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Marple: Twelve New Stories by Naomi Alderman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Agatha Christie's Miss Marple returns in a collection of mysteries by contemporary writers.

Schemes of blackmail and murder in a small village…
St. Mary Mead’s vicarage is once again host to murder…
A trip to Manhattan turns deadly…
Miss Marple unravels a public family drama…
Christmas celebrations are interrupted by a jewellery theft…
A sudden death in an academic circle…
A killer strikes on an Oriental cruise ship…
A wedding is interrupted by a sudden poisoning…
A writer plots a murder in the sunny Mediterranean…
Miss Marple’s great-grand-niece becomes embroiled in a murder…
A peaceful visit to a Sussex village leads Miss Marple to uncover a string of murders…
Called back to St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple is asked to investigate a man’s sudden disappearance…

'Marple' presents twelve short stories by twelve mystery and thriller writers, celebrating one of Agatha Christie's most ingenious characters and her second most famous detective - Miss Jane Marple. Behind her unassuming appearance of the elderly spinster and legatee of the Victorian era, in her neat quaint cottage where she tends her garden in the small chocolate-box English village of St. Mary Mead, is a woman with a keen understanding of human nature and a skill at solving even the most complex of mysteries.

Every one of these stories is a perfect slice of the genius of Miss Marple, as sharp, unobtrusive and quietly observant as ever, capturing the subtlety, intuition and intellect with which Christie wrote her character. My personal favourites were:
'The Second Murder at the Vicarage' by Val McDermid, for its vintage style and sleight-of-hand solution;
'Miss Marple's Christmas' by Ruth Ware, for its festive, classic mystery atmosphere;
'A Deadly Wedding Day' by Dreda Say Mitchell, for its thrilling pace and twists in the narrative;
'The Mystery of the Acid Soil' by Kate Mosse, for its detail-driven plotting and masterful piece of detection.

This collection has so much to delight a mystery reader - secrets and lies, plotting and scheming, adultery and affairs of the heart, clever thefts and strange disappearances, and, of course, brutal murders. Featuring an eclectic mix of supporting characters, which also include some reappearances of several from Christie's own stories, such as nephew Raymond and friend and neighbour Dolly Bantry, the stories are told from differing perspectives, taking place across multiple locations. With allusions and references to Christie’s stories, this collection of tales makes for an indulgent treat.

Part of the genius of the Miss Marple stories is in how so many people simply dismiss her as an elderly woman. This theme remains as timely as ever - the elderly often written off, their time passed. Within the collection, we experience how elderly people are seen in other cultures, revered for their wisdom, knowledge and life experience – in contrast to what is often seen in British society and similar cultures. As well as exploring perceptions of the elderly, the underlying theme of aging also runs throughout the collection - how it feels to grow old, especially as a woman, to fade into the background (or be expected to), while your mind may remain as it ever was. It's quite unclear just how old Miss Marple is in her later stories, but she never loses the twinkle in her eye or her ability for astute and quick observation. If we must grow old, as all of us who are lucky enough to do so must, then let it be as Miss Marple does.

Miss Marple, much like Poirot and many other classic detectives, was a delightful part of my childhood. As Sophie Hannah has done with her 'Poirot' novels, the authors featured in this collection have offered the world something we believed lost with the passing of Agatha Christie - new stories featuring these incredible characters. Like Christie's entire legacy, Miss Marple remains immortal.

A marvellous collection of mysteries, both fresh and nostalgic, ‘Marple’ proves the magic of Agatha Christie never wavers, her spirit within each of these tales from twelve talented authors.



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