Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

By: Agatha Christie, Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse, Ruth Ware

Narrated by: Alex Kingston, Adjoa Andoh, Miriam Margolyes, Celia Imrie, Chipo Chung, Adrian Scarborough, Imogen Stubbs

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"Each author captures Christie—and Marple—perfectly, while also displaying just a bit of her own unique touch. . . . This new and entertaining collection by some of our favorite writers will hook a new group of readers to the formidable Miss Marple." — Rhys Bowen, Washington Post

“Marple is the best loved [detective]. Also the most influential. . . . It is Miss Marple who introduced the revolutionary notion that people are essentially the same wherever one goes.” — Los Angeles Times

Agatha Christie’s legendary sleuth, Jane Marple, returns to solve twelve baffling cases in this brand-new collection, penned by a host of acclaimed authors skilled in the fine art of mystery and murder

One doesn't stop at one murder...

Jane Marple is an elderly lady from St Mary Mead who possesses an uncanny knack for solving even the most perplexing puzzles. Now, for the first time in 45 years, Agatha Christie’s beloved character returns to the page for a globe-trotting tour of crime and detection.

Join Marple as she travels through her sleepy English village and around the world. In St Mary Mead, a Christmas dinner is interrupted by unexpected guests; the Broadway stage in New York City is set for a dangerous improvisation; bad omens surround an untimely death aboard a cruise ship to Hong Kong; and a bestselling writer on holiday in Italy is caught in a nefarious plot. These and other crimes committed in the name of love, jealousy, blackmail, and revenge are ones that only the indomitable Jane Marple can solve.

Bringing a fresh twist to the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, these twelve esteemed writers have captured the sharp wit, unique voice, and droll ingenuity of the deceptively demure detective. A triumphant celebration of Christie’s legacy and essential reading for crime lovers, Marple is a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains one of the most famous detectives of all time.

©2022 Agatha Christie (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

A mixed bag

I'm someone who doesn't like to try to figure out the mystery before it ends. Having said that, I figured out a quarter of these mysteries without even trying. Some of them were excellent. However most of them or middle of the road. And, unfortunately, a good number of them suffer from the cardinal sin of a mystery: being predictable.

Narrators

These stories were surprisingly good. There is a problem with a few of the narrators. a gravelly, hard edged voice is not for Jane Marple. Joan Hixon's voice should be the model.

Pale imitations

it was hard to listen to these for a variety of reasons, pretty boring actually

OK

The stories started out like a Miss Marple mystery then they changed to something not so Miss Marple. Still entertaining but disappointing

Fantastic book. Please write more new stories!

These are brand new Miss Marple stories. While I was skeptical over new stories being written as Agatha Christie stories, the authors did a great job keeping their stories to a format and content similar to the way Agatha actually wrote. Please write more stories like this!

I knew who done it right away

I bought this book because I thought it was written by Agatha Christie author of Miss Marple stories. However, after reading the first couple of stories, I intuitively realized this ain’t Agatha Christie’s writing. When I can figure out who done it after three pages, it was very disappointing.. But I still read the whole book, and that says it wasn’t horrid writing, just OK, but definitely not even close to a real Agatha Christie book.

Interesting, but misses the mark

The stories weren’t bad, but they miss Jane Marple’s character. Got some of the other characters completely wrong as well. It would have been better to say it was a completely different old maid sleuth rather that try to pass her off as a beloved Christie character.

Some interesting stories but disappointing

The surrogate authors did a mostly good job of mimicking Agatha Christie. Several of their stories really were enjoyable. But I despise the authors that made Miss Marple so liberal that she imbibed in & approved of using heroin, LSD, & other illicit drugs. Nor did I like or agree that Christie would make Marple so liberal she would appreciate nudity or raucous living. True Marple understood evil but she NEVER approved or engaged in it at any time in her life. How dare these new authors cheapen Marple so, especially given Christie said Marple was based on her favorite aunt a Christian woman.

Overall a pretty good set of mysteries

Most of the mysteries in this book sound like they could’ve been authored by Agatha Christie. Others missed the mark. Overall I enjoyed them.

Didn’t care for some of the narrators

I would have enjoyed these stories more if I had of just read the book rather than listening. Some of the voices were shrill and overacted imo so I found myself not really paying attention tot he story. Others weren’t so bad.