I’ve seen it dismissed as having dated poorly, but for me this is a funny, witty and sharply observed Christie classic. Surrounded by villagers who all have an axe to grind with Colonel P, Miss M uses her famous nous to eliminate seven suspects. This post does not contain affiliate links.Famous largely for being Miss Marple’s first appearance in a novel, The Murder at the Vicarage sees thoroughly disagreeable chap Colonel Protheroe murdered, Cluedo-style, in his library, with a gun. I’m disappointed that she doesn’t appear in any of Christie’s other novels because she really is one of my favourite characters. I think that this is one of my favourite novels by Christie (that I’ve read so far) but that’s probably just because I like Bundle so much. I liked that the writing style matched Bundle’s personality and detection methods. However, since the main ‘detective’ of this book is an amateur detective, a young woman with no formal police training who is deliberately inserting herself into a mystery, I honestly didn’t mind the change in style. It is very different in style to some of the other novels I’ve read by Christie as it lacks some of the meticulous detail that she usually includes. She doesn’t let anyone tell her ‘no’ and she uses people’s assumptions about her against them. Bundle is a fiery young woman who doesn’t hesitate to throw herself into danger, even when the men around her attempt to force her to stay out of the action, and I love her.
This may be a Superintendent Battle book but Bundle is the main focus of the story and Battle is only really introduced towards the end. I think what I enjoyed most was the focus on Lady Eileen Brent, who is usually referred to by her nickname ‘Bundle’. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the ending because it was a bit abrupt and it didn’t feel particularly well-thought-out. I enjoyed most of the plot, especially Christie’s references to Sherlock Holmes, but the ending wasn’t what I expected. This book does follow on from The Secret of Chimneys and they have a similar tone and atmosphere. The plot was energetic, full of suspense and action, but it also had a romantic air about it which doesn’t resemble many of Christie’s other novels. I really enjoyed this book! It was fun, fast-paced, and feisty. For Jimmy Thesiger in particular, the words ‘Seven Dials’ were to take on a new and chilling significance… But when morning arrived, one clock was missing and the prank had backfired with tragic consequences. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off, one after the other, starting at 6.30 a.m. Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper so the other house guests decided to play a practical joke on him. Summary: A healthy young man dies in his sleep, despite the ringing of eight separate alarm clock.
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