew who did it (I was right), I couldn't figure out how it was done. While we're on this topic, the clues were there, it felt like I must have missed a vital one somewhere because I sat there feeling like it wasn't exactly a "fair play" mystery upon the reveal. That said, I just couldn't really get into it. It took me over a week to read (and Christie's books usually take me about two to three days) and the only character aspect I really enjoyed was the vicar and his wife's interactions.

This was just one of those books that I finished because I kind of felt like I had to and in the end it wasn't a bad read, it's not really one I can endorse... which is a bit sad. It's also the same way about A Murder Is Announced (the only other Marple book I've read, though I did not review it).

There was one really good thing about this book though. It may have had the absolute best quote I've read in one of Christie's novels. While I like her as an author, I don't particularly find her quotable, but this is certainly an exception:

“I was thinking,” I said, “that when my time comes, I should be sorry if the only plea I had to offer was that of justice. Because it might mean that only justice would be meted out to me...”

Very nice.

3/5 stars.

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am amazed I have not read this before. Or maybe I have but it was so long ago I have forgotten. Anyway it was really good, as good if not better than any of the other Miss Marple stories I have read.

It was certainly an interesting look at Jane Marple as she appeared for the first time and really as a lesser character. The main character and story teller was the Vicar, an apparently honest and caring man if a little too serious and unemotional at times. None of which prevented him being in the running as a suspect. Christie managed to make me suspect almost everyone except the eventual culprits.

No one was fooling Miss Marple though, but she kept her suspicions very close to her chest and did not declare them until every fact had fallen into place. She was a pleasure to watch as she let people assume she was a foolish old woman while actually pegging everyone's characters and behaviours very accurately. Very little gets past her!

I love the rural English setting of these novels and the fact that they are so well written. A very pleasant way to spend a few reading hours.

[Mark Porton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder at the Vicarage is my first Agatha Christie. Yes, I know.

Set in a typical English country village, Colonel Protheroe is found dead in the local vicarage. Vicar Leonard Clement is our likable narrator and due to his position of trust in the village, he is present during most key investigation points and meetings as the police bumble their way through trying to solve this crime. We have a list of suspects, some more obvious than others – and luckily one of the village inhabitants, Miss Marple, is around to help solve this case. She is good. Very good indeed.

This is a pleasant enough jaunt through life and gossip in an English rural village. It kept me interested, but this waned in the last third. Not because it was poorly executed, of course Christie was a master craftsperson, this is as polished as you would expect. It’s all about my antipathy towards whodunnits.

The issue with whodunnits I have is – the culprit is often someone who is a fringe player and makes some sort of key appearance towards the end (engendering a feeling of being hoodwinked), or it ends up being the most obvious person (in which case, it engenders a feeling of being anti-hoodwinked??).

To be sure, this was pleasant enough.

3 Stars

Bonus Material

A nearby village in this story was called Much Benham. Having lived in a place called Cofton Hackett as a child in the UK – I felt the need to do a search for silly UK place names. Here’s my top five.

1. Nether Wallop, Hartshire
2. Dull, Perthshire
3. Rotten Bottom, Moffat
4. Pants, there are lots of Pants in Wales (this one made me laugh the hardest) 🏆
5. Papplewick, Nottingham

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha ha vuelto a jugar conmigo y me vio todita la cara de tonto. Y eso no me fastidia, claramente me fascina.

«No existe en Inglaterra detective alguno tan sagaz como una solterona de edad indefinida, sin nada que hacer durante todo el día.»

Es un libro con un caso tan distinto a los de Poirot y por eso me encantó ya que juega mucho más con el humor situacional. Tiene una narrativa desenfadada y con muchísima ironía, comedia e intervenciones brillantes. Y la revelación del crimen, que ciertamente ya ha pasado una igual anteriormente aún así se convierte en uno de los casos de que más me sorprendió.

Me encantó miss Marple a pesar del poco protagonismo también Griselda y Mary, quienes tenían unos comentarios demasiado chistosos. Y el otro trío de chismosas es igual de interesante. El inspector encargado del caso es feroz, antipático e imponente y no se deja ayudar a menos que él lo permita o lo ordene pero al final recibe un poco de su medicina. Y el protagonista (el vicario), no retrasa, sino que añade al hilo conductor más sentido ya que él trata con todo el pueblo y muchos recurren a él.

Es que a mi parecer este libro lo tiene todo: robos, infidelidad, pistas que buscan inculpar a otros, muchos sospechosos y el crimen. Luego vienen extrañas llamadas y acoso por medio de cartas y llamadas. Es buenísimo, a mí me entretuvo de comienzo a fin. Todo estuvo en su lugar.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first Miss Marple mystery is deceptively gentle, with much of the story narrated by the mild mannered vicar. When he returns to the vicarage to find the body of Colonel Protheroe shot in his study, the vicar becomes involved in the murder investigation, aided by his neighbour Miss Marple. There is a wonderful list of suspects, motives and false trails along the way, until Jane Marple untangles the threads and makes everything clear.

