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The Murder at the Vicarage

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) Agatha Christie

Murder at the VicarageIt’s been years since I’ve read an Agatha Christie, but she’s always been on of my favorites, and so I decided it was the perfect thing to read while I’m sick and feeling somewhat miserable.

This is the first Miss Marple mystery, and is told from the point of view of the Vicar.

Colonel Protheroe is rather a horrible man, doing his best to make everyone around him miserable, including his wife and daughter, so when his body is discovered in the study at the Vicarage, suspects abound.

The copyright is 1930, so the setting is between the Great War and the buildup to WWII. But I think what makes her so good is that it really could have been set at any time in the early to mid 20th century.

Of course, there are a few giveaways–the telephone operators and the existence of handguns leftover from the war being something you wouldn’t find in modern England. But to me, those things simply add to the charm of the story.

And it is charming. One of the things I’d forgotten is how subtly humorous these stories can be. Take this description of Miss Marple:

Miss Marple is a white-haird old lady with a gentle, appealing manner–Miss Wetherby is a mixture of vinegar and gush. Of the two Miss Marple is much the more dangerous.

and the definitive description of Miss Marple:

There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.

But I’m also fond of the Vicar’s frustration with the sheer volume of busy-bodies in Mary Meade:

‘It is a mystery to me,’ I said, ‘how anyone ever gets any nourishment in this place. They must eat their meals standing up by the window so as to be sure of not missing anything.

All of this makes me wonder why it’s been so long since I’ve reread these stories.
Rating: 8/10

Published by William Morrow

 

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