So, I haven’t had a chance to read much this year. I know that it’s only March, but it feels like forever since I’ve read much. I’ve now managed four whole books this year – and they weren’t that long or that difficult. Anyway, I spent a day in bed sick recently and I used part of that time to read Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie.
The Author:
Agatha Christie was born in September of 1890 in Devon, England. Her first book The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in 1920. Interestingly, it was published first in the United States and several months later, made its debut in England. Mrs. Christie was married twice; first to the unfaithful Archibald Christie, then to Max Mallowan. She had one daughter with her first husband. Mrs. Christie wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short stories. The author is best known for those featuring Miss Jane Marple and Private Detective Monsieur Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie died in January of 1986 at the age of 95.
Technical Details:
The Miss Marple short stories were published in batches and in different forms. The first edition containing all the short stories together, was originally published in 1985. My copy was published by HarperCollins in 2011. The entire volume is 368 pages, divided into 20 chapters or more specifically, short stories.
The Stories:
The Miss Marple short stories are really divided into four sections. In the first, Miss Marple, along with five others, including her nephew Raymond, form the Tuesday Night Club. Every Tuesday evening, the group would get together and one member would tell a mystery that they were involved in, allowing the others a chance to solve it before they explain the end. The stories vary, but most surround a murder or theft. From the so-called superstitious death of Richard Haydon, to the theft of Otranto’s bullion (gold), to the disappearance of Simon Clode’s will, each take turns telling their tale. To the amazement of all, Miss Marple solves each mystery, even when everyone else is stumped.
In the second section, Miss Marple tells her nephew Raymond and his fiancé, a story about the mysterious murder of Mrs. Rhodes. Alone in a room, with the doors in plain sight of witnesses, no one comes in or out, yet a woman is murdered… by whom?
The third section is basically a random selection of stories, sometimes featuring random characters from the earlier sections. Theft, impersonations, and a hidden inheritance all take part, with Miss Marple working to solve each mystery in her slightly odd way.
The last section is comprised of two “longer” short stories. The first centers around Raymond again, his wife, and her cousin, a unique house, a mysterious spinster, a surly boy, and a theatrical murder. The last is about Miss Marple’s niece Bunch (yes… Bunch… an odd name I think.), the wife of a vicar. When a man is found dying in the sanctuary of the church, the minister and his wife take him home. After he dies, the police begin investigations, but when a shady couple make Bunch suspicious and no one will listen to her, she takes off to find her aunt…
The Writing Style:
The writing style varied with each story. A few of the stories were poorly written, both in leaving loose ends and disappointing narration. The rest were written with Agatha Christie’s usual easy to read, yet pleasant style. The storylines were good, though I tend to think her strengths rested more with full length books. Still, it was a pleasant read and you get a good mental picture of Miss Marple.
The Characters:
I really enjoyed the characters in this story. I didn’t care for the personalities and characteristics of a few of them, but I liked the way most of them were developed.
Sir Henry Clithering was among my favorites – a former chief inspector of Scotland Yard and member of the Tuesday Night Club. He was generally serious, with a quiet sense of humor.
Raymond West was another of my favorites, partly perhaps, because of his status as an author. (Even if his stories are “dark”, “depressing”, and about “rather unpleasant” people.) His chosen genre, however, seems a little paradoxical with his personality – cheerful, sometimes far too gullible, with a great affection for his Aunt Jane.
I’m still working on my absolute opinion of Jane Marple. She’s sweet, but almost too… distrustful, to the point that you want to doubt her affection of others. But then, she turns around and does something that proves how much she cares about them.
A small problem with the stories: A young woman named Joyce; by the end of the series her name had randomly turned to Joan. I found that a little confusing.
A Few Thoughts:
One story, the last about Bunch Harmon, while an interesting mystery, I found disappointing. Bunch is married to a clergyman. When she decides to start investigating the mysterious death at the church, she purposely keeps it a secret from her husband, because she knows he won’t want her to do it. She even goes to the length of inventing another reason to go to London – just so he thinks he knows what she’s doing. Her husband, Julian, is a good man, who loves her – there was no reason that I could see, that she should be keeping such a thing from him. I found it even more disappointing that Miss Marple encouraged the secrecy because “We women – well, it’s different.” Which I can’t claim to quite understand, but certainly doesn’t seem like a good reason to keep secrets from and deceive your husband.
Cautions:
There was some minor language scattered throughout this book, like most of Agatha Christie’s works.
Again, I might also caution about the discussions regarding infidelity. The conversations, again, are tactfully written, with nothing explicit, yet I can’t help wishing it hadn’t played such a prominent part in more than one story.
Conclusion:
Overall, I enjoyed this collection of short stories. They were mostly good mysteries and a fun read.
To the KING be all the glory!