Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

by Agatha Christie (Creator), Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo

A brand-new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Mystery’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors.

This collection of a dozen original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.

Naomi Alderman
Leigh Bardugo
Alyssa Cole
Lucy Foley
Elly Griffiths
Natalie Haynes
Jean Kwok
Val McDermid
Karen M. McManus
Dreda Say Mitchell
Kate Mosse
Ruth Ware

Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Agatha Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

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

384 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2022

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

[Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating : 3.7⭐

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries is an anthology that comprises twelve short stories, featuring Dame Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple, the much-loved detective, and written by contemporary crime-fiction writers. Varied in approach and setting (including the fictional village of St. Mary Mead, London, the Amalfi Coast, Asia and the United States), this is a mixed bag as is most anthologies. While I did enjoy the collection as a whole, a few of the stories were particularly noteworthy:

In Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware (4.5/5) the theft of a valuable string of pearls during a Christmas gathering at Gossington Hall puts a damper on the festivities. This story is truly reminiscent of Agatha Christie's signature style in terms of a closed room setting, multiple suspects, and a surprising revelation. A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell (4.5/5), has Miss Marple teaming up with her friend Miss Bella whose niece’s wedding becomes the scene of a murder. In The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok (4/5) we find Miss Marple on a cruise to Hong Kong during which two murders occur and the daughter of one of the victims is the accused. It is up to Miss Marple to figure out what truly happened. In The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus (4.5/5), Miss Marple and her great–grand-niece Nicola West work together to solve the mystery behind the murder of the grandfather of one of Nicola’s school friends. This story is set in the United States.

My ratings for the remaining stories are as follows:
• Evil In Small Places By Lucy Foley (3.5/5)
• The Second Murder At The Vicarage By Val McDermid (3.5/5)
• Miss Marple Takes Manhattan By Alyssa Cole (3/5)
• The Unravelling By Natalie Haynes (3.5/5)
• The Open Mind By Naomi Alderman (3/5)
• Murder At The Villa Rosa By Elly Griffiths (3.5/5)
• The Mystery Of The Acid Soil By Kate Mosse (3.5/5)
• The Disappearance By Leigh Bardugo (3/5)

I love everything Agatha Christie and while I have enjoyed her short stories in the past I prefer the novels because of the gradual unraveling of the mystery and the analysis of the characters involved, which is hard to do in a story that spans thirty-odd pages. Having said that, I do feel this collection is a fun read and must say that the authors have done a commendable job of crafting stories that are original yet reminiscent of Christie’s work (I loved the references to Miss Marple’s original stories), featuring characters and places both new and familiar. Overall, this is an enjoyable read that would appeal to fans of the original Queen of Mystery.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you inspire a whole new generation of readers to want to become acquainted with the original, elderly female amateur detective, Agatha Christie’s “Miss Jane Marple”?

How about by putting together a collection of TWELVE original stories, penned by TWELVE of today’s most impressive, popular, best-selling authors?

That is what can be found within the pages of this book-short stories blending the unique perspectives of each author combined with the traditional aspects of the “Miss Marple” mysteries.

Miss Marple solves many crimes in her quaint village of St. Mary Mead, but she also often travels to visit childhood friends, or when accompanying her nephew, Raymond West and his wife, Joan on their journeys.

And, you can be sure that she will wear tweed, do some knitting and gardening, and have tea or Cherry Brandy, and sometimes even tea with Cherry Brandy which both go surprisingly well with village GOSSIP!

The authors are (in alphabetical order):
Naomi Anderson
Leigh Bardugo
Alyssa Cole
Lucy Foley
Elly Griffiths
Natalie Haynes
Jean Kwok
Val McDermid
Karen M. McManus
Dreda Say Mitchell
Kate Mosse
Ruth Ware

There have been many adaptations of the Agatha Christie stories, on both the big screen and the small, but if you want to see how Ms. Christie envisioned her beloved character, tune into the BBC television series, “Miss Marple”.

According to her grandson, Ms. Christie was never satisfied with how the character of Miss Marple was portrayed-so she penned a letter to character actress, Joan Hickson, whom she did envision in the role, telling her that she hoped that the actress would one day play the part-which she finally did-at the age of 78!

Ms. Hickson also narrated a number of Miss Marple stories on audiobooks.

Or you can just envision “Miss Marple” as you see fit-and dive right into the pages of these delightful stories!

As with all short story collections, some resonated more than others, and I am not going to rate them all individually but there are a few standouts that I DO want to mention, as they were my personal favorites!

Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware-really captured the flavor of an old fashioned Christmas in St. Mary Mead-which would not be complete without a mysterious disappearance-really honoring the “feel” of the stories penned by Agatha Christie-Bravo!

Another favorite in keeping with her traditions was “The Mystery of the Acid Soil” by Kate Mosse, which begins with a train ride to visit a childhood friend.

Impressing me with a different approach was “Murder at the Villa Rosa” by Elly Griffiths which was told from the POV of Signor Jeffries, who meets Miss Marple in picturesque Italy. She was more of a secondary character but as always, she makes herself very useful with her “knowledge of human nature “.

Also taking a unique approach was author Karen M McManus. Since in her own books she writes from the POV of youth, her tale “The Murdering Sort” is told by Nicola West who may just be on her way to becoming a “chip off the old block” of her great great Aunt Jane (Marple).

This charming collection by HarperCollins is set to publish on September 15, 2022 and should satisfy fans of “Miss Jane Marple” old and new!!

When you read it, be sure to let me know which ones were your favorites!

Thank you for my gifted copy provided through Edelweiss! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

[Holly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

 Read Christie 2022 October choice!

Penned by 12 contemporary authors

I've been participating in this global book club this year. The website is fun and has reading lists to choose from each month. This is my fourth for the year.https://www.agathachristie.com/

Jane Marple is a famous fictional detective and one of my favorites, so I had to dive in and catch up with her through the words of these twelve authors. I love how Christie always combined light and dark, had very dysfunctional families, and always had a motive unique to the character. Christie's novels are unique and just FUN with that feel good feeling.

Mixed feelings on this collection.

Here is how it went...

I was bored to tears by three of the stories (won't mention which ones).

One was a DNF, one was confusing, and one was fine.

