Sent by her husband to find a suitable house, a young bride finds what she thinks is the perfect choice--a charming Victorian villa called Hillside...
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Mar 19, 2009
Razzleteddy (Shiera)
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Nov 30, 2008
Phayvanh
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I realize this is the last book, and so there is no way of tying up loose ends. but after reading other Miss Marple mysteries, I was surprised that this one made her out to be pretty nimble, doing the neighbor's gardening and such, since in other previous Marple books, she was rendered as a feeble old lady, not fit for detective work.
Even so, her doctor recommends fresh sea breezes, and so she goes out, and - surprize! - stumbles upon a murder case that is 18 years cold. Of course, More...
Even so, her doctor recommends fresh sea breezes, and so she goes out, and - surprize! - stumbles upon a murder case that is 18 years cold. Of course, More...
Oct 09, 2011
Peter
rated it: 
"Among my favorite of all the Christie's and, in particular, Miss Marple series. Like ""Curtain"", written in the 40s and saved for publication after Christie's death, this is a fitting tale to wrap up Agatha's ouerve.
Young newlywed Gwenda Reed moves to England and becomes conviced she is going mad because of strange psychic vibes she is getting from the house. But in reality, with Miss Marple's help, she realizes that she lived there briefly as a very youn More...
Young newlywed Gwenda Reed moves to England and becomes conviced she is going mad because of strange psychic vibes she is getting from the house. But in reality, with Miss Marple's help, she realizes that she lived there briefly as a very youn More...
Jun 14, 2011
Jenny
rated it: 
***First off, just to clarify the description provided by Goodreads--it's not Miss Marple's nephew's wife. The main characters are a lovely young couple that Miss Marple meets via her nephew.***
This book was written waaaay before it was published in 1976. It sat in a deposit box waiting for the light of day. So there may be some inconsistancies with the rest of the series...but Miss Marple is not a series that you have to read in-order, in order to enjoy it.
That being sa More...
This book was written waaaay before it was published in 1976. It sat in a deposit box waiting for the light of day. So there may be some inconsistancies with the rest of the series...but Miss Marple is not a series that you have to read in-order, in order to enjoy it.
That being sa More...
Aug 18, 2010
Meave
rated it:
Miss Marple's sort of a guardian angel in her last book here, and as I prefer her in a more active role, I didn't like this as much. The actual mystery was pretty good, but the whole "let sleeping murders lie" folderol, though not as annoying as matching murders to nursery rhymes, did grate.
I like Agatha Christie best in that very narrow time period before the Alzheimer's/dementia stopped her plots from making sense, but after she was old enough to relax her super-uptight, More...
I like Agatha Christie best in that very narrow time period before the Alzheimer's/dementia stopped her plots from making sense, but after she was old enough to relax her super-uptight, More...
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Oct 07, 2009
Miss Karen Jean
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I'm staying with my dear friend Tam, who has about 1001 Agatha Christie books in her house, and I picked up Sleeping Murder for some before-bed reading. Oh how I love Miss Marple! She is a little in the background in this one (her last mystery), and I suspect that Christie may have been paving the way for a new lady detective, Gwenda (perhaps paired with husband Giles) because she lets the young newlyweds do a lot of the investigating. But they don't do it as well as dear Jane. Where they ar
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Jul 24, 2009
This book was very bad. It was so bad it made my eyes bleed. I am entitled to my opinion on this book and I say it was horrible. This whole book report is supposed to be about my feelings on the book, well here they are. I hate this book I would never want to read it again nor would I suggest it to anybody unless I hated them too. If my school ever picks another one of these books I will refuse to write a book report on it and will demand another book to write about. This book was so boring i
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Jun 24, 2009
Joseph
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I really just read this book to confirm a suspicion that I've had for a while: Agatha Christie is a hugely overrated author. Sleeping Murder corroborated this belief.
Most people have probably read her two most famous works: Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. What makes these books so popular? I'm fairly certain it's the separate twists on the "whodunit" set-up, ranging from "nobody, really" to "everybody". This interesting and su More...
Most people have probably read her two most famous works: Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. What makes these books so popular? I'm fairly certain it's the separate twists on the "whodunit" set-up, ranging from "nobody, really" to "everybody". This interesting and su More...
Mar 25, 2011
Philip
rated it:
I first read SLEEPING MURDER in Fall, 1976, as soon as copies hit the stores - it was, as it turned out, the last Christie book that remained for me to read! Although it was subtitled (and publicized) as "Miss Marple's Last Case" it really wasn't (I don't think current reprints even carry that line anymore) - the setting of the story actually occurs somewhere between THE MOVING FINGER (1942/43) and A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED (1950) - in fact, the performance of the play DUCHESS OF MALFI, w
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Feb 27, 2010
Amy
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I take infinite pleasure of not just reading the Miss Marple Mysteries but also of finding quality second hand versions in book exchanges and charity stores. I first started reading them after finding one and thinking it was the perfect length and weight to carry around in my bag to read on the bus or in a doctors waiting room.
Sleping Murder is by far one of my favourites. It contains all the best bits that make the Miss Marple Mysteries what they are best known for - A kind hearted More...
