The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (Miss Marple, #9) in Reading the Detectives

Jun 07, 2017 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This Miss Marple novel is set in St Mary Mead, but it is a village that has seen changes. Miss Marple’s old friend, Dolly Bantry, has sold Gossington Hall and moved into the East Lodge, while ‘the Development’ – a new housing estate, encroaches on the very outskirts of the village. There is even a supermarket, which is viewed with suspicion by elderly ladies, who enjoy shopping as a form of social interaction and are not necessarily in a rush to hurl items into a basket. Miss Marple is more elde This Miss Marple novel is set in St Mary Mead, but it is a village that has seen changes. Miss Marple’s old friend, Dolly Bantry, has sold Gossington Hall and moved into the East Lodge, while ‘the Development’ – a new housing estate, encroaches on the very outskirts of the village. There is even a supermarket, which is viewed with suspicion by elderly ladies, who enjoy shopping as a form of social interaction and are not necessarily in a rush to hurl items into a basket. Miss Marple is more elderly in this novel and has a ‘daily’ in young Cherry Baker, from the ‘Development,’ and has the bossy Miss Knight staying in the house as she has been unwell. Although Miss Marple knows that Miss Knight is meant as a kindness by her ever supportive nephew, Raymond West, she bristles under her attentions and is always finding errands to send her on to regain her freedom.

One day, having slipped away from Miss Knight’s careful ministrations, she ventures into the Development and has fall, being gathered up and taken in by the voluble Heather Badcock. Mrs Badcock tells her a long story about when she met the movie actress, Marine Gregg, who is now living at Gossington Hall. The story revolves around an escapade when she was younger and left her sick bed to go to a fete where Miss Gregg was presiding in order to get her autograph. She tells this story again some days later to Miss Gregg herself at another fete, this time at Gossington Hall. To everyone’s surprise, shortly after meeting Miss Gregg, Heather Badcock collapses and dies. Mrs Bantry is quick to inform Miss Marple, telling her that, while she unfolded her story, Marina Gregg looked frozen in shock – much like the Lady of Shalott…

It is obvious that Miss Marple needs an interest and so she is keen to learn all she can about the murder; even going as far as gathering up an armful of gossipy film magazines from the hairdresser. When her godson, Dermot Craddock, arrives to investigate, he keeps her informed and it is, of course, Miss Marple who untangles the mystery. For who should murder a perfectly innocent, well meaning, if somewhat nosy, middle-aged woman? Was the real victim meant to be Marina Gregg and, if so, is she in danger? This is a really enjoyable mystery. There is an excellent cast of characters, including the glamorous Marina Gregg, who both takes to her bed and has hysterics with enjoyable frequency. You feel that Agatha Christie really enjoyed writing this and she combines the changing, more modern landscape (this was published in 1962) with the traditional, village mystery, very cleverly. ...more

76 likes · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2017 Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: village, agatha-christie, miss-marple, mystery, british, murder

Book 8 for the Miss Marple Challenge. This one takes us back to St Mary Mead but what a different St Mary Mead it is. No long the quiet, quaint country village, many changes have taken place. The old country homes sold, a new “development” with new inhabitants, a department store, and even a film studio close by. The older residents of St Mary Mead―Miss Marple among them―try to come to terms with and adapt to the changes, thankful for what is left of the old life. But Miss Marple soon realises, Book 8 for the Miss Marple Challenge. This one takes us back to St Mary Mead but what a different St Mary Mead it is. No long the quiet, quaint country village, many changes have taken place. The old country homes sold, a new “development” with new inhabitants, a department store, and even a film studio close by. The older residents of St Mary Mead―Miss Marple among them―try to come to terms with and adapt to the changes, thankful for what is left of the old life. But Miss Marple soon realises, however much things might change, human beings and human nature remain pretty much the same. Her skills and knowledge are once again put to the test when Mrs Badcock, literally falls down dead at Gossington Hall (the former residence of the Bantrys where the “body in the library” was found”. But Heather Badcock was a nice though talkative woman to whom no one could have intended any harm. It soon turns out that the intended victim may have been the actress Marina Gregg who with her husband Jason Rudd, now live at Gossington Hall. The case once again finds its way to Craddock, now Chief Inspector, who reports straight to “headquarters” as he calls it―Aunt Jane’s home. With him undertaking the more active parts of the investigation, and with help from her current domestic, Cherry Baker, Miss Marple tries to put together what really happened, at the same time trying to contend with Miss Knight, a nurse/companion placed in her home by her nephew Raymond West who insists on treating poor Miss Marple as an “old dear” who mustn’t have any excitement.

This was a Marple book I hadn’t read before but I had seen an adaptation (with Elizabeth Taylor) long ago so did remember whodunit. But still, the puzzle is once again complicated though an element of it is similar to what one has seen in AC’s books (at least two others, with Miss Marple in one of them). Despite this, she would have (had I not remembered the answer) thrown me off-track quite successfully. There are unexpected coincidences and more deaths along the way (I did find myself thinking of Midsomer Murders and how there seemed bodies aplenty there, always). But nothing can mislead Miss Marple for long, for though she may be older and frailer, her mind is as sharp as ever. This was an enjoyable read for me both for the puzzle itself as well as the social commentary that it includes. Four and a half stars.
...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2018 Kavita rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: uk, mystery

Another quintessential Marple mystery! A well-meaning but interfering and self-centred woman from the development near St Mary's Mead falls dead at a party given by Marina Gregg. The American actress has taken the old Bantry house on rent and is trying to make a go of it in English village life with the party.

