The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

This is the thread to discuss Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. Susan will be your moderator. There will also be a thread for spoiler comments.

I plowed through this over the weekend and have already started the second one. I have read quite a bit of Agatha Christie but these were my first with Miss Marple.

I'm going to try to make time for this book. I think I have every Christie novel ever written.

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to re-read it.

I think so too, Nancy, but a lot of it was 40 years ago. Am I aging myself?

My mom got me started on Christie, actually -- she was a fan, so I read her books. Age is only a state of mind, Susan!

I first read Murder at the Vicarage - along with several more Agatha Christie novels - as a 12 year old staying with my aunt one rainy summer. That was a long time ago, but I have reread the book since then and I still love it.

What an amazing talent to stay relevant for such a long time.

I just pulled my copy off of its shelf. I'll start later tonight.

i read all the Agatha Christie mysteries back in high school, since my mom shared her love of them with me. Now that she's 91 and can't see, i am re-reading them again so i can carry them forward. My mom gave me the gift of reading when i was 3 and i am eternally grateful. Miss Marple does not disappoint (neither does the Vicar, he was so interesting a story teller).

My review is here, thanks for choosing this for the October read!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Does your mom listen to audio books now?

She does, and gets so mad when she doesn’t like the story, then she feels she can’t just put the book down 🙂

I reminded her to get a few Agatha Christie books again and she was excited. Another reason I’m glad we had Murder at the Vicarage this month.

I know the feeling well. I still struggle with putting a book down but now I give it a 100 pages and then put it aside. I like how I make deals with myself.

Susan wrote: "I know the feeling well. I still struggle with putting a book down but now I give it a 100 pages and then put it aside. I like how I make deals with myself."

that's a great idea, i will have to try this!

Hi im new here, will start the book tomorrow. Its been a while since my last Agatha. Will write soon!

I finally decided to re-read this last night. So, just started.

I know the feeling well. I read it after 40 years and discovered I didn't remember who did it.

I'm sad to say I've only read And Then There Were None prior to this so I don't have as much exposure to Agatha Christie. So I am very glad this group is reading this book.

This was a great read. The characters in this book were really well written and fun to read about. And of course the whodunit aspect of the book was interesting.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the Miss Marple series.

FINALLY I have a bit of spare time for this book, and I had to laugh on page two where the somewhat Victorian-seeming vicar says of his wife that he'd "endeavored to form her mind and failed."

I say, good job, Griselda!!!

I am so happy, Shanequa, that you liked the book. Agatha Christie is the best. I was reading another mystery this week where the civilian characters were drafted by the Paris police because the force was depleted by the heat of the summer. I thought that Christie would never ask you to suspend belief like that.

Nancy wrote: "FINALLY I have a bit of spare time for this book, and I had to laugh on page two where the somewhat Victorian-seeming vicar says of his wife that he'd "endeavored to form her mind and failed."

I ..."

Nancy,
As I recall, at the end of chapter 16, Inspector Slack incorrectly states the locations of Mrs. Protheroe and Griselda Clement on the day of the murder.
If it was intentional then he is not called "Slack" for nothing.
Could it actually be a continuity error in the original manuscript?
LG

This is one of Christie books I have't read yet and it's in my TBR list for quite some time now. Definitely gonna make time to read it this month, ASAP!

I have read a lot of crime, but I missed out Miss Marple. Thanks to the group for helping me rectify that. This was a delightful read - very clever plotting, and very well-fleshed out characters. I especially liked how many people wanted the murder to happen:)

I was impressed that there weren't any obvious, huge bloopers. I've found a few in more modern, "realistic" works.

That's why Agatha Christie is the Queen.

A.K. wrote: "I have read a lot of crime, but I missed out Miss Marple. Thanks to the group for helping me rectify that. This was a delightful read - very clever plotting, and very well-fleshed out characters. I..."

Interesting how you mention Christie wrote such fleshed out characters, considering how many critics and modern mystery writers condemn her for writing one-dimensional, card-board cut outs. But in Vicarage, I agree, Griselda, along with her husband are fleshed-out and 3-dimensional. You get a good sense of their relationship, Griselda is not your typical "vicar's wife" and isn't going to change in order to suit that role. She's her own woman -- very modern. And Christie paints a realistic portrait of an English village with a cast of colorful characters.