A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

What’s the last series you finished?  I’m still working on Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series.  I am not reading them in order, but I hope to finish this series one of these days.  A Murder is Announced is book four in the Miss Marple series.

I read A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie in August for #ReadChristie2024.  #ReadChristie2024 has a theme this year of through the decades.  January – March were books written by Agatha Christie in the 1920’s, April through June were books written by Agatha Christie in the 1930’s, and July through September were books written by Agatha Christie in the 1940s and 1950s.  A Murder is Announced was published in 1950.

An ad appears in a local paper stating, “a murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 28^th at Little Paddocks at 6:30 P.M.”  This piques the curiosity of many locals and they gather at Little Paddocks at the date and time.  Most believe this to be a “game.”  At 6:30 P.M., the lights go out and shots are heard.  A guest is found murdered.  Luckily, Miss Marple happens to be vacationing nearby and soon is helping the investigators.  Will Miss Marple be able to solve the crime?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Emilia Fox was a great narrator who was able to act out very different voices for a variety of characters.

·       There are many items in this book that set it right after WWII.  Miss Marple talks about bombs falling in London during the war.  There is also discussion of food rationing.

·       Miss Marple also doesn’t like how England is changing due to the refugees in England.  One character, Mitzi, is a refugee.  She mentions concentration camps, and she didn’t seem to be treated well in the book.  This was a book of its time and there were racist statements.

·       I was fooled again by red herrings and did not guess the ending of this one.  The murder mystery was great and perfectly plotted.

·       Agatha Christie writes great characters with faults and foibles that are a part of human nature.

·       Miss Marple arrives about 30% into the book and is active in the investigation.  I like this much better than other Miss Marple books where she doesn’t show up until the end and doesn’t have much to do with the investigation. 

·       I liked Inspector Craddock, the lead detective in the case.

Overall, A Murder is Announced is another great mystery by Agatha Christie.  I liked the unique premise and the characters.