Not only is this a masterfully plotted story, but it introduces us to St Mary Mead and a cast of characters who will become familiar friends in later books. There are surly housemaids, ne'er do well poachers, gossipy old ladies and crotchety old men in abundance. As Miss Marple is keen to point out, you can see all of life quite well in a small village and nobody understands the undercurrents of life quite like she does. Wonderful fun, well written and utterly delightful, if you have never tried this series, this first book is a great place to start.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pondered (and pondered!) my rating but have decided to go enjoyment and how good this was for the first in a series - The Divine Christie had me completely fooled!

There are faults - too many characters (some very similar) and the characterisation of Miss M is very uneven - she is a right old bat at the start, but by the halfway point she is the amateur sleuth I love. The trademark fluffiness hides great powers of observation and deduction.

Like there is a lot more humour in this novel than most of her later ones. And an awareness of social issues. Ms Christie puts these words in one of her character's mouths;

“We think with horror now of the days when we burnt witches. I believe the day will come when we will shudder to think that we ever hanged criminals.”

Read with the Reading the Detectives group and most highly recommended!

[Alex.andthebooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bardzo żałuję, ale zmęczyła mnie ta historia, a rozwiązanie zagadki nie usatysfakcjonowało

[Fabian {Councillor} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who doesn't know the famous Miss Marple and her investigation talents? When it comes to well-known detectives in classic literature, along with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot she will belong to those who are mentioned first. I can almost imagine the gossipy, annoying and very inquisitive lady snooping around the village, and it's easy to understand why a smart character like her earned such a recognition beneath crime and mystery novels. "Murder at the Vicarage" is called the first book in the Miss Marple series, yet she only appears in a handful of scenes, irregularly interspersed in the course of this novel.

In the first place, Agatha Christie writes about a colonel's death and the small town's vicar who tries to discover the murderer's identity. Most of the characters will at some point of the novel be suspected of being the wanted murderer, but the reader should expect the final reveal to be somehow unpredictable. I thought I had figured out who the killer was halfway through the novel, but the outcome was ... I could not have been more wrong. And it would indeed be surprising if anyone else was as smart as Miss Marple in the quest of figuring out the identity of the culprit. However, this also caused another one of this book's weak spots: Although it is only 270 pages long, it dragged on for the second half, as nearly no new information were added and the investigators were more or less left groping in the dark.

Agatha Christie writes about very different characters trying to live in a small town where nothing ever happens - until this highly disliked man is murdered at the vicarage. As the novel is written from the first-person-perspective of the vicar, Leonard Clement, the reader has to rely on his observations, which made it even harder to guess the outcome of the murder mystery. After all, the author managed to write complicated and confusing murder mysteries with nearly no loose ends, however, something else fell by the wayside: the characters. With nearly no character development or interesting relationships present, it is hardly possible to get invested into the plot itself, and with Miss Marple being only a side character, the most interesting part of the novel was ignored for most of the time.

My first Miss Marple novel, my second Agatha Christie novel, and still no fan of her works. I guess I'll be staying faithful to Sherlock Holmes!

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first Miss Marple mystery. The usual red herrings and mechanical Christie plot. This early Miss Marple is more acerbic and less endearing.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at the Vicarage is the first Miss Marple book to be written and published. Within the sleepy small village of St Mary Mead murder arrives when Colonel Protheroe, a much disliked prominent member of society is found dead in the study of Vicar, Reverend Clement’s study. Told through a first person narrative of Rev Clement, we observe and bumble along with the vicar the progress of the investigation to discovery of the murderer(s) through the deductions of Miss Marple.

A slow but delightful story in which we view how Miss Marple’s superior powers of deductive reasoning is initially overlooked by the police, but not the reader as the vicar often draws our attention to his knowledge of Miss Marple’s sleuthing abilities. This affords the reader some superiority over the police as we have some insider information to not judge a person (old woman) by their appearance.

Within the story I particular enjoyed the way today’s readers able to draw parallels between our society and human behaviour and that witnessed and described by Miss Marple in Post War Britain. I also enjoyed the subtle comedy which winds throughout the story in Rev Clement’s storytelling. Overall reading this book had a been lovely way to spend to couple of days.

[Jay Schutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott
Of Agatha Christie - "The champion deceiver of our time." - New York Times
"A right clever one, this." - Jay Schutt

[Jadranka · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ubistvo u parohijskom dvoru" je prva knjiga još jednog veoma popularnog serijala Agate Kristi o detektivu amateru - gospođici Marpl. Lično, više mi prijaju dogodovštine gospođice Marpl od avantura mesje Poaroa. Daleko od toga da mi se ne sviđa šarmantni Poaro, ali gospođica Marpl me je kupila nekako "na prvu loptu".
Gospođica Marpl je jedna sredovečna, radoznala dama koja me u mnogo čemu podseća na jednu moju komšinicu, a pre svega po tome što uvek zna šta se dešava "u tuđem dvorištu". Međutim, ta moja komšinica za razliku od glavne Agatine junakinje, nije ni približno toliko pametna, a nedostaje joj i poprilično njenog šarma :)
Sve u svemu, lako štivo koje se brzo čita, sa povremenim neočekivanim obrtima i zanimljivom atmosferom.

[JimZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly enough (for me it is odd) I liked this mystery novel. Odd because it was quite long which I normally don’t like….and at times it dragged but overall it held my interest. And the narrator was the vicar, and he was a nice chap with a sense of humor. If it had been old Miss Marple being the narrator, I am not sure I would have liked it as much. The Vicar had a funny wife (Griselda)…it was clear he loved her, but she was a loose cannon at times. Anyway, somebody murdered Colonel Protheroe, and for the ~280 pages before the reveal, I had no idea who had killed him. Actually, I had my ideas but I was wrong-o.

I have been told that “A Murder Is Announced’ is a good read by a GR friend, so that will be my next Agatha Christie reading foray. 😊

I found this to be humorous…Mary is the curmudgeonly cook employed by the vicar and his wife:
• ‘…During all this, Mary had been extracting eyes from potatoes with such energy that they had been flying around the kitchen like hailstones. At this moment one hit me in the eye and caused a momentary pause in the conversation.’ 😅

Anyhoo it was nice to just settle down with this book with the expectation in the beginning of the book that since a murder had just occurred, nothing terribly bad would happen after that, and so it was a nice quiet gentle read. Nothing to ruffle my feathers. Sometimes we all need that kind of read. Nothing earth shattering…just something to pleasantly while away the time. 3.5 stars for me. 😊

Review:
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[Yehia · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️تدور الأحداث في قرية صغيرة ونادرا ما تحدث بها أي أحداث مثيرة ، يعيش سكانها علي النميمة وعلي إدخال أنوفهم في حياة الأخرين وقد سئم السيد كليمنت من هذه الأفعال وحاول جاهدا وعظهم للإبتعاد عن تلك التصرفات ، تضحك زوجته الفاتنة غريزيلدا علي عدم إكتراث السكان لوعظه فيحاول تأنيبها ولكن عيناه تفضحان عشقه لها ، نري السيد بروثيرو وهو قاضي القرية وأكثر شخص مكروه بها وهو مضرج بالدماء علي مكتب الكاهن كليمنت وتدور الأحداث لكشف مرتكب الجريمة .

❄️أبطال الرواية
السيد كليمنت (الكاهن )
اللورد بروثيرو( القتيل )
الدكتور هيدوك
الأنسة ماربل
آن بروثيرو (زوجة القتيل )
العمدة ميلتشيت
الرسام لورانس
المفتش سلاك
ليتيس( إبنة بروثيرو )


❄️كان الملل سيد الموقف في بعض الفصول ولكن 70%من السرد كان ممتع والحبكة كانت قوية وسلسة وكالعادة لم يكن المجرم متوقعا أبدا .

[Santy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Primer vistazo a Miss Marple

↳ "Lo que necesitan es un poco de inmoralidad en sus vidas. Entonces no estarían tan ocupados buscándola en las de otras personas."

No puedo evitar sorprenderme ante la astucia de las resoluciones de los crímenes, siendo este mi quinto libro de Christie, ya estoy más que acostumbrado a estas explicaciones desprevenidas. Especialmente en este libro, mi desconcierto fue mayor que en sus previas obras, me resigné en pensar en culpables y simplemente me dejé impresionar.

Y es que a Agatha le encantan las provocaciones. Literalmente, a lo largo del libro, tiró múltiples anzuelos que no hacen más que generar sospechas erróneas. Si no sospechaste de cada uno de los personajes, ¿realmente leíste Agatha Christie?

Me quedé con más ganas de Marple. En este libro, si bien es fundamental para la resolución, se encuentra en segundo plano. Su personaje me gusta mucho, creo que es un acierto utilizar al estereotipo de adulto mayor chismoso para ejercer el rol de detective. Además de aportar humor.

La novela, en general, es sólida, pero no es lo mejor que leí de la autora y estoy seguro de que puede ofrecer aún más. El desarrollo se me hizo un poco denso y, en muchos casos, llegué a confundirme entre tantos personajes y datos.

Por lo que a mi respecta, procedo a buscar novelas de Marple para añadir a la lista. Aún estoy lejos de cansarme, diría que nunca lo estaré, pero siendo la naturaleza humana como es...

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable, clever and great fun - I love Agatha Christie's work so much.