Audiobook Review: Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

In the sleepy little English country village of St Mary Mead, all is not as it seems. Under a seemingly peaceful exterior lurks intrigue, guilt, deception - and murder.

Colonel Protheroe, local magistrate and overbearing landowner, is the most detested man in the village. Everyone, even the vicar, wishes he were dead. And very soon he is - shot in the head in the vicar's own study.

A visiting artist confesses to the murder, but residents saw him elsewhere at the time the Colonel was shot. If he didn't do it, who did? Is he protecting the wife whom he loves? Faced with a surfeit of suspects, only the inscrutable Miss Marple can unravel the tangled web of clues. A trap set, and Miss Marple's theory is put to the test when the true killer is finally unmasked.[summary via Audible]

Murder at the Vicarage is the first adventure with Miss Marple. Jane Marple is often thought of as a nosy old lady. She's often seen pottering in her garden and knows everything that is going on at St. Mary's Mead. When Colonel Protheroe turns up dead, the vicar and police turn to Miss Marple to assist in piecing the events together.

I love Miss Marple. She's a little nosy, but not over-the-top. She understands human nature and always gets to the bottom of the crime. Given a choice between Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, I'd say Miss Marple is the clear winner for my favorite sleuth. While Poirot is egotistical and acts so very superior, Miss Marple is subtle and unobtrusive. Miss Marple only appears in 12 full-length novels, and it's probably the reason I've re-read so many of her adventures. I do wish Agatha Christie had written more featuring her.

In this first book we get to visit with Miss Marple in her own village and try to figure out who killed the Colonel. This is probably one of a few that I already knew the killer, having re-read it so many times. I delight in re-reading it, as I'm often amazed at Agatha Christie's brilliance.

This is my favorite part, right at the end: "I wonder, Miss Marple," I said suddenly, "if you were to commit a murder whether you would ever be found out." "What a terrible idea," said Miss Marple, shocked. "I hope I could never do such a wicked thing." "But human nature being what it is," I murmured.

I do wonder if this planted the seed in Agatha's mind for one of her later novels, when the detective did do it!

I love re-reading this book and I really enjoyed listening to the full-cast audiobook. Each book would be a fabulous starting point for anyone new to Agatha Christie. June Whitfield voices Miss Marple and she does a tremendous job. I'm looking forward to re-reading more of my favorite Agatha Christie's!