Review – Marple

From Goodreads: A brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors.

This collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.

Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

I have made my love for Agatha Christie’s writing very clear. I love nothing more than cuddling up with a Poirot or a Marple. One of my favourite of Christies work is 13 Problems a collection of Marple short stories, so when this was offered up I just knew I had to read it.

It is a must read for Christie fans. While every writer in the collection has there own twist and flare they all stay true to the classic Marple stories which made this a complete joy to read. For example, Val McDermid’s story takes us back to the Vicarage where we first met Marple to investigate yet another murder. While Karen M. McManus’s adds a YA spin where we get introduced to Newphew Raymond’s Daughter who seems to take after her great aunt. Leigh Bardugo takes us back to where the Body in the Library was found but this time there is no body in sight.

I really loved the range of these stories. Some take Marple to New York of Hong Kong, others are set around St. Mary Mead, or other small English visitors. Some have Marple encountering new and interesting characters, while others bring back old friends such as Cherry, Sir Henry Clithering and Dolly Bantry. We get to see Marple put her mind to all sorts of scenarios.

Usually with short story collections like this there are stories a love and those I don’t but I genuinely enjoyed every story in this collection. I had some favourites like Val McDrimid’s which felt the most traditionally Christie. I loved the bitter sweetness to Leigh Bardugo’s tale. Lucy Foley’s story was a great opening act to the collection as a whole.