Body in the Library

Despite reading a fair bit of Christie, this is my first Miss Marple. I can't say I'm impressed. The plot feels overly contrived, especially the lengths Christie goes to in order to manufacture the titular aspect (i.e. the body in the library). The fact that she needs to add a foreword explaining it says that there are problems with the concept.

For me, the biggest problem is that Miss Marple is barely in it. I'm not sure if this is typical or not for Miss Marple mysteries, but I found it annoying, especially in comparison to the Hercule Poirot stories. Poirot is central to the plot, leading the reader through the various discoveries and twists, and then POW, at the end, the grand reveal. In this, Miss Marple sits on the sidelines sipping tea with a smug look on her face because she solved the mystery half-way through the book, and she's waiting for you to catch up. As I said, annoying.

One of my favorite Agatha Christies and one of the very first Miss Marples I ever read. The novel starts off with Mrs Bantry being awakened by a hysterical maid informs her that there is a body in the library. Colonel Bantry goes downstairs and learns that there really is a body in the library. The dead girl - for she is very young - has bleached blonde hair, heavy makeup, and painted nails, and is wearing a gaudy, but cheap and old gown. She looks very out of place in the colonel's warm, old-fashioned library. No one recognizes the victim. She is definitely not from the area. Mrs Bantry has more faith in her old friend, Miss Marple, that she does the local police - and with good reason. Miss Marple suggests a likely suspects - the arrogant and deeply unpleasant Basil Blake, son of an old friend of Mrs Bantry's. He works in show business in a minor role behind the scenes and he has been seen with a platinum blonde. I won't spoil the rest of the story, but suffice it to say that things aren't what they seem in more ways than one.