From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple, #9)

Agatha Christie

Start date: August 1, 2017

Finish date: August 31, 2017

Discussion: Group Challenges

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* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
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* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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What Members Thought

Jul 28, 2017 John Frankham rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-detective

Another high-standard Miss Marple whodunnit, this time in sunny climes. Nevertheless our heroine has the energy for some vital snooping at key stages. A good puzzle, well-written, with a good range of characters.

"This story takes place at the Golden Palm resort on the Caribbean island of St Honoré. Miss Marple's nephew has paid for her to holiday there after a bout of ill health - but she is bored. She is approached by Major Palgrave, a garrulous man avoided by the other guests due to his long-w ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 Sandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-classic, rread-2017

Excellent Miss Marple mystery with good clues and interesting characters. Miss Marple can successfully investigate outside her comfort zone of St. Mary's Mead. May be the best demonstration of her logic and sleuthing skills yet. ...more

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Apr 26, 2021 Rosario rated it liked it

Within the atypical setting of an island resort in the Caribbean lies a very Marplish mystery. Miss Marple is in good form, observing the people around her in the perceptive way she has, and relying on her knowledge of human nature to figure out what's going on. We also get some truly excellent banter between her and a grumpy, cynical millionaire, who is delighted when he discovers the shrewd brain that is hiding under the fluffy old dear façade.

Unfortunately, I had ISSUES with this one. First, Within the atypical setting of an island resort in the Caribbean lies a very Marplish mystery. Miss Marple is in good form, observing the people around her in the perceptive way she has, and relying on her knowledge of human nature to figure out what's going on. We also get some truly excellent banter between her and a grumpy, cynical millionaire, who is delighted when he discovers the shrewd brain that is hiding under the fluffy old dear façade.

Unfortunately, I had ISSUES with this one. First, the mystery was just ok. Well, the way Christie sets up the clues and the misdirections and how Miss Marple figures things out is excellent, but I did feel that the murderer wasn't too believable.

But the main problem was that this is one of the few Christies where I just couldn't get over the problematic elements. The casual racism is impossible to ignore in this setting: the treatment of the black workers at the hotel, including one who "gets herself knifed" and then more energy is spent by the narrative on commenting on how these natives don't actually get married, and how their minds are so simple that they don't really understand the concept of blackmail, than on trying to figure out who killed her. The stereotypical and frankly insulting depiction of the one South American character. And on top of that we add the idiotic, sexist psychological 'insights' of the 1960s into what women and relationships are like. Actually, the 1960s setting seems to add a tinge of ugliness and cynicism to things that I didn't like at all. There is one particular relationship which I found... ugh. The husband has cheated on the wife, and since then their relationship has turned into basically two people who are friendly but distant from each other. But now (view spoiler)Ugh.

Makes sense that this is not one that I have reread over the years. I'd rate it a C. ...more

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