I enjoyed this collection of contemporary writers writing new short stories featuring Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple. Two of the things that make Miss Marple such an interesting character, and so ripe for reinterpretation are her clear eyed, somewhat cynical view of humanity, and the way she is underestimated because of her age. The stories that worked best were the ones that embraced these aspects. Some stories worked better than others with a couple of standouts and a couple of authors whose backlist I’ll be investigating. Only one of the stories was truly disappointing.
I was surprised that my two favorite stories were ones in which Miss Marple was not the POV character. In Val McDermid’s “The Second Murder at the Vicarage,” Reverend Leonard Clement is faced with, as the title says, yet another murder in his vicarage.
To have one murder in one’s vicarage is unfortunate; to have a second looks remarkably like carelessness, or worse.
Agatha Christie’s first novel with Miss Jane Marple was 1930’s Murder at the Vicarage. Leonard narrates his utter confusion at finding himself confronted with another dead body. Building on the reader’s likely familiarity with the story, McDermid gives Miss Marple another opportunity to solve the crime and amaze the vicar and the police with her acuity. With this second murder, the vicar’s prior experience with Miss Marple wars with his preconceived notions of elderly women.
Ellie Grifiths’ “Murder at the Villa Rosa” was one of the most interesting, again with Miss Marple as an observed character rather than the point of view. A man goes on holiday to Italy with the intent to commit murder. Miss Marple and a cast of intriguing characters are also staying at the Villa Rosa.
It’s not necessary to travel to a beautiful place to commit murder, of course, but sometimes it does help.
This short story is like a fever dream with Miss Marple in the end cutting away the hysteria and getting to the commonplace truths.
I think Karen McManus’ “The Murdering Sort” would have worked better as it’s own story than as a Miss Marple Story. There wasn’t enough Jane Marple in it.
CW: murders (of course), racism, classism, misogyny
I received this as an advance reader copy from William Morrow via NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.