Book Review - The Body in the Library - Agatha Christie
I might be one of the few people who have never read Agatha Christie - at least among the readers of cozy mysteries. Honestly, I probably still would not have read her had not my book club selected this for our May meeting. This book is the third in the Miss Marple series and was originally published in 1942.
A young woman's body is found in the library of Colonel Bantry, a local upper class resident of the small town, in which Miss Marple resides. As a friend of his wife, Dolly, Miss Marple helps find the killer. Together she and Dolly travel to the resort where the young woman had worked as a social dancer and performed as part of a show for the hotel guests.
Miss Marple helps to discover who really killed Ruby and why. Agatha Christie used not one or two detectives on the case but four. Everyone in my book club agreed that this was a bit too much and Miss Marple has a minor role. Maybe because A. Christie was still developing this character but I found Miss Marple unbelievable and tedious. In fact, I had a hard time getting through the book.
There were many red herrings and then the end was surprising. Miss Marple came up with clues which she shouldn't have known and the detectives almost seemed to bumbling for my taste.
It could be that I don't enjoy historical mysteries or that this was not the best example of A.C.'s work but I would skip this book. I have promised, however to read, "And Then There Were None" and "The Murder of Roger Ackerman", which I am told are great examples of Christie's work.
Happy trails,
Leslie
A young woman's body is found in the library of Colonel Bantry, a local upper class resident of the small town, in which Miss Marple resides. As a friend of his wife, Dolly, Miss Marple helps find the killer. Together she and Dolly travel to the resort where the young woman had worked as a social dancer and performed as part of a show for the hotel guests.
Miss Marple helps to discover who really killed Ruby and why. Agatha Christie used not one or two detectives on the case but four. Everyone in my book club agreed that this was a bit too much and Miss Marple has a minor role. Maybe because A. Christie was still developing this character but I found Miss Marple unbelievable and tedious. In fact, I had a hard time getting through the book.
There were many red herrings and then the end was surprising. Miss Marple came up with clues which she shouldn't have known and the detectives almost seemed to bumbling for my taste.
It could be that I don't enjoy historical mysteries or that this was not the best example of A.C.'s work but I would skip this book. I have promised, however to read, "And Then There Were None" and "The Murder of Roger Ackerman", which I am told are great examples of Christie's work.
Happy trails,
Leslie
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