I can see why fans of Agatha Christie like to reread her mysteries. First you read for the pleasure of finding out who committed the crime. Then you read again to see how Christie pulled it off. Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie's first Miss Jane Marple mystery which was written in 1930. She had previously appeared in the short story, "The Tuesday Night Club". While I was expecting to enjoy the story, I wasn't really expecting to be floored by the solution. I've been suitably chastened. She pulled the rug right out from under my feet, but I can't say I mind when it comes to mysteries.
St. Mary Mead seems an idyllic little English village, not a place you would expect to find strong passions simmering below the surface. Not only is one of the more respectable and upstanding citizens murdered, he is ruthlessly shot in the back of the head in the vicar's study. Apparently he wasn't so well respected after all. As a matter of fact it turns out that nearly everyone either disliked him or held a grudge against him.
The tricky thing with quaint little villages--everyone seems to live in everyone else's pocket. News travels fast and there's little that goes unnoticed, particularly with the very observant Miss Marple. So how is it that no one hears the fatal gunshot or notices anything suspicious about the vicarage at the time of the murder? Conveniently for the local police inspector, the murderer willingly gives himself up. It's never that easy, though, is it? Especially when a second person comes forward admitting guilt. To complicate matters the two happen to be having an affair and one is the victim's wife. Yes, the plot thickens.
It must be signature Agatha Christie style, as there is a full cast of characters to keep track of along with timetables of comings and goings, mysterious phone calls, lost hats, found earrings and a suitcase buried in the woods. I contemplated making a flow chart, but it was more enjoyable to just hang on for the ride and see where the story took me.
And I have to say, as gray-haired spinsters go, Miss Marple rocks. She's a keen student of human nature and the residents of St. Mary Mead provide plenty of examples of bad behavior that reveal their minds' inner workings. Combine that with general cleverness and a centrally located house and garden (with a good view of the vicarage and easy access to the well trafficked lane) and you have the makings of a top notch armchair detective. According to the Wikipedia Miss Marple's character has changed somewhat over time.
"This early version of Miss Marple is a gleeful gossip and not an especially nice woman. The citizens of St. Mary Mead like her but are often tired by her nosy nature and how she seems to expect the worst of everyone. In later books she becomes more modern and a kinder person."
I'm not sure I entirely agree with that depiction, but this is only my first Miss Marple mystery. Certainly she is nosy and a gossip, but I didn't find that she wasn't nice. Of course when even the vicar dreads chatting with her then perhaps that's a sign. Interestingly the story is narrated in the first person by the vicar, and while Miss Marple unravels the truth of the crime, she doesn't exactly take an active role in the actual detecting of clues (St. Mary Mead has an especially active grapevine that I'd say Miss Marple makes good use of, as she is the first to know things). Inspector Slack, who was anything but (slack that is), is the local policeman whose feathers are ruffled by Miss Marple's suggestions and interpretations of the facts, but you can't fault her as she is always spot on. Even the vicar notes that despite her fragile appearance Miss Marple is capable of holding her own with any policeman or chief constable in existence.
I enjoyed this immensely and see Agatha Christie's books as not only wonderful little intellectual puzzles but also comfort reads. There is something so appealing about this period--lawn parties with tennis games and tea at the manor house and the ladies in glamorous clothes and the men looking sharp. It's a way of life that has completely faded away, yet it's easily imagined within the pages of one of Christie's novels. I've already returned to St Mary Mead as I'm now reading The Thirteen Problems, which is a collection of stories including "The Tuesday Night Club". A while back I wanted to find a mystery series I could follow straight through from the first book to the last but couldn't decide which character I wanted to spend my time with, but I think I've found her now. There are thirteen novels and two short story collections, and since I've started at the beginning I might as well keep going. I may intersperse my reading with some Tommy and Tuppence novels as there are only a very few and we'll see about M. Poirot later. Christie was extremely prolific, so I'll have enough to keep me busy for months.
As usual I am a little late to the party as I know many readers have already had the pleasure of reading Agatha Christie, and in some cases when they were much younger, but better late than never, right. Anyway, for me the timing seems to be perfect for mysterious doings in the quaint village of St. Mary Mead.