April 2014: The Body in the Library

[Candace]

As I've mentioned before I really enjoy the Marple books better than the Poirot. (By the way, this season on masterpiece mystery, there is a new season of the Suchet Poirot coming on.) I am disappointed at how little Miss Marple appears in the books, always more in the second half when solving the crime. This is the second Marple book I have read and we see a little more deeply into the way she solves her crimes with this book. In the first mystery , she simply said it was human nature but in this mystery, she explains that she compares a person's nature with the nature of someone from her village that she does know and this allows her to foretell how that person will act.
This brings me to the setting in this book which was not the village of St.Mary Mead. I miss the village setting with all of her well-known neighbors.
I thought it was a little unreasonable that everyone was exclaiming how brilliantly Miss Marple was at solving crimes based only on her success at solving case one (lol) ! This was the typical AC plot- how the heck could anyone figure this out? However, I'm still looking forward to the next Marple!

[Sarah. B]

Agreed. I found this one a little disappointing.

[Malcolm]

I found this more entertaining than I remembered it. Yes, it does get away from St Mary Mead and that's a shame. About solving the mysteries : when I reread them I enjoying picking up the clues which she gives and I missed the first time, (Ah! The fingernails, of course) But I guess I read them for the period atmosphere and imaginative ideas. Candace, don't forget by this time, she had solved the 13 problems for the Tuesday Club! I prefer Poirot, and some of the novels without series detectives, and this one doesn't match the Murder at the Vicarage or the Moving Finger for me. Enjoyed reading it.

[C. J.]

Though I was afraid this one would be forgettable I did like it. At least one character was memorable to me out of all. The one nicknamed "Cinderella."

[Mark Pghfan]

There is no Cinderella here. Perhaps you are thinking of Murder on the Links.

[C. J.]

Pghfan wrote: "There is no Cinderella here. Perhaps you are thinking of Murder on the Links."

You are correct. It's ironic while writing about this one I said it was kind of forgettable. Well not really ironic I guess.

[Brooklyn]

I've read this twice now - I actually can't wait to read it again. I just love it. It was the book which started up my Agatha Christie obsession.

Just love everything about it. I work in a library...sometimes I wonder ;)

I was watching Joan Hickson as Miss Marple (new favourite) and could distinctly remember parts from the book as Auntie Jane was saying it (eg chewed nails). Yes, Joan is who I picture when I read the books :)

[Brooklyn]

That would be amazing :)

And well spotted - I'm going to read them in order after I've read them once ;)

I love how Agatha Christie saw Joan Hickson perform on stage and wrote to her saying "I hope you will play my dear Miss Marple," just makes my heart sing <3 :)