Tara ’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2017)

Tara ’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I thought this one was good, although not certainly not her best. I was less bothered by the mimicry in the closet as I was by the idea that they would have known Lettie/Lottie would have gone right into the kitchen to murder Mitzi. She didn't strike me as being nearly as unhinged as was implied. If she was so irrational as to commit a murder that would so obviously point to her guilt, why wouldn't she just have lunged at her right then and there when she first made the accusation?
While the false identify plot twist is much more a work of fiction that reality, I would assume in the post-war years, when so many people had no idea what happened to their missing family members, it would have been easier to pull off. I do agree that Mitzi was treated terribly for being a refugee, but she was so hysterical and over-the-top (at least she sounded that way in the audiobook version as read by Emilia Fox), that it was difficult to be sympathetic for her. I'm sure the family was able to convince themselves that her supposed suffering was just a pack of lies.
I think this was the only Marple book where I was able to figure out the killer, despite all of the red herrings they threw out. So I enjoyed it from that perspective [its nice not to feel like a total fool once in awhile :)].

While I enjoyed the collection as a whole, it does seem a bit of a stretch to imagine that Miss Marple would have much insight into a criminal gang versus someone committing a murder for personal reasons. I cannot imagine that St. Mary Mead had many equivalents for this case running around. 'Strange Jest' seemed much more up her alley, where her age and experience was very helpful in deciphering the clues that the young couple would never have figured out on their own.

I thought these were fun, and a nice way to cap off this year's challenge. I am not much of a short story reader either, but there is something to be said for getting to read a mystery from start to finish in one sitting.

I think this is one of AC's stronger works, mostly especially in character development, suspense and pacing. You just want to keep reading to find out whodunnit!
I certainly agree with the earlier comments about AC being pigeon-holed as formulaic happened after she had already created those formulas to begin with. Seems difficult to me to manage to be both controversial and predictable at the same time.
As always, I would have loved more Marple (although compared to some other stories, she has more of a presence), but many of the other characters were so engaging that it still held together as a terrific story.

I agree with others that this is one of the best Marples (including later ones in our challenge as I came to this group later in the year and I'm reading them out of order as they are available at my library). I had already seen the Rutherford movie adaption of this story years ago, but I wasn't sure if the murderer would remain consistent as they made a lot of other significant changes to the story. So, the doctor was a bit of surprise, and definitely someone I wouldn't have suspected had I not seen the movie already.
I think Bryan is quite clearly the choice for Lucy. The conversation that Miss Marple has with him about listening to a wife's advice on money matters was the clincher. Plus it seems obvious that Lucy also loves Alexander, so its a great package deal. I agree with LovesMysteries and LC that Bryan seems to need a mother-type of wife, but that seems to suit Lucy's personality as not only an efficient, but also a caring homemaker, in the real sense of that word. She was obviously ambitious and clever enough to have gone into the business world, so we must assume that this type of work is what she finds fulfilling.

I agree that this book had some great character development and some personalities that you can actually like and identify with, unlike some other stories filled with nothing but selfish sourpusses. Charles would have made a solid detective and a good narrator for additional stories.

Josephine creeped me out from her first introduction in this book, with her beady little eyes, so it didn't come as a total shock that she was the murderer. The only element that perhaps would mislead the reader is the fact that she was a child, and therefore, statistically unlikely to be a killer. I do believe that deep down Charles had his suspicions, calling her a malicious gnome at one point. One thing that did bother me was that I felt like her diary entries weren't consistent with her personality throughout. She came off much more precocious and aloof when interacting with others, but her "confessions" seemed childish and sad.
I agree with other posters that Sophia wasn't a really likeable character, and she didn't treat Charles very well. I can only assume she was trying to keep him at a bit of distance until the murder had been sorted out, but it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. Her strength and resolve appear to be qualities that were universally admired about her, but they don't make for very good romance!

I don't want to do any stereotyping of my own, but I wonder how much mixing of different ethnic groups really happened during that time. We take it for granted nowadays, but in AC's time, people tended to associate mostly with their own ethnic or racial groups. Perhaps that is just what her perspective was, or what she assumed the perspective of her readers was.

I just started The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which I recently got as an audible daily deal. So far its good, and I think it should be an exciting adventure!

Mark Pghfan wrote: "I get lots of my used book from Thriftbooks.com. They had lots of Marsh's books and they are pretty inexpensive, with free shipping."

I was able to get a huge lot of Marsh's books from ebay at a good price, plus you can get individual books if you are only interested in participating in certain months.

