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The Secret of Chimneys & A Murder Is Announced
Two best-selling Agatha Christie novels in one great audiobook
What is The Secret of Chimneys? A young drifter finds out when a favor for a friend pulls him into the heart of a deadly conspiracy in this captivating classic from Agatha Christie.
Little did Anthony Cade suspect that an errand for a friend would place him at the center of a deadly conspiracy. Drawn into a web of intrigue, he begins to realize that the simple favor has placed him in serious danger.
As events unfold, the combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Sûreté gradually converge on Chimneys, the great country estate that hides an amazing secret....
A Murder is Announced in a small-town newspaper advertisement - and Miss Marple must unravel the fiendish puzzle when a crime does indeed occur.
The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn are agog with curiosity when the Gazette advertises, “A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.”
A childish practical joke? Or a spiteful hoax? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, the locals arrive at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out and a gun is fired. When they come back on, a gruesome scene is revealed. An impossible crime? Only Miss Marple can unravel it.
What is The Secret of Chimneys? A young drifter finds out when a favor for a friend pulls him into the heart of a deadly conspiracy in this captivating classic from Agatha Christie.
Little did Anthony Cade suspect that an errand for a friend would place him at the center of a deadly conspiracy. Drawn into a web of intrigue, he begins to realize that the simple favor has placed him in serious danger.
As events unfold, the combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Sûreté gradually converge on Chimneys, the great country estate that hides an amazing secret....
A Murder is Announced in a small-town newspaper advertisement - and Miss Marple must unravel the fiendish puzzle when a crime does indeed occur.
The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn are agog with curiosity when the Gazette advertises, “A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.”
A childish practical joke? Or a spiteful hoax? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, the locals arrive at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out and a gun is fired. When they come back on, a gruesome scene is revealed. An impossible crime? Only Miss Marple can unravel it.
Audible Audio
First published July 14, 2020
66 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,774 books75.5k 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 1, 2021
Clássicos da Rainha do Mistério.
January 22, 2022
Both are well built stories and very enjoyable, I'm feeling generous with 4 stars.
December 18, 2020
Absolutely LOVE Murder is Announced but did not care for Secret of Chimneys...Hugh Fraser’s narration, as always, spot on .
March 20, 2022
Wonderful Bundle
Two very different Christie styles, both full of plot twists. Miss Marple never disappoints. Her obervations about people and character still hold true. Enjoyable reads! Recommended.
Two very different Christie styles, both full of plot twists. Miss Marple never disappoints. Her obervations about people and character still hold true. Enjoyable reads! Recommended.
February 6, 2022
Both are good stories, one Poirot, one Miss Marple. Christie is always an easy and engaging read.
March 15, 2024
Two great Christie novels
March 23, 2022
I really enjoyed A Murder is Announced. There are a lot of characters to follow, but they are pretty well-developed, so that made it easier. It's a timeless tale of possible suspects after money. A sprinkle of humor added to the temptation to read. I never suspected the murderer although I thought I knew who did it a few times through the story.
April 15, 2025
The Secret of Chimneys is the first Superintendent Battle book, and Battle is barely in it. This isn't really a criticism as the main character, Anthony Cade, is quite fun. I enjoyed the mysteries and the little twists.
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser is excellent.
____________________________
A Murder is Announced is my third Miss Marple mystery, and it's rather a slow starter. I found the first seven chapters (which do include a murder!) rather boring. Marple arrives in the 8th chapter, and it did get better from there. I thought it was obvious who Pip was all along. I had to look up the Pip & Emma pun (it's a play on P.M. = afternoon). I have to assume Christie knew what she was doing with lines like:
I was really not a fan of audiobook narrator Emilia Fox's choices. It seems universal to voice Marple as meek (I cannot fathom why), but in addition to that, Fox voiced multiple female characters as screechy and childish. It was rather unpleasant. And, since so many characters were shrieking loudly, I had to turn down the volume which made it impossible to hear the quieter characters, which included Marple and the police inspector.
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser is excellent.
____________________________
A Murder is Announced is my third Miss Marple mystery, and it's rather a slow starter. I found the first seven chapters (which do include a murder!) rather boring. Marple arrives in the 8th chapter, and it did get better from there. I thought it was obvious who Pip was all along. I had to look up the Pip & Emma pun (it's a play on P.M. = afternoon). I have to assume Christie knew what she was doing with lines like:
"...Lord, I wish I had my own particular old Pussy here. Wouldn't she like to get her nice ladylike teeth into this. Right up her street it would be..."
"Don't you despise the old Pussies in this village of yours, my boy..."
"George, it's my own particular, one and only, four starred Pussy. The super Pussy of all
old Pussies..."
"If you'd been up against it, and then, rather like a shivering stray cat, you'd found a home and a cream and a warm stroking hand and you were called Pretty Pussy and somebody thought the world of you... You'd do a lot to keep that..."
I was really not a fan of audiobook narrator Emilia Fox's choices. It seems universal to voice Marple as meek (I cannot fathom why), but in addition to that, Fox voiced multiple female characters as screechy and childish. It was rather unpleasant. And, since so many characters were shrieking loudly, I had to turn down the volume which made it impossible to hear the quieter characters, which included Marple and the police inspector.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews