The iconic Miss Marple must investigate the case of a girl found dead in Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, The Body in the LibraryIt’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another … what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?
The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple into their home to investigate. Amid rumors of scandal, she baits a clever trap to catch a ruthless killer.
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** spoiler alert ** It had been a while since I read an Agatha Christie novel. I combed through the list of her work and thought to myself… I’m not actually sure if I ever read this one. And it turned out, I hadn’t! Now I want to watch a TV version to see how they interpret it.
Great story. So much has been re-done from this early on work. It’s a must read for Christie fans and truly any mystery buff! When you are rich, and you have people who take care of things… and it’s nearly 100 years ago… what does one do when a body shows up in the library — and you’re not sure who it is? How confusing. But even more so when there’s another girl who is missing… and they look alike. Which is which? And you know someone’s lying. But you can’t quite tell. Marple can tho!
I think this is one of the better Marple mysteries… it’s less about Marple and more about the story. And how the body got there. Nothing is as it seems, but that’s where Christie shows her strength. The writing leads you to one conclusion based on how the facts are shown. But it’s not trickery. The info is there, you just have to weed thru it.
The only issue here: I’m just sorry I waited so long to read this one.
There’s so much to enjoy and admire about Agatha Christie’s writing. It goes without saying that her plots are intricate, complex and beautifully constructed, so much so that techniques she used in the 1930s and 40s are still being used in today’s murder mysteries.
If you accept that attitudes and language were quite different in the 1942, you can appreciate her direct style of writing that hasn’t lost any of its appeal over the decades. With minimal description and digression, she delivers the twists and turns of the plot with skill, deftness and confidence, leading the reader astray with red herrings and enough suspects to satisfy the stingiest critic. Add in sharp characterisation, lots of dialogue, and social comment that will raise a few smiles, and this is a superb whodunit that will keep you guessing until the reveal.
Miss Marple isn’t the fluffy character you see in some TV adaptations. She has a backbone of steel, an incisive mind and a sharp tongue. Where the police and the village see scandal when a young woman is found dead in the library of Colonel and Dolly Bantry, Miss Marple sees a puzzle with no obvious explanation.
While the police follow their own investigations, she seizes on the small clues, the little details they don’t fully appreciate, weaving it all together into an excellent and believable climax.
Agatha Christie’s books never fail to entertain me or inspire me as a mystery murder writer.
Highly recommended.
A good mystery. I recommend it.
There is no doubt Agatha Christie is the best of all mystery writers. There are no gory murders, no sex, no cursing. Her stories are genius. I loved the Body in the Library. I have to confess I’ve read ALL her books at least 10 times and continue to read them. They are pure genius!
Read 7.1.2021
OHHHHH this is much better than the first one. SO. MUCH. BETTER. And this narrator is just fantastic [she played Aunt Joan on Doc Martin and I adored her on that show] and really made the story come alive. If she does more of these books, I will not hesitate to read more.
one of my favorite Agatha Christie
One of my favorites… meet Miss Marple in this well plotted classic.
A lovingly snarky view of class structure with everything you expect from an Agatha Christie mystery.
I love Agatha Christie, she gives you all the clues, she doesn’t look down at “something” and say aha, now I know who it is (without telling you what the something is). Some of the settings are dated, but the mystery is still there, Read and enjoy!
LOVE Agatha Christie!
Great book! One of my favorite Miss Marple’s!!
Yes, I know, we’ve all read this book before, but it’s worthy of another read every few years. So many of Christie’s stories are classics!
Many times I’ve heard that, when reading Agatha Christie, it’s all about the puzzle—figuring out who done it. But I’m discovering other delights as I get around to reading some of Christie’s novels for the first time.
When the body of a young woman is found in the library at Gossington Hall, everyone assumes old Mr. Bantry has been keeping a mistress. But Mrs. Bantry tells her friend, Jane Marple, “Arthur isn’t like that . . . . He’s just, sometimes, a little bit silly about pretty girls who come to tennis. You know, rather fatuous and avuncular. There’s no harm in it.” I assumed poor old Mrs. Bantry was deceiving herself, which is what Christie wanted me to do.
In the course of the book, we meet another elderly man who has adopted a young woman as his daughter, and Miss Marple tells stories about three other elderly men who formed friendships with younger women in which, ” there was no familiarity of any kind. ”
Christie’s reason for piling up all these examples becomes clear when Mrs. Bantry begs Miss Marple to expose the murderer. Otherwise, she says, people will always assume her husband had an affair and killed to cover it up. Her husband will be shunned, will become lonely and depressed, and will die too soon. False assumptions are deadly.
The Body in the Library gives us a puzzle—How did the body get into the library? Who wanted it there? And why?—and a solution. It also delivers a powerful theme.
Agatha is the best!
One of the best in the Miss Marple series
Love Agatha Christie. Keeps you guessing.
I love Agatha Christy and this is one of my favorites.
Beautifully written
Christie is always a good read
A true Agatha Christie. Though not my favorite, it was still a good read.