As Miss Marple pointed out to Inspector Neele, it would be easy enough to show Lance's picture to those who worked the camp to identify him, but Gladys having the picture already in hand surely helps.
Most criminals are amateurish in their first attempts; it's a skill that must be learned like everything else. Given that Lance's evil impulses have not abated, it would be fair to presume that his criminal career continued abroad, and there is no indication he was ever caught. He might very well have gotten away with these murders too, if Miss Marple was not at hand to outsleuth him.

Sandy wrote: "I agree with the growing consensus: the murders were a very unlikely way to get control of the mine but made great story.

Interesting thought that Rex would not have banished Lance. Perhaps he di..."
People who have similar personalities tend to not get along, so assuming the apple did not fall far from the tree, perhaps it would have been a difficult apprenticeship. Plus Lance seems rather strong-willed. But since greed is so important to him, maybe he would have been willing to put those differences aside for the sake of wealth and power.

Despite all of the improbabilities, I still found it to be an enjoyable book. As a bit of a true crime buff, I think that most fictional depictions of murder, serial or otherwise, in both print and film/television is absurd or far-fetched in some degree. So many murders are fairly pedestrian or motiveless, and wouldn't make for very good entertainment. So, you have to suspend disbelief and just enjoy it for its own sake. Christie is one of those writers whose books I almost never want to put down. So, I am willing to forgive her for her flaws.

I just finished this book last night, and can't help but feel disappointed that Lance was the culprit. The explanation for his motives and means at the end just didn't hold water for how a real killer would operate. How would he have ever expected to get away with posing as Albert Evans, and once that angle was uncovered, what possible innocent reasoning could he have used to explain it away? A much more plausible scenario would have been to pin the murders on Gladys, and then make her murder look like a suicide as a result of her guilt and remorse. But then again, we wouldn't have had the nursery rhyme angle to play off of.
Is there any indication that Lance knew that Jennifer was the imposter? Miss Marple mentioned that Lance knew about the blackbird prank when we came to visit his father, and deduced one of the MacKenzie children had infiltrated the home, but not that he knew who that was. You would think he would have dug deeper into that, and could have used that knowledge for blackmailing purposes like Mary Dove did.
Also, upon further reflection, it doesn't really make sense that Rex would have sent his son Lance away for the forgery. By all accounts Rex himself was a bad egg: lying, scheming, cheating, and being complicit in someone's death. I could more easily see him grooming Lance to take over his racket than to shame him and disown him.
At the end, you have to feel badly for poor Pat. That is the third loser husband she has attached herself to, this one being the worst of the lot!

Someone should get poor Miss Somers a whistling tea kettle so that she knows when its boiling. I cannot imagine that under steeped, lukewarm tea is very enjoyable.

I wouldn't expect that the screenwriter would have to be an expert in either the genre or the author of the work being adapted, but you would think that at the very least they would be respectful of it. Otherwise, what is the point in participating in the project, other than as a work of satire?
This is the reason I almost never go to the movie theater anymore. I just add stuff I want to see to my Netflix queue, and watch it from the comfort of my couch, It makes me less annoyed when the movie is a disappointment, which is more often the case than not.

In NYC, the requirement for either military or college credits in order to become a police officer is only a development that has occurred in the last 20 years or so. I suspect before that, it was considered a blue collar job that was more of a focus on manual labor versus being a professional. I suspect it was somewhat similar in the UK.
Being an American, the whole concept of tea at work, whether on a trolley or not, is totally foreign to me. But it seems like it was a nice custom. I've long been a fan of teatime, and I think its a shame it never really caught on here, outside of special occasions at fancy hotels.

There is something about that memory of wonder and excitement of discovery of books when you're a kid. It tends to stay with you, especially if you're a reader as an adult as well. I still remember finding Five Complete Hercule Poirot Novels: ABC Murders / Cards on the Table / Death on the Nile / Murder on the Orient Express / Thirteen at Dinner and being so intrigued by the cover. I still have it too.

I also found it odd that they didn't seem to know how to get medical help, but it must have marked a significant time of change where people in general were probably confused as to their options, otherwise, address the matter at all.
I am only a few chapters in, but I am particularly enjoying the narrative of Inspector Neele. He seems somewhat unorthodox in his thinking and his approach, which makes for good storytelling. Not a very sympathetic bunch of characters, but that is more like typical detective story fodder.

I have really enjoyed the David Suchet Poirots, as he just feels right for the character. I love Branagh, but I am ambivalent about him in this role. He just doesn't seem to fit the mold, moustache or no moustache. I haven't seen many Miss Marple adaptations, although I do quite enjoy the Rutherford films. I know that A.C. didn't care for her, and she more closely played herself versus a faithful adaption of the character, but she is still a delight.