This collection of Miss Marple stories was an absolute delight to read. Featuring twelve modern authors but keeping the charm of the originals, each story had it's own twist. From the depths of St Mary Mead to the exotic boardwalks of New York, Miss Marple finds herself on a whole host of new adventures.

Each story is a great length, and you can fit in as many as you like in a sitting!

I would love to read a full length Miss Marple novel by any of these authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the eARC in exchange for an honest review
Opinions:
Since this is a short story collection, I'm finding it quite difficult to provide a structured review of these stories which are quite different to each other and which I enjoyed in varying capacities. So I'll be reviewing each story in short separately.

1 - 'Evil in Small Places' by Lucy Foley
In my opinion, this story started in a peculiar way and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be looking out for. As it progressed, I became sure that I already knew how the story was going to end but then the plot twist proved me very wrong. I also think that it could have been longer as the ending felt a bit rushed. 4⭐

2 - 'The Second Murder at the Vicarage' by Val McDermid
I want to start by saying I have not read 'The Murder at the Vicarage' so I cannot compare this story to the original book and I am sure there were many aspects of it which I would've understood better if I had. Particularly because of this fact, I found the story quite confusing and I'd suggest knowing what happens in the book before attempting to read this. It was still a good story, however, I found it to be less intriguing than the previous story and the fact that I didn't understand much wasn't helpful either. 3⭐

3 - 'Miss Marple Takes Manhattan' by Alyssa Cole
This story immediately made me want to pick up more of what Alyssa Cole has written. I loved her writing style, especially her descriptions which were so well written and detailed and she managed to make even the most mundane things seem interesting. I also loved the humour throughout the book which was also great. But the best thing about it, apart from the very interesting plot, was the fact that it was quite centred around Broadway and I'm a huge theatre fan so it hit home. The only other thing I have to say is that it did take quite a while for the mystery to actually start but I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't really mind it. 4.75⭐

4 - 'The Unravelling' by Natalie Haynes
The writing in this story gripped me from the start. The concept is super interesting and was carried out extremely well, it was very captivating and I loved the sort of broken form of storytelling. I'm extremely glad that I enjoyed this story especially since Natalie Haynes' new book 'Stone Blind' comes out soon! I also loved the small reference to greek mythology at the end. I don't really have anything negative to say about this one. 5⭐

5 - 'Miss Marple's Christmas' by Ruth Ware
This one was an ok story, it wasn't the best story in the collection but it wasn't the worst either. It sits somewhere in the middle I guess. In general, I don't particularly like holiday-themed stories but this one was quite good compared to others I've read. I don't have much to say about this one to be honest. 4⭐

6 - 'The Open Mind' by Naomi Alderman
I found this story to be a bit hard to follow at times, there were way too many characters which made it confusing and added no real value to the story. This was quite disappointing because the premise was interesting but I feel that it wasn't carried out in the best way, which resulted in me not enjoying this story that much. 3⭐

7 - 'The Jade Empress' by Jean Kwok
This story was very intriguing, it started a bit strangely but once the mystery part started picking up it got way better. I noticed quite a few similarities to Agatha Christie's 'Death on the Nile', which was great because that's one of my favourite books by her. I really enjoyed how the story played out and I also found the element of Chinese culture very interesting. I also really liked the family aspect it had to it too. 4.75⭐

8 - 'A Deadly Wedding Day' by Dreda Say Mitchell
I don't have much to say about this one apart from the fact that it was absolutely amazing and that I really loved it. The twist was very unexpected and well carried out and it's definitely one of the best in the collection. 5⭐

9 - 'Murder at the Villa Rosa' by Elly Griffiths
I'm disappointed to say I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would. It started so great, the opening line was amazing and it was going so well up until a bit before the ending when the plot sort of fell apart and the ending was quite lame. I would've liked something bigger to happen and the ending impacted the whole reading experience. 3.75⭐

