A Murder Is Announced

A Murder Is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple)

In Chipping Cleghorn, the local paper sports an unexpected advertisement:

‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.’

One of the bits I found particularly amusing was where people slowly show up for the announced murder–but claim to have randomly shown up for other reasons, and all every single couple that arrives comments of the chrysanthemums and that the central heat has been turned on. It’s rather delightful, because you can easily imagine yourself in that situation, hearing the same thing over and over.

“You’ve got your central heating on,” said Miss Hinchcliffe. She said it accusingly. “Very early.”

“The house gets so damp this time of year,” said Miss Blacklock.

Although this was written after WWII, there are still some things left over, which I find fascinating.

“Thursday is the day one of the farms round here makes butter. They let anybody they like have a bit. It’s usually Miss Hinchcliffe who collects it. She’s very much in with all the farmers— because of her pigs, I think. But it’s all a bit hush hush, you know, a kind of local scheme of barter. One person gets butter, and sends along cucumbers, or something like that— and a little something when a pig’s killed. And now and then an animal has an accident and has to be destroyed. Oh, you know the sort of thing. Only one can’t, very well, say it right out to the Police. Because I suppose quite a lot of this barter is illegal— only nobody really knows because it’s all so complicated.

I’d remembered bits and pieces of this story, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Rating: 8/10

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