- The Good: Cozy British mystery; an easy entry into the Miss Marple universe
- The Bad: A large cast of characters will keep you guessing till the end
- The Literary: An iconic small-town mystery, complete with nosy neighbors, rural gossip, and sinister dancing
Colonel Arthur and Missus Dolly Bantry are unceremoniously awakened early in the morning by their maid telling them there’s a dead body in their library. The strangled young platinum blonde woman is wearing a spangled evening gown, and the Bantrys have no idea how she got there. The police are phoned, as well as one of Dolly’s good friends, Miss Jane Marple.
Miss Marple is a village spinster and a keen observer of human nature. She herself is quiet and often overlooked, but quite charming. She has the advantage of the feminine viewpoint, noting small details about the body including the state of her dress, make-up, and nails, as well as the behavior and motivations of young girls.
There’s a whole plot of following leads, uncovering new information, some mundane, some shocking. The police and Miss Marple don’t exactly work together, but they share information rather freely. They begin by questioning local film star Basil Blake, who is known to have a girlfriend with platinum blonde hair, as well as some young people vacationing at the nearby Majestic Hotel.
Eventually they deduce the identity of the dead girl, her occupation and friends, and a story begins to unfold. The case is puzzling, and no murderer is readily identified, and the police remain stumped. A third party enters, the friend of a friend of the dead girl, retired Inspector Henry Clithering, who has a deep respect for Miss Marple, and together they join forces to work out the mystery.
As my first Miss Marple novel, I’m surprised that the story is both easy to read and quite enjoyable. The book is both funny, particularly in its very British characters, and also quite serious, in the reality of grieving parents. They mystery is classic but not derivative, with twists and red herrings that make you wonder just how Miss Marple can claim to have solved it so early. And Miss Marple herself is just so likeable.
Highly recommended for fans of mysteries or British fiction, or someone who wants to try either genre from the feminine perspective.
“What I feel is that if one has got to have a murder actually happening in one’s house, one might as well enjoy it, if you know what I mean.”