Miss Marple's Final Cases

'The queen of crime fiction the world over' --Observer GoodReads User Reviews Susan (2017-11-25) Very Good; 50 of 50 people found this review helpful. I have now come to the end of my Miss Marple reading marathon this year, with this final volume, “Miss Marple’s Final Cases.” Although I often struggle with short stories, this is a fun collection, with a mix of both stories which feature Miss Marple and a couple of stand-alone stories thrown in. The stories included are: Sanctuary (featuring the wonderful Bunch Harmon, well known from other Miss Marple books). Strange Jest (in which Miss Marple helps a young couple find an inheritance), The Tape-Measure Murder (set in Miss Marple’s own St Mary Mead), The Case of the Caretaker (where the wonderful Dr Haydock brings a frail Miss Marple a mystery to solve to help revitalise her), The Case of the Perfect Maid (bringing together Miss Marple and her attempts to clear the name of a local girl in service), a delightful tale called, Miss Marple Tells a Story (in which she is asked to help solve a tricky murder and clear someone’s name), The Dressmaker’s Doll (one of the two stories in this collection which does not feature Miss Marple, but involves a dress maker’s establishment and a rather creepy doll), In a Glass Darkly (another stand-alone story involving a slightly other worldly event) and Greenshaw’s Folly (featuring Miss Marple’s loving nephew, the author Raymond West, and a tricky will).

This is an enjoyable collection, which includes lots of familiar characters and settings. As always, Miss Marple is her indomitable self – a great believer in justice and in her ability to draw parallels between those suspected of crimes and local ne’er do wells that she has come across in village life. She is often consulted by others and seems to enjoy her natural crime solving ability and the compliments paid her when she helps out. I am saddened I have come to the end of the books, but I know I will be re-reading them again.