Then Ruth Ware's Miss Marple's Christmas was a delight!

The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok was my favorite. Loved, loved the cruise setting!

Also enjoyed The Murdering Sort/ Karen M. Mcmanus, Murder at the Villa Rosa/Elly Griffiths, and Mystery of the Acid Soil/Kate Mosse.

The Disappearance/Leigh Bardugo has an ending that had me questioning a few things and was food for thought!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something to look into if you're Jonesing for more Marple.
Some were great, most were good, and a few were...not.

Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley
Narrated by Alex Kingston
4 stars
Miss Marple solves the murder in the village of her old schoolmate, Prudence.
I liked the conclusion to this one more than the actual plot. <--if that makes sense?
It had that Murder of Roger Ackroyd thing going for it in that it was her "friend" and her daughter who were the killers.
An ending can make or break a mystery, and this one definitely made it.



The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid
Narrated by Adrian Scarborough
3.5 stars
Miss Marple solves the murder of a housemaid at the vicar's house.
After the vicar and his wife dismissed their housemaid, she was found dead.
In their home!
I was really looking forward to this one because The Murder at the Vicarage was not only the first full-length Marple story, but also one of my favorites. This had the taste of Marple to it, but maybe my expectations were too high. Still. It's a good short.



Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole
Narrated by Adjoa Andoh
3 stars
Not much of a Marple vibe to it, but as a short mystery, it was still entertaining.
I liked the way the author contrived to get Miss Marple to the Big Apple - her nephew, Raymond West, has had one of his books turned into a play.
I didn't like the "mystery" as it was just somewhat...odd? A famous(ish) actor pretends to get electrocuted the night before the play opens in order to give the director bad press because she's seen as a dissident (and accused of being a Communist) due to speaking out for the rights of minorities.
The electrocution scheme was dumb. I don't...what? How is that not the stupidest thing?
It wasn't horrible, just strange.



The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes
Narrated by Imogen Stubbs
2 stars
Eh.
I don't know. This one just didn't hit right with me.
The whole story seemed off and I really disliked the ending.
However, it did have a Marple vibe in the sense that Agatha talked about the war and the effect it had on soldiers and their families.
A man from the village was MIA for years and years, and when he finally returned, he was different. When he has an argument with a newcomer to the village, and the next day the man is found dead...well, it is assumed that he was the culprit.
Miss Marple unravels the mystery.



Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware
Narrated by Alison Steadman
4 stars
Colonel & Mrs. Bantry end up with a full house for Christmas when one of their guests finds her set of expensive pearls missing.
A very Marple Christmas, indeed. Loved the references to Dorothy Sayers and the way Miss Marple's love of mystery novels helped solve the case.



The Open Mind by Naomi Alderman
Narrated by Jodhi May
3 stars
Miss Marple goes to school.
Well, not really. She is invited to a dinner with a lot of professors by a professor. And while there, she meets the head honcho & minor academic celebrity, who happens to be a complete creep. Probably horned his way into the position using deception and almost definitely raped a younger colleague. And at the dinner, it appears he's about to abuse his power and use another young woman.
And then he drops dead.
Oh well.



The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok
Narrated by Chipo Chung
3 stars
Miss Marple goes on a cruise.
When her dance partner ends up dead, his seemingly devoted daughter comes under suspicion because of his life insurance policy and some other spoilery things.
Miss Marple eventually sets the police straight.
Not a bad little short.



A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell
Narrated by Cathy Tyson
4 stars
Miss Marple and her friend Miss Bella (a sort of Caribbean counterpart) hunt down a murderer at a wedding.
Miss Bella's niece is marrying into the English gentry, and while the young man's mother bemoans the lack of title and money coming along with this wedding, another young woman seems to be stirring up a fuss, as well.
And then she drops dead after an argument with the bride.
Is she a rival for the groom's affections or maybe his father's side piece?
With the bride dodging questions and the dead girl hidden away from the wedding guests, the two little old ladies will have to solve the mystery on their own.
Loved it. It's got the Marple vibe.



Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths
Narrated by Ramon Tikaram
2 stars
This was a disappointment in terms of a Marple Mystery. I think it could have worked in some other "mystery" anthology, but it felt like the author had an idea for a story and shoehorned Miss Marple into it, regardless of how well she actually fit.
So the gist is that an author goes on vacation to try and get his groove back.
At first, Tikaram tries to make the reader think the main character is contemplating murder, but he's just thinking of killing off the star of his books.
Then he runs into all of these strange people (and Miss Marple) at the hotel, and thinks someone may be contemplating a real murder.
But no!
It's all been a setup by his editor to get his creative juices flowing. And then Miss Marple steps in to tell him he should just give his character a happy ending and write about someone new.
??
It gave off Miss Marple on Fantasy Island vibes to me. Blech.



The Murdering Sort by Karen M McManus
Narrated by Tonya Reynolds
5 stars
Miss Marple finds an apprentice.
Raymond West's granddaughter (Miss Marple's great-great-niece?) comes to her aunt with a problem that needs solving. Her best friend's grandfather is accusing everyone in the family of trying to kill him off.
And then someone does.
Aunt Jane to the rescue!
I really liked this one. The mystery was good, the characters were interesting, and it held steady as the kind of mystery that Jane would be involved in.



Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Moss
Narrated by Celia Imrie
3 stars
Miss Marple knows her gardens.
When a chance meeting with an anxious young man on a train leads Miss Marple to look more closely into the death of a woman whose daughter took off to join an acting troupe, she finds more than just a few weeds growing in the woman's garden.



The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by Miriam Margolyes
1 star
My least favorite of the bunch, simply because of how out of character everyone seemed.
This one has long-time friend, Dolly Bantry, who has shown up in several Marple books, at the center of a new mystery. She begs Miss Marple to come home early from a visit at her nephew's house because the son of the newest owners of Gossington Hall has gone missing, and right before his wedding day.
Turns out, Dolly killed the (rather disreputable) young man in self-defense and instead of reporting it, she buried him in the backyard. Miss Marple discovers what she's done and helps her cover it up. It ends with them going on a vacation where they plan to say they spotted him at a distance.
What?
I'm all for chicks helping each other, and in any other story, it would have made for a great ending. But it left a weird taste in my mouth because nothing here seemed like something either of these two characters would have done.