10 - 'The Murdering Sort' by Karen M McManus
This story is a bit difficult to review because I truly loved it, however, it was considerably less Miss Marple based than all the rest. It was similar to books like 'The Inheritance Games' and the movie 'Knives Out', which are two of my favourite things and it read way more young adult and thriller than all the rest of the stories. My love for the story might be biased because Karen M McManus is one of my favourite authors but I enjoyed this one a lot. 5⭐ if it was a short story by itself but 4⭐ considering it's part of a short story collection which is centred on Miss Marple

11 - 'The Mystery of the Acid Soil' by Kate Mosse
I didn't like this story much, especially since I found one of the main characters, Emmeline, to be quite annoying. I didn't connect with the story and it felt a bit off to me, especially following really good ones. 3⭐

12 - 'The Disappearance' by Leigh Bardugo
For this story, I had very high hopes because Leigh Bardugo is another one of my all-time favourite authors and I have to say that I expected better and was a bit let down. The story was quite confusing and all over the place at times and I just had very high hopes going into it. 3.5⭐

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and I think all the authors managed to capture the essence of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in several unique ways.

Final rating: 4⭐ The average of all the ratings rounded up

I got Marple: Twelve New Stories by various writers for free from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

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.

Collection of short stories can sometimes be difficult to review, because I have to decide whether I review them all individually or as a whole. This is particularly true when all the stories were written by different writers, as in this case.

However as the writers were using Agatha Christie's Miss Marple character I decided to do them as a whole.

What I will say is that all the individual stories did emphasise different aspects of both the character and Christie's style, some better than others, while this will be mainly based on personal opinions which one as a reader you will prefer.

For example take Val McDermid story The Second Murder at the Vicarage, while the idea of adding a part 2 to a classic was great in practice for me the execution failed.

Having said that, there was enough in the story that worked for me that it still had its merits.

One of my favourite stories was the one set around a weddingwich added another female detective to the plotline similar to miss marple, which I hope the writer is allowed to take further.

As for the way that Miss Marple herself was written, I do feel that all the writers were able to get the feel of the character down on paper to at least some extent.

What I am grateful for was that none of the writers made a parody out of both Christie’s writing style or Miss Marple, all though some did come close in the odd scene.

Having said that, no matter if you're an avid Miss Marple fan or just love cozy mysteries you could do worse than read, Miss Marple: Twelve New Stories by various writers.

I am a HUGE Agatha Christie fan and Miss Marple is my favourite of her detectives. I was a little unsure if I was going to like this new collection written by modern authors, but I need not have worried. You can tell from reading the stories that the contributing authors also love Miss Marple and have an idea of Agatha Christie's 'style'. Some stories were so close to Agatha's style that it would be hard to tell that it wasn't written by Agatha herself!
My favourite story in the collection was the one written by Val McDermid- she captured Agatha and Miss Marple perfectly!
I will definitely be recommending this title in the library and I think it would make an excellent book group read as there would be plenty to talk about in the way that the different authors have approached the new Miss Marple stories. Loved it!

A great mix of stories from renowned authors. Miss Marple stars in all these mysteries and what a treasure she is. Partly what makes this fun to read is that Miss Marple is in various places, from New York to Italy, as well as her home village of St Mary Mead. She offers wise advice to police, possible suspects and her friends. Tight plots and unexpected twists make this a joy to read.

An amazing new version of some old classics. I definitely had some favourite authors from the group, however all 12 stories were enjoyable. The mix of classic Marple and modern settings was a little difficult to read at times but overall they were very good. Each mystery was not too complicated that you felt it was unfinished, but at the same time, just difficult enough that it was still a page turned to find out whodunnit.

An entertaining set of short stories featuring Agatha Christie's creation Miss Marple, all of them are fun to read and a respectful nod to the source material.

Plenty of murder and all of the authors here, excellent in their own right, manage to capture some of the essence of both Christie and Marple.

Nobody can be Christie but these authors, most notably for me Val McDermid, Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware, offer the sense and feel of it plus every story is intriguing and enjoyable.

An interesting exercise. One I think is mostly a success. As a rabid Christie fan I approve.

