What will the critics make of Dr. Mark Aldridge’s new book? You know, the folks who describe any novelist who tries their hand at a mystery in the classic style as “the next Agatha Christie?” They might say something like this:

“An entertaining and informative dissertation on the world’s most famous and best-loved spinster sleuth by the author of Agatha Christie on Screen and Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World. Dr. Aldridge covers Jane Marple from the moment of inception in 1927 whilst the author was enduring great personal difficulties, chronicles her history on the page, radio, stage and screens large and small, and manages to distill the essence of a character whose fluffy exterior has fooled many a murderer but none of her countless fans.” 

Next will come the mention of dozens of facts that you should wait to discover in the book itself. Rather than spoil things, the critics would do better to furnish a sort of clue list like Miss Marple herself might make up in the penultimate chapter of one of her novels:

• Tuesday Night
• Letty/Lotty? ——> Hinchliffe/???
• “No Rutherfords in Rutherford Hall”
• Jane . . . Joan . . . June . . . Geraldine . . . Julia
• Dark Marple
• Hundreds and thousands
• MGM —> murder plot?
• Carrots
• Lemon pepper
• Cat treats

(Sorry, the last three were meant for my grocery list.)

And what does this avid Christie fan have to say about Mark’s book? Well, I managed to tear through its 432 pages in five days, a real record for a notoriously slow reader! I seemed to be impervious to the wrenching noises  mycontractor made tearing apart my kitchen in the next room. I really couldn’t tell you how a bit of Thai food landed on the cover. In short, the whole experience turned reality into a blur, which is exactly what a good book is supposed to do.

For the avid fan, reading Marple is like having a long conversation with a learned friend about your favorite subject. You both know a lot, but Aldridge has gained access to people and places where you’ll never go and has done his research and can add a wealth of details you may have never known. He may or may not change your mind about the novel At Bertram’s Hotel or Angela Lansbury’s depiction of the character, but he will fill in the gaps and offer lots of fascinating gossip. Along the way, you will gain access to a great deal of private correspondence and hear from some of the folks who brought Miss Marple’s story to life on television, including Julia McKenzie.

Marple serves more as biography than analysis: a specialized biography of Christie herself, since she acknowledged (quite publicly to a so-called Marple “biographer”) that she herself didn’t know much about, and had given little thought to, her creation’s past life. Aldridge gives good measure to each of the twelve Marple novels and the twenty short stories, but newcomers to the books are safe as he doesn’t dwell too long on any of the plots and includes no spoilers (except occasionally in the end notes, and these are well-marked). Instead, he provides context as to the origination of each plot, whether it stemmed from incidents in Christie’s own life or were expansions or variations of previous works. 

As might be expected of a professor of film studies who, to my mind, has written the definitive reference on all screen adaptations of Christie’s work, the sections here chronicling all attempts, successful or not, to put Miss Marple on the screen are richly detailed and fascinating.  Especially poignant is the description of how MGM botched their relationship with Christie in their attempt to film her work, solidifying Agatha’s lasting contempt for the film industry. 

I’ll keep this short because I don’t want to spoil your experience. Really, there is something interesting to be found on every page, along with hundreds of illustrations of various book covers, actors, and Christie memorabilia. I figure that if you’ve been reading Dame Agatha for many years, you will nod in recognition at many of the facts presented here and then embrace the ways Aldridge extends your knowledge. And if you have only dabbled in Christie so far – moreover, if you are primarily a Poirot fan! – then Agatha Christie’s Marple will surely whet your whistle for a visit to St. Mary Mead and Christie’s wholly different take on a classic detective. 

P.S. And if you’re Gray Robert Brown . . . another review has come out. You may take a drink.*

(*Seriously, folks, you have to listen to The Swinging Christies.)