If you're a fan of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, this is a (mostly) lovely set of short stories that pay homage to the elderly spinster's powers of deduction. As with all short story collections, not all of them were winners, but that's how it goes.

Recommended for Marple lovers.

[Caryn - iam.caryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story had the supremely clichéd line “Miss Marple let out the breath she had not realised she had been holding” and it was pretty much all downhill from there.

Only three stories in this collection were worth reading. The ones that were fine enough to read were written by Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, and Karen M. McManus. The other nine didn’t even have a well written or good enough mystery that made reading the story worth my time.

While some of the stories may have been “fine”, all this collection of stories did was prove that Miss Marple could only be written by Agatha Christie.

The synopsis says this collection “will introduce the character to a whole new generation”. Honestly, if you want to introduce Miss Marple to a new generation, just make them read the original Christie novels because they’re timeless, expertly crafted and cleverly thought out mysteries that cannot be replicated.

*Disclaimer* I received an eARC from Harper Collins on Edelweiss. An honest review was provided.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so pleased to see how entertaining this was! If I had to pick my top 2 contenders for continuing on with a full Marple collection or novel, I'd put it between Jean Kwok (honoring the vibes of Christie while going somewhere fresh) and Ruth Ware (nailed the Christie writing style & atmosphere)

Smartest approach to the story I would say was Val McDermid; could totally see a YA spin off with the Karen McManus one; and the ones from Kate Mosse & Dreda Say Mitchell were also standouts from an entertaining while still feeling like Christie perspective (the Leigh Bardugo & Alyssa Cole ones were also entertaining but didn't feel very like Marple to me)

All in all - highly recommend!

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of twelve stories by twelve different contemporary female crime writers each doing a take on the iconic Miss Jane Marple. Some try to think themselves back into Miss Marple's own age; others, less successfully, try to 'update' her - a nice idea but one which didn't really come off.

We know that Christie's Jane Marple has travelled to the Caribbean, for example, but she didn't really like the 'foreigness' and only really made sense of it by reducing people to facsimiles of personages in St Mary's Mead - to therefore project her happily wandering around Manhattan, sailing to Hong Kong and holidaying in Italy rather misses the point. Even on home ground, the idea of Miss Marple dining at the high table of an Oxford college doesn't really fit.

As well as characterisation slippages and attempts to reconstruct Miss Marple who now exclaims over anti-Semitism, and invites a Black communist theatre producer to move to England (as if Marple were not solidly Conservative and conservative), most of the stories are too short to enable the kind of plotting flair that Christie had in spades - there just isn't the sort of sleight of hand that Christie did so brilliantly and too many of the tales fall a little flat.

There are, too, stories which almost make a gimmick of Miss Marple: over-exaggerating her perspicacity till she's almost a fortune-teller/medium, or misunderstanding the fundamentals of her character which is essentially traditionally moral (that last story - sheesh! as Mrs Bantry is the murderer and Miss Marple helps her cover up the crime.

The standout story is by Val McDermid which recounts a second murder at the vicarage, recalling the first Marple novel, The Murder at the Vicarage. Here it's huge fun to see the younger and nosier Jane Marple as narrated via put-upon vicar, Len Clement, and it's fun to be back in the company of his wife Griselda, nephew Duncan, Inspector Slack, and the gossipy women of the village.

An entertaining tube or holiday read but also a reminder that Christie is incomparable.

Thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC via NetGalley.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie, and it has sparked my interest in Agatha Christie. Haven't read her in years, though I do intend to, but I did binge watch the Miss Marple series. Loved them. Anyway when I saw this book it fit right in, so I just had to read.

Twelve stories,all featuring Miss Marple and written by some of my favorite authors. Lucy Foley, Val McDermid, Elly Griffith and Kate Moss, and others, all recognizable names. I loved them all, felt they were all in line with the Miss Marple I came to know from the series. Fun, all complete, so well done. Talented authors all though I think if I had to pick one to be a favorite, it would be the story by surprisingly to me because she is not a favorite of mine, Miss Marple's Christmas. Though in truth, I did enjoy each and every one.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: Taken from 'The Second Murder at the Vicarage' by Val McDermid

'I'm afraid . . .' I stopped, not feeling entirely comfortable delivering my news among the gladioli and the dahlias and the talk of romance.

I often underestimate the steel under the tweeds when it comes to my older female parishioners. 'Mary's not sulking, my dear. Mary's been murdered,' Miss Marple said, her tone entirely lacking in drama.

Miss Hartnell's jaw dropped, revealing large yellow teeth that would have been more at home in the mouth of Colonel Bantry's favourite hunter.

'Mary? Murdered? There must be some mistake, Jane. What motive could anyone have for murdering Mary? It's not as if she's got the brains to be a threat to anyone. Or enough personality to provoke a murderous thought.'

It appeared that the concept of never speaking ill of the dead fell into abeyance when the dead were of the servant class.

ABOUT 'MARPLE: TWELVE NEW MYSTERIES': A brand-new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Mystery’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors.

This collection of a dozen original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.

Naomi Alderman
Leigh Bardugo
Alyssa Cole
Lucy Foley
Elly Griffiths
Natalie Haynes
Jean Kwok
Val McDermid
Karen M. McManus
Dreda Say Mitchell
Kate Mosse
Ruth Ware

Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Agatha Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

MY THOUGHTS: I love Miss Marple and largely enjoyed this collection of short stories involving my favourite knitting sleuth penned by both some of my favourite authors and some that were new to me.

The stories focus on Miss Marple's ability to detect evil in the most ordinary of people with some surprising results.

The three stories that really stood out for me were:
Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley;
The Second Murder at The Vicarage by Val McDermid; and
The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo.
All of them five stars. These three seemed to have a little more substance and depth than the others, no mean feat in a short story! The others ranged from 3 - 4 stars, with only one at 2.5 stars.

