“Murder at the Vicarage was published in 1930, but I cannot remember where, when or how I wrote it, why I came to write it, or even what suggested to me that I should select a new character – Miss Marple – to act as the sleuth in the story. Certainly at the time I had … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE #1: The Murder at the Vicarage

You can feel it in the air: 2023 is the Year of Marple. Whether it’s the start of a New Age, or merely continuing the joyous celebration that began when a story called “The Tuesday Night Club” appeared in The Royal Magazine in December 1927, is a matter up for discussion. What’s true is that the name … Continue reading RANKING MARPLE: A YEAR-LONG PROJECT

(Note: while the killer is never mentioned by name, I would urge you to read or have read Mrs. McGinty’s Dead before tackling this post. You have been warned!) In her biography about Agatha Christie, Laura Thompson writes,  “It is a paradox, although perhaps not a surprise, that Agatha’s popularity should have increased as her powers declined. … Continue reading GENDER REVEAL PARTY: Mrs. McGinty’s Dead

With much fanfare and no little trepidation on the part of Agatha Christie purists, a collection of brand-new stories featuring Miss Jane Marple, the world-famous octogenarian sleuth, has arrived at many doorsteps this week. The book is called Marple. That’s it – Marple. Not Miss Marple or The New Adventures of Miss Marple . . . just Marple. Seems a bit cheeky … Continue reading MARPLE