A beautiful but dead blonde is discovered in the library of Gossington Hall. And only Miss Marple can read the clues to find the killer.
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Mar 18, 2011
*Maxine's Review*
The people of St. Mary Mead get hold of some juicy gossip when a body of an unknown young blonde woman is found in the library of the respectable Bantrys. As the suspicion falls on Colonel Bantry, Mrs. Bantry calls on Miss Marple to help solve this perplexing case. Investigations performed by Colonel Melchett and Inspector Slack of Radfordshire force lead them to the rich invalid, Conway Jefferson. With the inclusion of Conway Jefferson in the case, the investigatio More...
The people of St. Mary Mead get hold of some juicy gossip when a body of an unknown young blonde woman is found in the library of the respectable Bantrys. As the suspicion falls on Colonel Bantry, Mrs. Bantry calls on Miss Marple to help solve this perplexing case. Investigations performed by Colonel Melchett and Inspector Slack of Radfordshire force lead them to the rich invalid, Conway Jefferson. With the inclusion of Conway Jefferson in the case, the investigatio More...
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Jan 06, 2009
Sun
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What kind of crime/mystery fan hasn't read Agatha Christie? I confess that I've never picked up a book by the acknowledged Queen of Crime. The only possible reason must be their obvious availability. So obvious that one assumes they will always exist as part of the crime landscape, copies in every library and bookstore, one could not possibly forget to read it. I'd get around to it, one day and today was to be it.
As the title states, the body of a young blonde is found in the library More...
As the title states, the body of a young blonde is found in the library More...
Jun 25, 2011
In this story Colonel and Mrs. Bantry wake up one morning to find a dead body in their library, a blonde girl in evening gown. They have never seen her before, and have no idea how she got there. The case looks unsolvable, but fortunately Mrs. Bantry calls her friend Miss Marple to help figure it out. This was my first Miss Marple. Miss Marple is able to figure out mysteries that stump the professional detectives because she has knowledge of human nature that she has gained living many years in
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May 22, 2011
Maxine
rated it: 
The people of St. Mary Mead get hold of some juicy gossip when a body of an unknown young blonde woman is found in the library of the respectable Bantrys. As the suspicion falls on Colonel Bantry, Mrs. Bantry calls on Miss Marple to help solve this perplexing case. Investigations performed by Colonel Melchett and Inspector Slack of Radfordshire force lead them to the rich invalid, Conway Jefferson. With the inclusion of Conway Jefferson in the case, the investigation spans to The Majestic Hotel
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Dec 05, 2010
Jenni Lou
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Agatha Christie‘s The Body in the Library, published in 1942, is a light read, but sprinkled with a variety of unlikable characters, most which can be considered suspects. They are greedy, or indifferent about the murder of the poor young woman found dead in the library of Mr. & Mrs. Bantry.
The story flip-flops between characters. For awhile we follow the Inspector and then we will follow Miss Marple and/or Miss Bantry. This back and forth isn’t necessarily jarring but it seems to slow More...
The story flip-flops between characters. For awhile we follow the Inspector and then we will follow Miss Marple and/or Miss Bantry. This back and forth isn’t necessarily jarring but it seems to slow More...
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May 31, 2010
Madeline
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This was my first foray into the Miss Marple series of Agatha Christie mysteries, and I have to admit first and foremost that this story has one of the best setups I've ever read in a detective novel: one morning Colonel and Mrs Bantry, the owners of a big English country house, are woken by their staff and informed that a dead body is in their library. It's a young blond woman in a cocktail dress, strangled to death and sprawled on the library rug. No one recognizes her, or has any idea how she
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Apr 26, 2010
Laurel
rated it:
I've read this one repeatedly and always seem to come back to it. Partly this is because it actually took more than one reading to get the denouement clear in my mind--it's rather complicated, and at first it wasn't clear to me how the murderer's alibi was meant to work. However, the bigger reason to return to this one over and over is the wealth of fascinating detail about what it meant to be a "lady" in the 1940s and how clothes, makeup, etc. identify one. I could read Miss Marple's
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Mar 20, 2010
Jennifer
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Hey, so I read my first Agatha Christie novel. It didn't hurt me any. I was alternately kind of bored and kind of pleased; I was sometimes pleasantly surprised by the depth to which the human condition was plumbed, so to speak, and yet at other times I thought it was all a bit formulaic and shallow. Clearly Ms. Christie is a woman of many facets.