If you are in the market for a collection of short stories in the mystery genre, you really can't do better than Marple.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#MarpleTwelveNewStories #NetGalley

I: @harperfiction

T: @HarperFiction

#historicalfiction #mystery #shortstories

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins, Harper Fiction, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Marple: Twelve New Stories for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Ellery Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope Harper puts out more of these (and maybe a Poirot volume?) because this collection was really fun. Some of the stories feel more authentic than others, but they're all fun. There were times when I had to remind myself that the Jane Marple I met in a few of the stories is willing to travel abroad, strike a yoga pose, and act rather contrary to the conservative and traditional woman I've come to know and love, but I was willing to roll with it. If you're a Christie fan, give this one a go.

[Helga · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is wickedness everywhere!

This is a collection of short stories featuring the ever adorable and astute Miss Marple, penned by a group of well-known contemporary writers.

I believe no one could ever surpass Agatha Christie in creating a perfect plot and heightening the suspense in a novel or a short story, but i quite enjoyed these cozy mysteries.

[inciminci · Rating 4 out of 5]

St. Mary Meads, tiny cottages in the cozy English countryside, travels to exotic locations, comfy Christmas dinners laced with mysteries, generous nephews, murdered choir leaders and house maids, dukes, people with names like Cuthbert, Dolly or Prudence Fairweather, lost jewelry and a certain birdlike, unremarkable old lady too intelligent for her own good named Jane Marple.

Is your pulse racing with excitement at the mention of all this already? Then throw on that woolen shawl, sip your hot cup of tea with sherry and grab this book.

The idea is genius and the execution no less great – in twelve stories Miss Marple, one of Agatha Christie's most impressive lead characters, the grand dame of English small town killings, is being re-invented by twelve present day female authors. And they're all rocking it – the atmosphere and the very core of Miss Marple's unassuming but sharp logic are captured brilliantly in all of them. My only critique would be that short form mysteries don't really work for me fully as the conclusion comes way too sudden and I'm somehow unable to build mental suspense. Nevertheless, a delight to read.

My highlights were A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell which is set against the lively background of a Caribbean wedding and Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths which is told from the point of view of an author who plans a murder.

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were really good, others not so much.

I think some authors managed to evoke Miss Marple and others I felt like they were just trying to do their own spin on the character and it just made me miss Agatha Christie.

Review of last story--FYI, Miss Marple wouldn't be okay with murder, no matter who did it. I think the last story totally mixed up Marple with Poirot.

Full review:

Per usual, I am going to rate each story individually so you all can see how I got to my group rating for the collection.

"Evil in Small Places" by Lucy Foley (5 stars)-Honestly this was probably one of the better stories in the collection. Foley has obviously read Dame Agatha Christie before. She fundamentally gets the character. Unfortunately some of the other authors do not. This story follows Miss Marple after she goes to visit with an old school friend. After finding the newest choir mistress dead, Miss Marple realizes who did it and why.

"The Second Murder at the Vicarage" by Val McDermid (4 stars)-McDermid obviously read and took notes on Murder at the Vicarage and this second story follows the same type of narration in that book. We follow the local vicar who finds another dead body in his home. Miss Marple is spoken of in more glowing terms (which makes sense after he has gotten to know her) and she goes about doing things that the vicar doesn't know about until she's ready to reveal. And just like the first book ended, you find out who did it and why and things are tided up.

"Miss Marple Takes Manhattan" by Alyssa Cole (1.5 stars)-This didn't work at all. Cole does include Miss Marple's nephew (Raymond) and his wife (Joan)but other than that, it didn't read at all like a Miss Marple book. The resolution to this didn't work for me at all either.

"The Unraveling" by Natalie Haynes (4.5 stars)-Honestly this reads very well and it reads like a short story that Agatha Christie would have written. The only reason why I gave this one half a star is the solution was pretty obvious and I think Christie would have done more dis-direction if she had written this.

"Ms. Marple's Christmas" by Ruth Ware (3 stars)-I honestly got very confused reading this. It didn't make a lot of sense. But we get to see the Bantrys again in this one.

"The Open Mind" by Naomi Alderman (2 stars)-I did not like this at all. It takes place in what, 1970 I think. The whole story just read off to me I think. Probably because I imagine in my head this takes place after "Nemesis" and it just doesn't read as a Miss Marple heading towards the end of her life.

"The Jade Empress" by Jean Kwok (1 star)-So here's the thing. Agatha Christie had some racist commentary about Asians and even Jewish people in her works. I like the idea of Miss Marple taking a cruise to Hong Kong. I just don't believe it's something that Miss Marple would even have done. And though the book takes her frowning at people for saying racist things, I don't think Miss Marple as Christie wrote her would have even batted an eyelash. The story doesn't even work for me either because in the end, Kwok just takes another Christie story and makes this the same type of solution.

"A Deadly Wedding Day" by Drea Say Mitchell (2 stars)-This didn't feel like a Miss Marple story, but more like a Miss Bella story. The solution was so convoluted I just couldn't get into it really.

"Murder at the Villa Rose" by Elly Griffths (1 star)-No. It just went on and on and this is something that I can see swapping out Poirot for Miss Marple. It just doesn't even read as a Miss Marple story at all. And the ending was eyeroll inducing.

"The Murdering Sort" by Karen M. McNanus (1 star)-The story itself was okay, but what kept throwing me is the main character we follow, is a great great niece of Miss Marple and that her granddad is Miss Marple's, nephew, Raymond. The math wasn't mathing people. It just kept messing me up. Also this takes place in the 1970s and I just gave up how this was even making sense after a while. Because of the age discrepancy, I just couldn't get into the story. Also the reason behind the murder was stupid.

"The Mystery of the Acid Soil" by Kate Mosse (5 stars)-A really good story that definitely evokes the best of Miss Marple. I loved the idea of her meeting a curate and getting caught up in his story of a young lady that he knows who has gone missing. I also loved the solution since I didn't put two and two together.

"The Disappearance" by Leigh Bardugo (1 star)-Absolutely not. This is a fundamentally not a Miss Marple story. If Bardugo had swapped out Poirot for Marple this would have worked. Miss Marple fundamentally did not stand by for murder. And she didn't care who did it and their connections to her at all. I also thought this completely rewrote the character of [redacted] who would never have even gotten involved in something like this at all. From the Miss Marple short stories we know that she was often taken into others confidences, but based on their background, they never would have done what takes place in this one.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. I quite enjoyed this short story collection by contemporary authors, savoring it over a week to really enjoy. My favorite was by Ruth Ware & set over the Christmas holiday. Some, were of course, more successful than others in following in Dame Agatha's footsteps. Recommend to any Miss Marple fan!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned from the introduction that in 1927 Miss Jane Marple first arrived on the scene, and her final appearance was in Agatha Christie's last novel in 1976 - the year that Christie died. That's quite a legacy and how amazing that twelve different authors came up with a new story for her!

