Death by Drowning and Other Stories

by Agatha Christie, Joan Hickson (Narrator)

Four stories of mysteries solved by Miss Marple, that elderly white-haired lady with the faded blue eyes and quiet nature. As well as "Death by Drowning", there are "The Thumbmark of St Peter", "The Herb of Death" and "The Affair at the Bungalow".

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

3 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2003

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

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully interesting stories narrated by the fantastic Joan Hickson. She simply IS Miss Marple!

[Alyson Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Jenny King · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Steffy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The audio book is horrible. The person reading is very difficult to understand.

[CB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely set of Miss Marple short story mysteries.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, another good selection of Agatha Christie novels. Many quite short and can be read pretty quickly.

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

[Toofan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio-book: Quality:OK, Narration:Poor
4 short and entertaining stories, though the narraion is rather poor.

[Hollylovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun short stories, great if you are looking for a quick and easy read!

[R. R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy mysteries through and through. Just what you need on a rainy day with a cup of tea.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a repackaged collection. I liked the theme of mysteries solved through someone recounting them. I particularly liked The Herb of Death (5/5).

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four excellent short stories with fabulous narration by Miss Marple herself, Joan Hickson.

[Hoja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like how it's written, it doesn't captivate the reader unlike most of her books

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Jane]

Awesome of course

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice short stories, a bit inconseqential but passes the time.

[Janine Fenton]

A good selection of whodunits.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.