This particular book is a Miss Marple story, which is why I chose it; it would've been nice to see more of Miss Marple herself. Her scen More...
This particular book is a Miss Marple story, which is why I chose it; it would've been nice to see more of Miss Marple herself. Her scen More...
Dec 10, 2011
sinta
rated it:
Kolonel dan Nyonya Bantry benar-benar terkejut ketika melihat sesosok mayat perempuan muda tergeletak di ruang baca mereka. Berita tentang diketemukan mayat tersebar begitu cepat di dusun kecil, hingga membuat Nyonya Bantry memutuskan untuk meminta Miss Jane Marple untuk membantunya menguak misteri di balik mayat berambut pirang tersebut. Perkara pembunuhan ini kemudian menggiring mereka pada berbagai praduga yang menghubungkan sang korban dengan warisan, intrik, kecurangan, dan perkawinan tak t
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Apr 01, 2011
Philip
rated it:
First read in 1975, but the story remains fairly fresh in my mind, as I've watched the Joan Hickson TV movie several times.
Only Christie would have dared to have employed such a cliché as a dead body discovered in the library, but she did, and as I recall professed that the novel's opening scene was the best she'd ever written, with Dolly Bantry being awakened from her dream of gardening triumphs to hear a frightened maid exclaim "Oh ma'am, oh ma'am, there's a body in the librar More...
Only Christie would have dared to have employed such a cliché as a dead body discovered in the library, but she did, and as I recall professed that the novel's opening scene was the best she'd ever written, with Dolly Bantry being awakened from her dream of gardening triumphs to hear a frightened maid exclaim "Oh ma'am, oh ma'am, there's a body in the librar More...
Sep 10, 2010
Monica
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This is my first Agatha Christie book. I have been informed by many people that I would love Agatha Christie's books. I admit that is true. I started The Body in the Library this morning. Every free moment I had I was reading the book.
How would you react to finding a body in your library? I don't know if I would be as calm as the woman in this book. Mrs. Bantry was thrilled with finding a body in her library. This was her chance to be a sleuth. That is what she was eager for.
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How would you react to finding a body in your library? I don't know if I would be as calm as the woman in this book. Mrs. Bantry was thrilled with finding a body in her library. This was her chance to be a sleuth. That is what she was eager for.
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Jan 17, 2012
Noha
rated it:
كالعادة تقف الترجمة حائلا ثلجيا بين الإثارة والتشويق المميزان لقصص أجاثا كريستي.
لم تكن بهذا السوء بالطبع ولكنها إشارة إلي أفضلية قراءة الروايات الأجنبية بلغتها الأصلية.
ما علينا ... القصة لجريمة قتل تتعقد خيوطها منذ اكتشافها وما أن تلبث الأحداث بالانسياب حتي تكتشف جريمة أخري يتبين ارتباطها بخيط أرفع من الشعرة بالجريمة الأولي.
الآنسة ماربل عجوز عانس تتميز بذكائها وقوة ملاحظتها وكثيرا ما تساعد الشرطة في فك طلاسم القضايا المعقدة وهي بالطبع الشخص الذي سيتسني له حل لغز هذه الجريمة. More...
