I think this is the first novel in which Agatha Christie has Miss Marple, a snoopy smart old spinster, as a character. An unliked man with a wife who does not like him and is in love with an artist, is shot in the vicarage library. The vicar is the "I' character, and is an admirable person. The book moves along fairly sprightily, and while when one has finished the book it does not appear as a great story, I do not regard reading it as a mistake. It is the 9th Christie book I've read and I think I have read her best ones. ( )

Military murder for Miss Marple.

Not a character I was interested enough in to want to read too may stories about, but this was one of them.

Here, a blustering Colonel is the sacrifice for the story, so that our crafty older lady gets to do some sleuthing.

Or, how dodgy is this particular church and its inhabitants?

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2009/11... ( )

This is my first Agatha Christie novel, but it won't be my last. Colonel Protheroe, a very unpopular "pompous old brute', is found murdered at the vicarage of the small village where he lives. There is a large cast of characters, most of whom have a motive for the murder, so it's unlikely that the reader can figure out who the culprit is. I found this book to be as charming and droll as the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. ( )

This is, in my opinion the best written and plotted book by Agatha Christie. The dialogue is droll, the characterizations (particularly that of the vicar and his wife) are well constructed, and the plot moves along at a good pace. Unlike many Christie books, this one doesn't reveal too many outlandish surprises at the end. It's a great read! ( )

easy to follow, the characters looked different. ( )