Marple: Twelve new stories by Agatha Christie, Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo et al.

Fans of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple will be thrilled with this collection of twelve short stories featuring that favourite detective. Fans of other crime and YA writers, like Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Karen M. McManus and Leigh Bardugo, will also be tempted to pick up this collection to see how believable they are able to make their tales. And a whole new generation of readers may be introduced to Miss Marple and Agatha Christie’s novels, while readers like me, may want to revisit The Murder at the Vicarage, the first full length novel which featured Miss Marple.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, eagerly going from one story to the next. Many had exotic settings like a cruise ship to Hong Kong, and a theatre in Manhattan, while some were set in St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple’s beloved village. I loved Murder At The Villa Rosa By Elly Griffiths for its setting in Italy and references to killing off a main character in an author’s series. In Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware readers will recognise Christie’s signature manor house setting, theft of a string of pearls, multiple suspects, and a surprise ending. YA author Karen M. McManus takes the reader to the U.S. in In The Murdering Sort, to solve a mystery with her great–grand-niece Nicola West.

A few of the authors were new to me which gives me the opportunity to seek out their stories – it is always wonderful to find new authors!

This is an excellent collection of original short stories that will have wide appeal to adults and young adults alike.

Themes: Miss Marple, Mysteries, Crime.

Pat Pledger