All appearances point to St. Mary Mead being the usual English small town. It has its share of colorful inhabitants, but for the most part it's a rather peaceful place. At the other end of Lansham Road, a small lane called Old Pasture Lane broke away from the main street. Nestled in this lane were three Queen Anne or Georgian houses, which belonged to three spinsters. The first house belonged to the long-nosed, gushing and excitable Miss Caroline Wetherby. The second was Miss Amanda Hartnell, a proud, decent woman with a deep voice. The last cottage was called Danemead Cottage and belonged to Miss Jane Marple, the famous spinster who solved countless cases between 1930 and 1976. The Post Office, and the dressmaker's shop belonging to Mrs Politt, are located in front of the lane. In St. Mary Mead, no one is more despised than Colonel Protheroe. Even the local vicar has said that killing him would be doing a service to the townsfolk. So when Protheroe is found murdered in the same vicar's study, and two different people confess to the crime, it is time for the elderly spinster Jane Marple to exercise her detective abilities.

H.C. O'Neill in The Observer of 12 December 1930, said that, "here is a straightforward story which very pleasantly draws a number of red herrings across the docile reader's path. There is a distinct originality in her new expedient for keeping the secret. She discloses it at the outset, turns it inside out, apparently proves that the solution cannot be true, and so produces an atmosphere of bewilderment." [7] I have been told that “A Murder Is Announced’ is a good read by a GR friend, so that will be my next Agatha Christie reading foray. 😊 In late 1926, Agatha's husband, Archie, revealed that he was in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and wanted a divorce. On 8 December 1926 the couple quarreled, and Archie Christie left their house, Styles, in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. That same evening Agatha disappeared from her home, leaving behind a letter for her secretary saying that she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry from the public, many of whom were admirers of her novels. Despite a massive manhunt, she was not found for eleven days.Like Cabot Cove in Maine, USA, St.Mary Mead in Great Britain seems to be the murder capital of that country. You would think so with Miss Marple solving all In the Daily Express of October 16, 1930 Harold Nicolson said, "I have read better works by Agatha Christie, but that does not mean that this last book is not more cheerful, more amusing, and more seductive than the generality of detective novels."

Marple Facsimile edition (Facsimile of 1930 UK first edition), 12 September 2005, Hardcover, ISBN 0-00-720842-1 Like a Publisher's dream, I promptly bought the entire set. Then with all of these precious new softcovers in hand, I thought, when I am going to read all of these? Murder at the Vicarage, a 1930 detective novel by legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie, concerns the murder of Colonel Lucius Protheroe, a man so despised that multiple people confess to the crime after the fact. The novel stars the elderly spinster detective Miss Marple in her first of many appearances in Christie's collection of mysteries.Leonard Clement along with his wife Griselda run the vicarage in sleepy village St Mary Mead. A hamlet that barely classifies as a town, all people know everyone else's business, and the vicar is looked to for guidance on all matters, religious or not. The case begins as Colonel Lucius Protheroe meets with Clement to discuss a pressing matter. Yet, before Clement can join Protheroe in his study, he finds the Colonel murdered there. So, I finished this one and I've come to a conclusion... I'm not a Miss Marple fan. Yes, yes, I know, I'm one of those basic Christie fans that she couldn't stand that delights every time Poirot says something witty/arrogant, and looks at all her other characters with a "that's very nice... could you write more Poirot now?" stance. Sure, I would have been polite enough not to say that... but the thought would have occurred (that said my favorite Christie novel is Crooked House which does not feature any of her recurring characters). It is the first novel to feature the character of Miss Marple and her village of St Mary Mead. This first look at St Mary Mead led a reviewer in 1990 to ask why these are called cosy mysteries: "Our first glimpse of St Mary Mead, a hotbed of burglary, impersonation, adultery and ultimately murder. What is it precisely that people find so cosy about such stories?" [4] There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands. Reverend Clement mentioned Canon Shirley References to other works [ ] Cultural references [ ] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations [ ] The Murder at the Vicarage (1949 play) [ ] Main article: Murder at the Vicarage (play)

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan. Miss Marple tells Clement she has a list of seven possible suspects in mind. Miss Marple sees Miss Cram carrying a suitcase into the woods at midnight, which Clement later finds, along with a small crystal of picric acid. The suitcase proves to contain valuable silver belonging to the Protheroes, and "Dr Stone" turns out to be an impostor, having stolen the identity of a real archaeologist and replaced the Protheroes' belongings with replicas. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During her first marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines. When Colonel Protheroe, hated by all around, is found dead at the Vicarage, the villagers of St Mary Mead are left in an uproar. Miss Marple, an elderly spinster with a talent for snooping and solving little everyday puzzles, promptly joins the investigation.There was one really good thing about this book though. It may have had the absolute best quote I've read in one of Christie's novels. While I like her as an author, I don't particularly find her quotable, but this is certainly an exception: In 2022, William Morrow released new editions for the entire Miss Marple series. Each one features a beautiful floral design matched with stunning color combinations. Then, slightly further up Lansham Road, was the fine Victorian structure of Gossington Hall. Until the 1950s this was lived in by a pompous retired soldier, Colonel Arthur Bantry, and his wife Mrs Dolly Bantry, Miss Marple's best friends in the village. However, after Colonel Bantry died, Mrs Bantry sold the estate, but continued to live on in the grounds in the East Lodge. After one or two changes of ownership, the Hall was later bought by the film star Marina Gregg. One mile down Lansham Road was a very modern cottage called Chatsworth, also known as the "Period Piece" and "Mr Booker's new house". It was bought in the early 1930s by Basil Blake, a member of the art department at Lemville film studios. It was also inhabited by Basil's wife, Dinah Lee, an actress. In the Daily Express of 16 October 1930, Harold Nicolson said, "I have read better works by Agatha Christie, but that does not mean that this last book is not more cheerful, more amusing, and more seductive than the generality of detective novels." [8] In a short review dated 15 October 1930, the Daily Mirror review declared, "Bafflement is well sustained." [9]