Sleping Murder is by far one of my favourites. It contains all the best bits that make the Miss Marple Mysteries what they are best known for - A kind hearted More...
Feb 05, 2010
Proactive, Effective
rated it:
Maybe it's because my mother (who read the novel before me) kept giving me hints, unintentionally though, as to what the outcome would be..but I didn't really enjoy this novel that much, even in comparison to other works of Christie's. I mean, nothing exactly happened; it was all just investigations and stuff meant for detectives to care about. I thought I'd like it after reading the first three chapters, what with all the historical/haunted/discreet connection with the house, and the internal c
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Nov 16, 2011
Chloe
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I read sleeping murder by agatha christie. It was the first time iv read an agatha christie book. I got to say I finished my agatha christie book last night it was a brilliant book and made me wonder what was going to happen next. Gwenda, giles with miss marples help solve the disapperance of helen kennedy (gwendas stepmam). Also to find out about gwendas past and her dad kelvin and step mam helens past. It was exciting right threw to the end. I was trying to figure out what had happened to hele
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Jan 11, 2011
Elaine
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Jun 21, 2010
Having gone from sniffy contemptuous snob to raving hard-core fan in a matter of about two books, I am really going to miss Jane Marple. I think the only volumes left I haven't devoured are Final Cases and the Complete Short Stories, but those just won't be the same.
(Also, putting in a plug for the lovely British Agatha Christie Signature editions - good clear type, striking covers, 'marple' on the sign and cover in embossed lower case letters which sort of tickles me terribly, and a More...
(Also, putting in a plug for the lovely British Agatha Christie Signature editions - good clear type, striking covers, 'marple' on the sign and cover in embossed lower case letters which sort of tickles me terribly, and a More...
Jul 14, 2009
Lori
rated it:
A woman unknowingly feels drawn to and ultimately buys a house in London Turns out she lived there 18 years prior, as a child of 3. From the very start, she has visions of a woman being murdered there. She feels like she is going crazy. Are these visions real or imagined? The woman starts to investigate the disappearance of her step-mother to know the truth. Of course, Miss Marple is there to help the investigation along, in her gossipy old lady (oh, I just happened to be in the garden ten
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Jun 20, 2011
Dee
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I really enjoy reading Ms. Christie. I am always shocked at how the characters seem like people I know today, living in some past time. I also find that I am never completely on track with solving the crime. I did have the right person this time at about the middle of the book, changed my mind, decided on this person again by the 3/4 mark and then doubted myself until the reveal. I also like that even though there is a crime, it is not written in bloody, gore filled description. I really don't n
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Dec 16, 2009
Joy
rated it:
One of the most boring Miss Marple mysteries ever; I think my sister and mother both failed to even finish this one.
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Oct 21, 2011
Amber
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This is a re-read for me. I wanted something familiar while I was sick. Sleeping Murder was Agatha Christie's last book and it's one of her best. The story itself is chilling in a way that Agatha Christie excels at. Since it was a re-read, I already knew who dun it, but following the path to the answer was once again thrilling. The truth unfolded perfectly and the characters were engaging. While I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I had Curtain (Poirot's final foray), it was still a wo
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Aug 02, 2010
Matt
rated it:
Good. Follows the usual Miss Marple pattern of letting someone else take center stage and letting the old 'pussy' do her work behind the scenes. (all this talk of niggers in the woodpiles and pussies is jarring these days -- let that be a lesson to any young writer wanting to use colloquialisms in their writing). Not really sure why this is a 'final' Miss Marple -- certainly isn't in the same way that Curtain is for HP -- and there's a few jarring notes as she actually seems younger than in s
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Sep 20, 2009
Jennifer
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I was completely drawn in to this book from the first page. The way that the central mystery is revealed was incredibly interesting, and I loved the blending of the possibly supernatural with the pragmatic Miss Marple's worldview. I did guess "whodunnit" which is fairly atypical for me, but I think that speaks more to my interest and investment in the plot rather than any failing on the author's part. I paid very close attention to all the details, and was delighted at how the parts
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Dec 26, 2011
Jan C
rated it:
Always an enjoyable read.
There is no real indication why this was Miss Marple's last case. She doesn't die or anything. At one point, she looks pale and one of the charaters, Gwenda or Giles - who do much of the legwork on the detecting part of the program, asks if she's all right and she indicates that she is ok ... but maybe she isn't and just doesn't want to share her illness with us. She didn't really need to go to the shore but she finagled her doctor into ordering it.
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There is no real indication why this was Miss Marple's last case. She doesn't die or anything. At one point, she looks pale and one of the charaters, Gwenda or Giles - who do much of the legwork on the detecting part of the program, asks if she's all right and she indicates that she is ok ... but maybe she isn't and just doesn't want to share her illness with us. She didn't really need to go to the shore but she finagled her doctor into ordering it.
