A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars rounded up**
As some of you may know, one of my 2023-Reading Goals is to read all of the full-length novels in the Miss Marple series in order.
A Murder is Announced is the third novel in the series and generally considered one of the best. I had been greatly anticipating this one and had so much fun with it.
Christie’s stories are complete nostalgia for me. They’re comfort reads and this one, the classic set-up, it felt completely her.
This one is set in the village of Chipping Cleghorn and follows the events that occur after the local Gazette runs an advertisement stating, A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.
No one knows what it means, but the village is a titter about it. Many locals decide there is only one way to find out, thus arriving at the stated destination at the appointed time.
As they gather in the residence, without warning the lights are extinguished and a gun is fired. As the lights come back on, a gruesome scene awaits them.
Who is the victim? Who is the killer and why?
As with the previous novels, Miss Marple wasn’t in the house at the time of the crime, but gets consulted after due to her expertise in such affairs.
This had a big cast of quirky characters and it was fun trying to work out all the connections and varied relationships. There is also talk of an inheritance of sorts and I always love that trope.
I wasn’t necessarily trying to figure out the whodunit whilst reading this, but I will say, the reveal did surprise me. I feel like Christie succeeded in pulling the wool over my eyes; a misdirection, if you will.
Overall, I loved it. It was such a great mystery, with intriguing twists that did ultimately surprise me.
Also, I feel like we got more face time with Miss Marple in this one and she was in more danger than ever before. It was tense and intriguing. Well done!