Thus Mrs. Bantry is invited to the party and sees Heather Badcock dying. The question soon arises whether she was the intended victim? Mrs. Bantry wonders if Jane Marple needs to be consult ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2019 Christine PNW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-women

This was a reread - Obsidian Blue and I did a buddy read of this one back in 2016. I remember that I enjoyed it, although I think I enjoyed it more this time around. I find that to be a pretty consistent theme with Christie - my expectations are really high going in, and then I'm pleasantly surprised but not Murder of Roger Ackroyd gobsmacked so I underrate it my mind.

When I go back to read them again, though, I am usually much more impressed, which was the case here. Miss Marple has aged quite This was a reread - Obsidian Blue and I did a buddy read of this one back in 2016. I remember that I enjoyed it, although I think I enjoyed it more this time around. I find that to be a pretty consistent theme with Christie - my expectations are really high going in, and then I'm pleasantly surprised but not Murder of Roger Ackroyd gobsmacked so I underrate it my mind.

When I go back to read them again, though, I am usually much more impressed, which was the case here. Miss Marple has aged quite a bit by this 9th book in the series, and took a fall which resulted in her being subjected to the indignity of a home nurse who talks to her as though she is a toddler. She also has a new housemaid, Cherry, who is a delight. She's not a very good housemaid, but she gossips and cheers up Miss Marple immeasurably. At the end of the day, Miss Marple decides that a cheery smile and a warm attitude is worth more than spic-and-span floors. I agree with her there, as the state of my floors would demonstrate.

Inspector Craddock features prominently, as does Dolly Bantry, who has moved out of Gossington Hall after the death of Colonel Bantry. She remains singularly obsessed with herbaceous borders, which is the most English thing I can think of.

There are some similarities between this one and both They Do It With Mirrors and Ordeal By Innocence - there is a wealthy, self-centered woman with a motherhood complex at the center of all three of them. Christie has used this trope before - woman who isn't really suited to being a mother, because of social pressures that place motherhood as an essential element of womanhood, buys herself a few children that she really doesn't want. She then either grows bored with them after a time and passes them off to someone else, as in this case, or she destroys them by neglecting their needs in some specific way.

Both the victim and the murderer were fascinating in different ways, and while they were both extreme examples of a certain type of person, they were also believable. Overall, I enjoyed this much more on the reread. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2017 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, mount-tbr-2017, silver-age-mystery, bought-2016, mystery

This story takes Miss Jane Marple into the world of movie stars and a local modern Development when actress Marina Gregg buys Gossington Hall from the widowed Dolly Bantry and brings her director husband and American entourage to live in St. Mary Mead. Jason Rudd, the husband, hopes that living in the small English village will give Marina a bit of quiet and stability--something that has been missing in her life. Marina decides that St. Mary Mead is just perfect and that she wants to really be a This story takes Miss Jane Marple into the world of movie stars and a local modern Development when actress Marina Gregg buys Gossington Hall from the widowed Dolly Bantry and brings her director husband and American entourage to live in St. Mary Mead. Jason Rudd, the husband, hopes that living in the small English village will give Marina a bit of quiet and stability--something that has been missing in her life. Marina decides that St. Mary Mead is just perfect and that she wants to really be a part of village life--so she agrees to host the annual fete in aid of the St. John's Ambulance. The party is going well--lots of games and entertainment on the grounds and Marina invites some select guests to come inside to be greeted and to see the house.

It's all going well that is until silly Heather Babcock, connected to the St. John's Ambulance, is introduced to her idol, Marina Gregg. Heather launches into a long and enthusiastic story about how she has already met Miss Gregg before--long ago when Marina was entertaining the troops. Dolly Bantry notices that Marina is no longer really listening to the babbling woman--she's staring over her shoulder with a "frozen" look on her face. When she later describes the scene to Miss Marple, they are reminded of Tennyson's Lady of Shalott:

Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from sided to side;
"The curse has come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

Just moments after finishing her story and being offered a drink by her idol, Heather Babcock is dead. It doesn't take long to discover that she's been poisoned. But who would poison Mrs. Babcock? She was a self-absorbed woman; nice enough and not at all mean-spirited, but not really thinking about how her actions or words might actually affect others. There doesn't seem to be a motive to kill her, however. Then it's discovered that her drink was spilled and the drink which had the poison in it was Marina's. As Miss Marple mentions when she first hears of the poisoning..."perhaps it was the wrong murder." Now the police are racing to find the killer before they can rectify their mistake and kill Marina after all. But they're going to need pointers from everyone's favorite spinster detective before they arrive at the right solution.

This one continues to delight even after a reread (and watching the filmed versions multiple times). It is interesting to come to it knowing the solution and to watch how Christie practices her art of misdirection. The basic plot is one used in other stories, but I'm always intrigued at the many different ways she was able to use the same idea.

She also gives us a Jane Marple who has aged and has to come to terms with her advanced years and the changes in St. Mary Mead. The novel is as much social commentary on the post-WWII-era as it is a murder mystery. Given Miss Marple's frailer health, the doctor has suggested she have a companion and Miss Marple is driven to distraction by the woman her nephew has employed for her. She has to find a way to ease Miss Knight out and find someone to live in who won't treat her like an imbecile child. This side story provides Miss Marple with a different way to approach the murder investigation--she isn't as mobile as she once was and all the information has to come to her--through Dolly Bantry and through Inspector Craddock. It is Miss Marple doing her best armchair detective work since The Tuesday Night Club stories.

★★★★ for an entertaining read and interesting social commentary.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2021 Jinx rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, library-books

Spent an entirely wonderful Saturday immersed in this audiobook!

Like · see review

May 11, 2012 Sarah G rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A lovely Marple mystery. All the talk of a 1960s housing development in St Mary Mead did make it feel somewhat anachronistic though, as the Jane Marple of my imagination lives in a much earlier time!

Like · see review