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Oct 12, 2011
Reetta
rated it:
Dame Agathaa ei kyllä päihitä kukaan! Palapelidekkareissa logiikka ja päättely ei aina ihan ole sataprosenttista, mutta esitetään aina niin vakuuttavasti, että olen myyty. Neulepuikot kilisten Marple huolehtii uusseelantilaisesta vastanaineesta pariskunnasta, joka päätyy asumaan naisen vanhaan kotitaloon. Miksi portaikossa kohta, jossa nainen tuntee aina kauhua? Kuka on Helen? Onko hän todellakin "seksihullu" tai jopa "nymfomaani" - hui!
Palaan näihin säännöllisin More...
Palaan näihin säännöllisin More...
Aug 20, 2011
Becca
rated it:
Unfortunately, Miss Christie's writing degenerated during the latter part of her career, and "Sleeping Murder" suffered as a result. A crying shame due to the brilliant and spooky nature of the plot, but the writing style was too simplistic and the mystery clumsily put together. Guessed whodunnit by the one-third mark, and the pay-off was over so quickly if you missed a line you would have missed the dénouement. Very disappointing and - I hate to say it - the televised adaptation starr
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Jun 29, 2011
Bigyellowtaxi1
rated it:
Classic mystery, one I greatly enjoyed. There are plenty of subtle clues and misdirection so the conclusion is very satisfying. My only problem really is that Miss Marple knows the identity of the murderer chapters before the end and yet does nothing, thus putting Gwenda and others in a great deal of danger. I understand her concern that she has no evidence but that's never stopped Christie's detectives before, so why not now? I suppose Gwenda's epiphany scene really ties together the whole stor
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May 09, 2011
Sammy
rated it:
In which a young woman's haunting memories lead her on the trail of a murder from the far distant past.
"Sleeping Murder" was written during World War II and - along with the more explicitly-final Poirot novel "Curtain" - placed in a bank vault, to be opened only when Christie was either deceased, or too old to write any more. As a result, the various recurring characters in Jane Marple's life don't really seem to have aged properly, and it seems best to treat this More...
"Sleeping Murder" was written during World War II and - along with the more explicitly-final Poirot novel "Curtain" - placed in a bank vault, to be opened only when Christie was either deceased, or too old to write any more. As a result, the various recurring characters in Jane Marple's life don't really seem to have aged properly, and it seems best to treat this More...
May 07, 2008
Nikki
rated it:
My husband found this book and three others at a swap meet for me and I was so excited! FOUR Agatha Christie's I haven't read!
For once I am sorry I didn't read the back of the book first. After finishing 'Sleeping Murder', I turned it over as I always do when finishing a book, and read the back. Then I found out that this is the last book Agatha Christie ever wrote. Miss Marple's final case! Somehow I think I would have let myself enjoy it more, treasure it more, if I had know More...
For once I am sorry I didn't read the back of the book first. After finishing 'Sleeping Murder', I turned it over as I always do when finishing a book, and read the back. Then I found out that this is the last book Agatha Christie ever wrote. Miss Marple's final case! Somehow I think I would have let myself enjoy it more, treasure it more, if I had know More...
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Jan 12, 2012
Bee
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I think I read this years ago as a teenager, but wasn't entirely sure. At any rate, it was the perfect sick-with-a-cold read yesterday and the great thing about having poor memory retention is that if I did ever read it, I don't remember the plot!
Gwenda Reed is a young newlywed on a mission: buy a home in England for herself and her husband, who will be joining her at a later date. Her travels in the south of England land her in the small village of Dillmouth, where she's immediately More...
Gwenda Reed is a young newlywed on a mission: buy a home in England for herself and her husband, who will be joining her at a later date. Her travels in the south of England land her in the small village of Dillmouth, where she's immediately More...
Oct 07, 2007
Ratna
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ini buku agatha christie yang pertama kubaca, dari koleksi buku-masa-muda-ayah-yang-usang, along with buku2 alistair maclean dan alfred hitchcock. bacanya pas kelas 4 SD, dan berkesaan banget, sampe aku jadi bocah kelas 4 SD yang die hard fan agatha christie, mungkin satu-satunya di bangil :) ceritanya ttg (kalo ga salah) gwenda, yang baru beli rumah baru bareng suaminya lalu mulai mengalami berbagai deja vu kaya dia udah pernah ada di situ sebelumnya tapi nggak ingat sama sekali.puncaknya dia m
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Nov 20, 2011
Jennifer
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The venerable Dame Agatha presents a mystery whose main point of incredulity is that any couple, no matter how naive, might believe they can pry into a 20 year old murder with impunity. Luckily the omnipresent Miss Marple (who always seems to know someone who knows someone who's been murdered) is about to save them from their folly. As with much of Christie, there's a surprisingly icky undertone to the solution, if you read between the lines. Yet another treat crying out for a PBS dramatization
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May 08, 2010
Dhuaine
rated it:
It was a good book. Slowly, the crime scene is reconstructed; details come out one by one and it's fun to sort them out. There are many possible suspects, all of them with a motive. The ending wasn't particularly surprising, but it also wasn't one I guessed too early.
The only problems I have with this novel is the great coincidence in the beginning - regarding the relation between the house and the young woman who bought it - and the fact that Miss Marple was able to make out that connect More...
The only problems I have with this novel is the great coincidence in the beginning - regarding the relation between the house and the young woman who bought it - and the fact that Miss Marple was able to make out that connect More...