Listening to this book was a real treat. My favorite of the stories were the ones where something familiar from the original stories appeared, whether it was a character or a setting, it drew me closer.

The 1st story is Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley, narrated by Alex Kingston. Alfred Tennyson's famous poem, The Lady of Shalott is referred to and I recalled that Christie included it in her novel, The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side.

The 2nd story is The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid, narrated by Adrian Scarborough.

The 3rd story is Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole, narrated by Adjoin Andoh. This one might just be my favorite. I really didn't expect to like it, as it was hard to imagine Miss Marple in Manhattan, but the dry humor was marvelous! Here are my favorite quotes:

"[Miss Marple] knew that the younger people around her assumed that she had already crumbled and it did appeal to her as it would be so much easier than changing but she was self-aware. Miss Marple understood that she was not the crumbling type. She would have to go eventually as all people do but she hoped it would be in a blaze of glory like the burnt out buildings they past."

"His gaze sharpened into an ice pick."

"If you don't melt I will shatter you."

"It was a laugh designed to act like salt on a snail."

The 4th story is The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes, narrated by Imogen Stubbs. My favorite quote:

"Miss Marple didn't sigh but she exhaled with commitment."

The 5th story is Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware, narrated by Alison Steadman. Another favorite for me. I learned about one of Miss Marple's favorite childhood games, 'Snap Dragon,' which involved plucking burning raisins from a dish of flaming brandy! I wondered if this was a piece of absolute fiction created by Ware's imagination, however I discovered that it is a real game from time past.

I enjoyed the connection to Dorothy L Sayers novel, Hangman's Holiday featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. My favorite quote:

"She was knitting something snowy and white that frothed over her lap."

The 6th story is The Open Mind by Naomi Alderman, narrated by Johdi May. This story is set in Oxford and includes a clever twist.

The 7th story is The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok, narrated by Chipo Chung. Favorite quote:

Miss Marple: "I have recently come to believe that dim sum which I believe this style of food is called means touch of the heart."

The 8th story is A Deadly Wedding Day by Dread Say Mitchell, narrated by Cathy Tyson. There is a connection to Christie's novel, A Caribbean Mystery, as it is mentioned that Miss Marple had solved a mystery in the Caribbean community of Notting Hill in London, UK. An interesting question occurs to Miss Marple, why doesn't the bride get to give a speech at her own wedding? Favorite quote:

"Crave all, get none," a Caribbean saying.

The 9th story is Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths, narrated by Ramon Tikeram.

The 10th story is The Murdering Sort by Karen M McManus, narrated by Tanya Reynolds.

The 11th story is The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse, narrated by Celia Imrie. I loved both the story and the narration.

The 12th story is The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo, narrated by Miriam Margolyes. I loved the descriptions of the people and the surprise ending. I felt quite bereft when I finished listening and had to leave Miss Marple behind. Favorite quotes:

"He wore some sort of disreputable trousers."

"Age is cruel and crueler still to women. A woman becomes a ghost when she stops being worth looking at."

""A ghost can be quite frightening," murmured Miss Marple, "A ghost might get away with anything at all.""

[Kristen Freiburger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Imagine an acclaimed chocolatier prepares a decadent dessert for you. 10 mins later you have to eat a Hersey Kiss that was found under a mini-van seat in the month of August. That my friends is what reading this felt like. There will only ever be ONE Agatha! Sorry ladies, TWELVE strike outs!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a Miss Marple fan, you will love these short stories that brought her back to life.

For the most part.

These 12 contemporary authors, give their own take of Miss Marple in twelve different ways in their own style.

Some were clever, some not so much.

This was a great in-between book to read while wading through other novels.

Short stories are great throw aways, and especially fun old-time mysteries with that twist spin by those mystery authors we have come to love.

But... To be honest, not all the authors got Miss Marple, in the way Miss Christie meant her to be.

And... Even if they wanted to “modernize her” was that really what was meant to happen?

I leave it to future readers to determine which authors did it best. That is the beauty of short stories. Quick reads. Over and done and on to the next.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good murder mystery? And nobody did it better than Agatha Christie. I attended a crime writers festival here in Sydney this weekend and I think that every author at every panel mentioned their admiration for Agatha and what she did for the genre all those years ago.

I grew up reading Agatha Christie novels with my grandmother, and it is a memory that will always stay with me. I was keen to see how these modern-day crime writers tackled Miss Marple. And I was really impressed. Jane Marple is a force to be reckoned with, and these writers captured her spirit, her wit and her tenacity. They took her outside her comfort zone, with trips to Manhattan and on a cruise ship. It was interesting to see their take on the gold age and returning to the village of St Mary Mead.

There are some amazing writers in this collection of 12 new Miss Marple stories. With names like Lucy Foley, Val McDermid, Elly Griffiths, Karen M. McManus and one of my favourites Ruth Ware. How could you not want to read this.

My favourite story was Miss Marples Christmas by Ruth Ware. It had all the elements of the classic tales, with the added bonus of Christmas.

So, grab this book, get re-acquainted with Jane Marple, and her knitting needles and sharp tongue.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK for my advanced copy of this book to read.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve popular mystery writers take on the challenge to write short stories in the style of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories. Some are more successful than others to get the tone just right but all these stories are enjoyable. What sets the character of the elderly Jane Marple apart? 'I simply have a certain knowledge of human nature that has, on occasion, proved helpful to the police,' she claims.

[Adrienne L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of twelve stories by various authors inspired by Agatha Christie's humble and retiring literary sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. Well, not only inspired by, these stories resurrect Miss Marple as well as her quaint English village of St Mary Mead and several characters from the original books and stories, such as Colonel and Dolly Bantry and Raymond and Joan West. More importantly, what these stories manage to do is conjure the quaint and cozy vibes that I imagine fans of the Marple books would expect when they read a story associated with the name of that venerably clever and gently wryly-humored spinster.