Aug 01, 2011
Kurt
rated it:
As much as I love Agatha Christie when she writes terrible classist novels and I get to judge her for her faults, I think I love her more when she writes a book that shows that she gets the joke. This is that book - the intentionally melodramatic title is just the first step in what is essentially a murder mystery comedy. A dead blonde appears in the library of an elderly couple, and the wife is immediately swept up in the excitement - yes, of course, it's tragic when someone is murdered, but th
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Dec 14, 2010
Anne
rated it:
I enjoy finding an author I like who has written a ton of books. This way whenever I'm in the mood for something familiar, there will always be a new book to turn to. Agatha Christie has written over 30 novels featuring her beloved sleuth Hercule Poirot - and these are the ones I first started reading. This time, however, I turned to Miss Marple - featured in 12 of Christie's novels and a few short story collections. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster with no apparent criminal or detective backg
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Dec 08, 2010
Joshua
rated it:
Overall, I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, but this particular story left me a little confused. I know from what I've read that it was partially meant to be a mockery of the detective fiction genre, but it seemed to go a bit too far to me. (Though I must admit, I was amused when Agatha Christie namechecked herself.) Miss Marple--ordinarily an awesome character I enjoy--seemed so sure of herself, more than normal. I always remember her being exceedingly cautious, eking out the facts slowly and w
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Oct 12, 2007
Modbon
rated it:
One of the best (and most typical of her best) of Christie's novels, all of which I have read over the years. I love the Miss Marple mysteries best, followed by the Tommy & Tuppence series. Reading Christie is like eating comfort food...best saved for a cold winter day when you need something to take your mind off the rest of the world. This is wrapped-up-on-the-couch-in-an-afghan reading :)
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Nov 10, 2010
Emily
rated it:
Yay, Miss Marples!
Reasons I love Miss Marples stories:
1. She treats murder/crime like a breach of etiquette that needs to be corrected post haste.
2. She is adorable in her cover as a delicate old knitting lady.
3. Gossip is serious detecting business, not to be trifled with by the likes of official people.
4. The murderer is always the VERY LAST person you suspect. In fact, if at the end you don't roll your eyes heaven-ward and wonder what THAT was all about, I don't More...
Reasons I love Miss Marples stories:
1. She treats murder/crime like a breach of etiquette that needs to be corrected post haste.
2. She is adorable in her cover as a delicate old knitting lady.
3. Gossip is serious detecting business, not to be trifled with by the likes of official people.
4. The murderer is always the VERY LAST person you suspect. In fact, if at the end you don't roll your eyes heaven-ward and wonder what THAT was all about, I don't More...
Jun 09, 2011
Tim
rated it:
I have never read Agatha Christie which is a bit surprising since I read so much. It’s also a bit surprising since I have seen and enjoyed plays, movies and television series based on her work since I was a kid. And finally it’s probably most surprising since my partner has been a life long fan…to the tune of collecting several editions of some of her books (some of the covers are not to be missed—apparently Christie hated most of them). I thought, I’d try listening to one & he suggested “The Bo
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Feb 03, 2012
Natalien
rated it:
Pleasant quick-read. The personality of Miss Marple is stereotypical in a sense that she is an old spinster, living in a village and knowing all the gossip. But she is also charitable, friendly, nice old lady. Not the other stereotype that some might think is involved, meaning she is not the crazy-cat lady. Her methods are observation and analysis of the village life and characters, and comparing it against the life's situations elsewhere - this seems somehow far-fetched. There were many intervi
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May 06, 2011
Emily
rated it:
This is my third attempt to find an Agatha Christie book in audio that I actually enjoy, and I think I've found it. The story is not as idiotic as "The ABC Murders" (read by Hugh Fraser) and the audio performance by Stephanie Cole is much better than David Suchet's of "Murder on the Orient Express."
I'm not a big fan of Miss Marple. I'm a little skeptical of the notion that a country village is a microcosm of the whole world, and that you can understand all of huma More...
I'm not a big fan of Miss Marple. I'm a little skeptical of the notion that a country village is a microcosm of the whole world, and that you can understand all of huma More...
Jan 07, 2012
Sheri
rated it:
It's been years since I have read from the fiction genre (other than what my children are reading in homeschool), and decades since I've read a mystery novel. Having read a great deal of Trixie Belden when I was young, and not so much Nancy Drew, I decided to finally take on Agatha Christie. I currently read a great deal of non-fiction, as well as much theoloy, and have long desired to read simply for pleasure. I thought it wise to take a break from the heavy reading and, once again, exercise
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Sep 16, 2011
Elisha
rated it:
Another Miss Marple to pass the time. This one was better than others because Jane Marple is actually a main character in the story. The body of a young blonde girl turns up in the library of the home of Colonel and Mrs. Bantry, good friends of Miss Marple's. No one knows who the dead girl is or how she got there.
So Miss Marple hits the scene, mostly because she knows that the gossip surrounding the murder will end up ruining the Bantrys, and that would never do. Also, she j More...
