The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie and narrated by Stephanie Cole
Miss Marple Mystery #3
Detective Mystery, Originally Published 1942
Read January 2011, Unabridged – 5 hrs 23 min
Verdict: 3/5
Book Blurb:
One morning, Colonel and Dolly Bantry are awakened by their maid and informed that there is a body in the library! They immediately call the authorities and their dear old friend Miss Jane Marple. The dead young woman is soon identified as Ruby Keene, a dance hostess at a hotel. Can Miss Marple’s sharp eyes find the motive, the truth, and the killer?
Thoughts:
It takes a while for the Bantrys to really believe what their maid is telling them, a dead girl in the Colonel’s library? She must be crazy! But they soon see it is true. They have never seen this girl before in their lives, and Dolly thinks it a game to call the old lady in town who has been known to solve a crime or two. After the police show up to the house to start investigating, Dolly and Miss Marple leave for the hotel in town. It’s not too long later that a very strange group of suspects and involved persons show up at the hotel to discuss the murder and potential motives. There are not only a myriad and ever-growing number of suspects, but the number of detectives almost outweighs them. There are several theories, and it is not until the entire group of involved persons come together that the true story is told. Miss Marple is not the main detective in this mystery, she is not even a major character, but she is the one every looks to to put together all the unrelated pieces to form a reasonable motive and true suspect (or is it suspects??).
This was my first venture into the world of Agatha Christie. I had wanted to read some of her stories for a while and picked up this third book in the Miss Marple series. I think all her mysteries can be read as stand-alones, but there are recurring characters throughout. I enjoyed the whodunit mystery, and while I thought I knew who the killer was, I wasn’t completely sure until the very end when Miss Marple very clearly states the motives and persons involved. The whole truth is not revealed until the very end. While I enjoyed the mystery and will probably pick up another Miss Marple adventure, it’s not one that will stay in my library.
Who is this dead girl, how did she become involved with the hotel and the dance club, and most importantly, how did she become the dead body in the library?
Recommended for: Any one looking for a fun and quick detective mystery
Incredible book ,very complecated but a trick of your eye,the body in the library is a book you need to read about ,however watch out ,you could be a detective or a blindman here,not Miss Jane Marple though.