As someone who has read all of the original Miss Marple novels and most, if not all, of the original stories written by Christie, I was a little nervous going into this collection. Of the authors included, there are a lot of names I'm familiar with, but only one whom I've read from before (Ruth Ware), so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm happy to say that while some stories were more successful than others and some of the authors were trying a bit too hard, to the point where it seemed almost like a satire rather than an homage, this book was successful in delivering the reading experience with my favorite amateur detective that I was looking for. While it's true that most of these stories aren't on par with Christie's writing, and more than one devolves into a silly and far-fetched denouement, I was charmed enough by the atmosphere that I still got what I was looking for - a chance to revisit the wonderful Miss Marple in all of her cleverest-person-in-the-room glory.

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

This was very entertaining.
Some stories were clever and ingenious, some captured Christie’s essence perfectly.
A couple of authors surprised me.
I enjoyed the writing of each author, and I appreciated their creativity and their effort to pay an homage to one of my top favourite authors.
Below is a list of the stories and its respective author, as well as my ratings.
I highly recommend the audiobook, which I had the pleasure of listening while reading the book.

Evil in Small Places, by Lucy Foley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Second Murder at the Vicarage, by Val McDermid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Miss Marple Takes Manhattan, by Alyssa Cole ⭐️⭐️

The Unravelling, by Natalie Haynes ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Miss Marple’s Christmas, by Ruth Ware ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (gasp!)

The Open Mind, by Naomi Alderman ⭐️⭐️

The Jade Empress, by Jean Kwok ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Deadly Wedding Day, by Dreda Say Mitchell ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murder at the Villa Rosa, Elly Griffiths ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this story did not have Christie’s essence (in my opinion) but the writing was very good

The Murdering Sort, Karen M. McManus ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Mystery of the Acid Soil, Kate Mosse ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Disappearance, Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should admit right away that I was highly skeptical about a collection of Miss Marple stories written by authors who are not Agatha Christie, and not even a contemporary of hers. By and large, I felt that most of the contributors got the tone all wrong. It feels as though their only familiarity with Miss Marple is through the television adaptations rather than the original stories themselves.
The last story in the collection, by Leigh Bardugo, was by far the best, in my opinion. I also though Karen McManus's story did very well on tone, although Miss Marple is not the one who actually solves the mystery, which was kind of a disappointment.
It is possible that someone unfamiliar with Miss Marple would enjoy these stories. However, my recommendation for anyone who has yet to know the pleasure of Miss Marple's company should instead find a copy of The Tuesday Club Murders/The Thirteen Problems and just go right to the original source.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Marple Returns!
Review of the William Morrow paperback & Kindle editions (September 5, 2023) of the William Morrow hardcover original (September 13, 2022).

[45/60 Average = 3.75/5 rounded up to a GR 4]
These 12 new stories by various contemporary authors feature Agatha Christie's amateur senior sleuth Miss Marple back to solve what are otherwise inexplicable mysteries. I was already familiar with more than half of the writers, who are not all otherwise known for mysteries or detective stories. On the whole everyone did a fair to excellent job.

In the kind, warm glow of the fire the marks of old age were flatteringly blurred. Jane Marple was so little changed, in the important details, from her girlhood self. The quick, birdlike manner, the bright, inquisitive eyes, the sense of a quiet, perhaps even formidable intelligence.

My favourites ***** were the ones that had Miss Marple back on her home ground in the village of St. Mary Mead (#2, #5 & #12). #8 was my other favourite, for a very clever plot which included a Caribbean-based amateur sleuth as Miss Marple's partner in crime-solving. Many of the others had Miss Marple travelling to various exotic locations, always funded by her generous nephew Raymond West, which admittedly is still in keeping with the canon (i.e. A Caribbean Mystery).

#10 was a bit of an odd-ball story in that it had Miss Marple visiting with her nephew Raymond West's grand-daughter. I think most would picture Miss Marple in the original stories (1927 to 1976) as a permanent or slowly aging 60 to 80 years old. Jumping an entire 2 generations would seem to add 40 years or so to her age i.e. making her 100 to 120 years old. Or, perhaps like the best of fictional characters, she is simply immortal😊.

1. Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley. **** Miss Marple visits an old school colleague when the local choir leader is found murdered.

2. The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid. ***** A sequel to the 1st Miss Marple novel The Murder at the Vicarage: A Miss Marple Mystery with many of the same characters. McDermid captures the atmosphere of the original very well.

3. Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole. *** Miss Marple joins her nephew Raymond West and his wife Joan in a trip to NYC to attend the opening of a theatrical adaptation of his first novel. An apparent death occurs at the theatre dress rehearsal.

4. The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes. **** A man appears on a family doorstep and is later murdered for no apparent reason. I had expected that this one would somehow tie-into Greco-Roman classical myths based on my other readings of Natalie Haynes, but it didn’t. It did however tie-in to a rather famous historical court case from the middle ages 🤐 .

5. Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware. ***** Miss Marple spends Christmas with her nephew Raymond and his wife Joan visiting her. They attend Christmas dinner at the Bantrys, along with several others, when a jewelry theft occurs.

6. The Open Mind by Naomi Alderman. *** Miss Marple attends a Founders’ Dinner at St. Bede College when an apparent murder occurs.

7. The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok. *** Miss Marple is on a cruise to Hong Kong on the Jade Empress cruise line when a murder occurs on board the ship.

8. A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell. ***** Miss Marple attends a wedding where one of the guests is apparently poisoned. The groom’s parents want to cover up that a death has occurred.

9. Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths. ** Probably the oddest story in the collection. A writer who is apparently planning a murder goes on a vacation to the Villa Rosa where he meets a strange collection of people including Miss Marple. Once the reveal comes it is a bit of a letdown.

10. The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus. *** Miss Marple is again on vacation in Cape Cod with her nephew Raymond’s grand-daughter(? This seems like a completely unrealistic jump in generations) Nicola. A friend of Nicola asks Miss Marple to investigate why her family’s patriarch is suspicious of his family trying to murder him.

11. The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse. *** Miss Marple meets a curate on a train and is asked to help find his missing girlfriend.