So Miss Marple hits the scene, mostly because she knows that the gossip surrounding the murder will end up ruining the Bantrys, and that would never do. Also, she j More...
Jun 06, 2011
Cheryl
rated it:
A Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie, THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY grabs you from the beginning when a young woman's body is found in the library of Colonel and Mrs. Bantry, wealthy, upright citizens of St. Mary Mead. To squelch the town gossip and to enjoy the investigation into the only murder that will happen in her home, Mrs. Bantry calls on her friend, Jane Marple to solve the mystery and save her husband's reputation.
Agatha Christie is not a linear writer, as any reader of her More...
Agatha Christie is not a linear writer, as any reader of her More...
Apr 14, 2010
John
rated it:
I'm embarrassed to say that I can't remember ever reading an Agatha Christie book before. I'm certainly glad that I chose this one, a Miss Marple mystery.
This body was found in the library of the Bantry's, a proper English couple, so I suppose it should have been easy to dismiss the possibility of their involvement in the crime. This novel certainly fits the whodunit category of crime fiction. This is usually a category that I don't seek out. I'm more interested in the hard-boiled ge More...
This body was found in the library of the Bantry's, a proper English couple, so I suppose it should have been easy to dismiss the possibility of their involvement in the crime. This novel certainly fits the whodunit category of crime fiction. This is usually a category that I don't seek out. I'm more interested in the hard-boiled ge More...
Jan 19, 2010
Nikki
rated it: 
Another Miss Marple story! I really do like her more than Poirot: much less egotistical -- though I'm basing on that on only having read one Poirot book, I suppose, so maybe I didn't get the whole of Poirot's character. I liked that this one wasn't in the style of a first person narrator's account, like the other two I've read. Ultimately I think I preferred that, because a lot of the charm of the first Miss Marple book came from the character of the vicar, but it was nice to have it a bit diffe
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Sep 04, 2011
Jessie
rated it:
Since my mother and my grandmother are such crime novel junkies, I tend to shy away from murder mysteries. But after reading science fiction novel after science fiction novel this summer, I felt like a change of pace. I figured Agatha Christie would be a safe bet, since, you know, she's one of the best-selling authors of all time.
This was the first Agatha Christie novel I've read and I enjoyed it. The writing was light and airy, which made it a perfect summer read. The opening scene More...
This was the first Agatha Christie novel I've read and I enjoyed it. The writing was light and airy, which made it a perfect summer read. The opening scene More...
Nov 30, 2010
Holly
rated it:
I really liked Miss Marple. The Body In The Library was a very appealing novel. It caught my attention and kept my interests. The author, Agatha Christie did a wonderful job of portraying the character Miss Marple. She did a great job of keeping the curiousity of the reader. The body of the beautiful blonde found in the library was a great way to introduce mystery. The fact that no one knew who she was or how she got there was personally intriguing. Marple's techniques in finding the killer we
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Jan 06, 2009
Carrie
rated it:
This novel starts with an old friend of Miss Marple, Dolly Bantry, waking up one day only to be informed by the butler that there is a dead woman on the carpet of her library. Since neither she nor her husband knows the girl, she is at first inclined to see the real live murder as a great lark. Then she realizes that tongues will wag and that her husband will be the one who bears the brunt of it, and she decides that she needs to solve the crime and save his reputation. So she calls her old f
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Mar 09, 2009
Sage
rated it:
My very first Agatha Christie novel, took a while I know. The book was charming, that seems about the best word. The whole setting was entreached in an England long past, or perhaps never truly existed. So at times you maybe roll your eyes at some things (Oh my reputation is ruined!) or have to look beyond the evolved meanings of some words (at least I should think they meant fantastic as in 'hard to believe' rather than than 'wonderful' re; a corpse in your house).
The whole premise of t More...
The whole premise of t More...
Nov 28, 2011
Grace
rated it:
This was the first Miss Marple book that I have ever read. I like the way in which Miss Marple uses her knowledge of human habits to solve the case. She has an uncanny ability of being able to read people, and combines that with past experience of how she has noticed people react in certain circumstances, to aid her in unraveling mysteries. This is a great idea, even though not all people would react the same in similar events.
Even though I enjoyed this book, I have to say that More...
Even though I enjoyed this book, I have to say that More...
