Mini Review – A Murder is Announced

From Goodreads:

The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.’ A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out…

Ah! A Ms Marple book that actually contains Ms Marple. I really liked both the set up and how this one played out. I loved just how nosy all the neighbours were and how the murderer had counted on that. I really like how Ms Marple seems to find herself indispensable to these types of investigation without ever actually meaning to get involved. She is such a fantastic character.

I really enjoyed how this one played out, all the various angles leading up to the final reveal and how we get to see all the little clues that lead up to big reveal laid out for us as Ms Marple reasoned them out. This one really contains some real ‘characters’ most of which are so very pompous that they become almost comical and the whole ordeal becomes very much like an entertaining play we have joined Ms Marple to watch. I really enjoyed this one.