12. The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo. ***** Miss Marple is called back from a London trip by her old friend Mrs. Bantry who is living in the Lodge at her old residence Gossington Hall. The scion of the new owners has gone missing with the family jewels. Also, the body of a local girl has been found, a suicide or murder?

I could not properly utilize the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® for these mysteries. In short stories the reveal comes along so soon that you really have no time to analyze or ponder the clues. I would thus rate all of these at the high end of the scale as 8s to 10s (i.e. almost impossible to solve by the reader), even if the bad 'un may be somewhat obvious due to Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

A collection of new Marple stories, told by a range of authors, that offers a new perspective on one of Agatha Christie's most beloved super sleuths. Below I'll give a break down of each short story and my overall feelings.

Evil In Small Places By Lucy Foley - Marple takes a detour to visit an old school friend and becomes embroiled in the mysterious murder of a former French singer. Because of course she does. A great closed circle mystery that has a very distinct beginning, middle and end. Is it entirely original? No. Is the killer really obvious? Yes. However this still retains that nostalgic feel of a good Christie story, and Marple is as sharp as ever. 3/5.

The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid - There's been another murder at the vicarage. This one felt very cheeky, filled with all of Marple's wit and charm as she takes down the local constabulary and the vicar as she deduces who the killer is. However, it was also extremely short and lacked any of Christie's trademark huge cast of red herrings. 3/5.

Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole - Miss Marple winds up seeing the bright lights of New York with her nephew and niece. I wasn't a fan of this one. It felt very out of character, nothing like a Marple story, and also there was no plot to speak of. 2/5.

The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes - A new farm hand lies dead, and a woman stands accused. But why does she have no motive? I love Natalie Haynes writing, but at first I found this incredibly dull. However as everything starts to pull together, and a sprinkle of mythology is placed into Marple's reasoning, I ended up pleasantly surprised. 3/5.

Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware - It all gets a bit meta as Marple investigates a case of missing pearls, where the culprit may have taken inspiration from some detective stories. I liked this one a lot. It's clever and works well as a short story, with a simple mystery that's easily wrapped up yet still feels satisfying. Again it also has a touch of the nostalgia to it. 4/5.

The Open Mind by Naomi Alderman - Miss Marple gets invited to an Oxford dinner where she meets a particularly obnoxious scholar. This was just a bit bland overall, and not helped by my dislike of books about academia. The mystery elements felt a bit pointless. 2/5.

The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok - There's a murderer aboard The Jade Empress, and the death is steeped in Chinese superstitions. I liked this one, although on reflection it's not entirely memorable. I liked the broadening of cultural references but it probably could have gone further. The mystery was well thought out, but thr ending does let it down a bit. 3.5/5.

A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell - Marple enlists the help of Miss Bella to get to the bottom of a murder at a wedding reception. This one was, easily one of my favourites. It's a well thought out and executed mystery, and the addition of Miss Bella brings out Miss Marple's best observational skills. 4/5

Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths - An author escapes to a picturesque Italian gateway to get some inspiration, and meets some very interesting people, including a certain Jane Marple. This felt very different in style to the others in the collection as Miss Marple is a secondary character although I liked the overall idea. 3.5/5.

The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus - Miss Marple's precocious relative takes up the family mantle as a friend's grandfather is murdered. This was another story that centered a main character that wasn't Miss Marple, however unlike the previous tale I found this one quite endearing, and more of an homage - a passing of the torch. It reminded me a lot of Enola Holmes. 4/5.

The Mystery Of The Acid Soil by Kate Mosse - Miss Marple encounters a stranger on a train, and becomes caught up in a young woman's disappearance. This one was incredibly slow moving, and not all that engaging. Forgettable. 2/5.

The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo - When a groom goes missing a week before his wedding, Miss Marple is tasked with tracking him down. I really enjoyed this one, and it felt fitting to have it last as Miss Marple comes full circle and returns to the scene of her first murder investigation at Gossington Hall. The ending genuinely took me by surprise in a good way. 4/5.

Overall this is a great collection of stories, taking Miss Marple all over the world while managing to maintain that sense of Christie's classic writing style and characterisation. I really hope they do a Poirot collection in the future.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed Agatha Christie books as well as the many films and television series over the years. I have read and enjoyed all of her novels so it is pleasing to read other popular authors pay a huge compliment to her memory by writing a Miss Marple story themselves. This made fascinating reading and was very entertaining throughout, I particularly enjoyed the stories by Ruth Ware, Elly Griffiths and Kate Mosse.

This is a collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple written by top authors in their own right. The stories are written with many of the characteristics we have come to love but also the authors have put their own interpretation across making this an excellent read.

Authors featured in this collection, Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse and Ruth Ware.

A brave attempt to write Miss Marple stories to a similar level of ability but this is a very good effort. I would enjoy reading a similar book featuring one of Agatha Christie’s other characters Hercule Poirot.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Anissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 read overall but I was delighted to have some new takes on Jane Marple. They didn't all feel quite like her to me but as Jane considers in one of the short stories here, I don't imagine I could do any better and these were fine attempts. Picturing Joan Hickson as Jane Marple as I read these was great fun so I have to give points for that novelty. Dame Agatha is still the reason the source material is so consistently appealing.

Full review to come after Turkey Day. 🦃

[Judi · Rating 1 out of 5]

'Harrumpf,' she muttered, shaking her silver-haired head. 'How can anyone think that they can do my friend, Jane Marple, better than Dame Christie? Impossible!' She put the book down with a thud on the table near her chair, and picked up her knitting bag, but she was still bothered by the temerity of those 12 women who not only put together rather wobbly situations, but couldn't stop using the phrases 'fleecy white hair' and 'fleecy white blanket.' How trite, how stale, how absolutely unimaginative, not to mention that Jane was already (ahem) elderly in 1927, when she solved her first case. Although it's true that if anyone could live to be that old it would be Jane, it would have been much more of a challenge to keep her in the same era, but alas, that would mean actually doing some research, and if they had so much trouble with the 1960s and 1970s, I daresay they would have made a mess of the time of Jane's legitimate career. Once again, she picked up her knitting and started yet another baby blanket. After all, someone in the village must be having a baby soon. She thought to herself, 'Perhaps it would be best if writers would leave well enough alone. There's only one Miss Marple, and she should be left the capable hands of Agatha Christie.'

[Lotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

my favourite stories were by elly griffiths and leigh bardugo (interestingly enough, these are the two stories that subvert the reader's expectations for a classic detective story the most out of all of the ones in this book), but in my opinion, there wasn't a single truly disappointing story in this collection and I had a great time reading it. fingers crossed there will be a poirot collection with the same concept soon!

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

I got this novel from my local library ebooks, it is twelve short stories about Miss Maple by twelve different authors. Each story is different with interesting well developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to each conclusion. As with all multiply book sets some you like better than others. I would highly recommend this novel too fans of Agatha Christie and readers of mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀😡🏡

I listen 🎶to about 100+ ebooks from my local library to go along with ebooks from Amazon which Alexa reads to me. Happy reading and have fun 🌙😀

[Barbara K]

As I am nearing completion of my reread of the Miss Marple novels, Alan recommended this book of 12 stories featuring Miss Marple (“MM” below), written by contemporary authors. I enjoyed many of them, though the quality was uneven. I suggest that you read Alan’s review as well, since his preferences were not always consistent with mine.

Authors approached this assignment in different ways. Some were determined to preserve the St. Mary Mead setting in careful detail. Others aimed for the essence of a good MM story regardless of location. A few stretched their imaginations in ways that were not necessarily successful.

The average of all 12 stories comes out to 3.25, which really seems unfair since I did like some of them very much. So I’m not assigning an overall rating, just one for each story.

Evil in Small Places, Lucy Foley: 2.5 stars
With the goal of seeing a famous garden in season, MM visits an old acquaintance who lives nearby. The two have never really been close and soon find disagreement over how long it takes residents of small villages to truly embrace newcomers. While they are on their way to the home of one such newcomer, that woman is murdered and it is left to MM to sort out what happened. Nothing seemed smooth about the plotting and overall it was unimpressive.

The Second Murder at the Vicarage, Val McDermid: 3.0
Excellent recreation of St. Mary Mead. All characters and location spot on, and as with the original Murder at the Vicarage, the POV is that of the vicar. His hapless former maid has been murdered, and in the vicarage to boot. What was she doing there and why was she murdered? MM keeps her eyes open and figures it all out. The person identified as the murderer didn’t seem well integrated into the plot, unfortunately, and the end felt clunky.

The Unraveling, Natalie Haynes: 4.0
The details of St. Mary Mead don’t match the original at all, but the plot is a very typical MM mystery. Residents of St. Mary Mead demonstrate some uncharacteristic behaviors, ending up in murder. Haynes does a fine job of having MM gradually notice details, make deductions, and revise her thinking as more information comes to light. Demonstrating this evolving thought process on MM’s part is impressive given the confines of the short story format.

Miss Marple’s Christmas, Ruth Ware: 4.0
No murder, just stolen pearls during Christmas festivities at the Bantry’s home, Gossington Hall. (Location for Body in the Library and The Mirror Cracked). Great style, use of setting and characters. It comes across well even though it relies on that old trope of a snowstorm restricting activities in and around the manor. A solid dose of MM.

Miss Marple Takes Manhattan, Alyssa Cole: 4.0
Nephew Raymond and his wife have brought Miss Marple along to NYC when an adaptation of one of his books is being staged. The cast is typically fractious and one of them ends up on a dressing room floor after the lights go off on the night of a dress rehearsal. The “why” is the point of this one, and since the circumstances remind MM of an event in St. Mary Mead, she promptly figures it out. One of the better efforts to relocate MM.

The Open Mind, Naomi Alderman: 2.0
Something felt off about this one, and I can’t articulate the reason for that except that a number of elements seemed to be forced. The denoument hinges on a crypt being left open before the murder victim can be interred and includes a bizarre reference to Cromwell and Chas II. Alderman seems determined to shoehorn in references to antisemitism and conspiracy theories.

The Jade Empress, Jean Kwok: 3.0
Miss Marple is on a cruise ship in the South China Sea on her way to visit Raymond in Hong Kong. Her dance partner, a man from China who has emigrated to England and is now on his way to reconnect with the son he left behind, is murdered. Was it the Chinese healer who was traveling with him or the daughter of his second marriage? Pretty good setup, but it falls apart at the end. MM is more active than typical, executing underarm turns while waltzing and taking up tai chi once in Hong Kong.

A Deadly Wedding Day, Dreda Say Mitchell: 2.0
The second of these stories to feature a bigamous marriage on the opposite side of the world. A woman is murdered during a wedding reception and the parents of the groom try to hide the body. The bride is from St. Honore (location of Murder in the Caribbean, hence MM’s invitation as a friend of the bride). The plot depends on arcane knowledge of a plant from that island. Maybe Christie could have done something with this, but Mitchell hasn’t.

Murder at the Villa Rosa, Elly Griffiths: 1.0
This one is told through the POV of a writer staying at the same Italian coastal hotel as Miss Marple. He’s become disenchanted with his much beloved series character (echoes of Holmes and Poirot and their authors), and has decided to kill him off. MM doesn’t really do anything in this one. She’s just an observer. Very odd.

The Murdering Sort, Karen McManus: 4.0
Great job! MM is in New England in a cottage near an estate where her great-niece is staying with a friend for the summer. A Knives Out kind of plot with the great-niece as an observer to events who gets herself in harm’s way. Solid construction, nothing artificial despite the locale and that it is told from the POV of the great-niece. Solid.

The Mystery of the Acid Soil, Kate Mosse: 5.0
Expertly done. MM travels to a small village to visit an old friend. In the train on way there she chats with a young curate headed to the same destination about a young woman who has gone missing. When MM arrives and learns more about the events surrounding that young woman, she suspects foul play. Her observational skills lead to the solution of a double murder. The plotting is organic and well presented.

The Disappearance, Leigh Bardugo: 4.5
MM is summoned back from London to Saint Mary Mead by both her housekeeper Cherry and her old friend Dolly Bantry. Cherry is concerned about the death of a young woman in town - was it murder or suicide? And Dolly is troubled by the disappearance, shortly before his wedding, of the son of the new owners of Gossington Hall. What is behind each of these events, and are they connected? A fine job, true to all that is MM