Marple ⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all I must say that I’ve never read or watched any Miss Marple but when I saw this collection of short stories written by some of todays top thriller authors on netgalley I had to give it a go.

I read this with a lovely bunch of bookstagrammers and I hate to say it but I think the overall feeling was disappointment. I did really enjoy some of the stories, in particular the Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware and Karen M McManus ones but most fell short. I’m not sure if this is because it’s tricky to write a short mystery with no time for twists, or if maybe this book would be best dipped in and out of rather than read in quick succession?

I would still recommend it to any Christie fans out there but would suggest this is one you take your time with, ideally sat by a roaring fire with some tea and biscuits!

Miss Marple is a literary icon and this authorised collection contains stories by some of the best current writers in fiction, so the expectation was high with this reader. Sadly, I found this selection to be slightly lacking in the pizazz factor that I was longing for when I got stuck into the various mysteries. The highlight for me was the story by Elly Griffiths as that played around with the tropes of the genre successfully. There was a spark of something unusual in her contribution. However, a lot of the stories were too predictable or seemed lacklustre. The final story also left a blunt edge to the collection, as Miss Marple's attitude at the end felt out of character and ultimately left the volume on a sour note for me. Because the stories had various time periods, it felt unsettling that they varied so much, jumping around the decades just felt jarring. It may have been better to have them grouped together in a chronological order, since there wasn’t an overall theme for this collection.

Overall it’s a mixed bag which is typical of short stories but I’m glad to have been given the chance to try it as it was high on my ‘to read’ list.

As with all short story collections, I found these a mixed bag. Each author had their own interpretation of the Miss Marple character, some of which were more convincing than others. There were some things I found very difficult to roll with, in particular American vocabulary and turns of phrase coming out of Miss Marple's mouth, such as "fix yourself some tea" in the final story. In my storied and misspent past I have dabbled in fanfiction (ahem) and one of the skills required is that of the mimic. Some of these professional authors definitely lack this skill, good as they may be with their own original works.

The twelve stories in this collection I will separate into 'OK,' 'Indifferent,' and 'Bad.'

OK:

The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid - pretty good, perhaps a little short for the number of crimes it crammed in. One of the shortest pieces in the collection.

The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes - the solution came to Miss Marple in a satisfyingly Miss Marply way.

Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware - the first in the collection that didn't involve a murder, which I felt was a strength. I wonder if murder is perhaps not too big a crime for a satisfying detective short story, particularly if it doesn't happen until halfway through.

A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell - assisted by the addition of a second sleuthing old lady for Miss Marple to bounce off.

The Murdering Sort by Karen M McManus - I felt the transatlantic setting was unnecessary (a lot of the authors in this collection seemed to have the same idea: using Raymond West to take Miss Marple away to another setting. By the third or fourth time, it got stale) but overall an enjoyable tale and a good point of view character.

Indifferent:

Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley - the third person limited point of view really does make Miss Marple out to be a bit of a fool in this one. Not sure it was the best one to start with.

The Open Mind by Naomi Alderman - I really like Naomi Alderman and there was nothing wrong with this per se, but I worked out who the killer was before the murder even happened, which made for a less than satisfying detective story. I always feel it's better to be kept guessing.

Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths - It would have been better if she could have kept the twist going for longer; as it was this was a bit of a nothing story, as in 'nothing actually happened.'

The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse - the gardening based key to the puzzle works well, but there was a but too much rushing and bustling about in this one, and miss Marple was too physically involved for my taste.

Bad:

Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole - this one has possibly the worst characterisation of Miss Marple of them all. Plus Americanisms in the narration and the dialogue - honestly, it really is so distracting and off-putting.

The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok - a murder on a cruise ship is a classic Christie premise, but I really can't accept Miss Marple doing Tai Chi in a Hong Kong park. Characterisation is so important when handling a beloved character.

The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo - I found it impossible, in the end, to accept where the author took the characters. Plus Americanisms again!

Overall, I found the most successful stories were the ones that didn't attempt to show us the inside of Miss Marple's head (a third party point of view proved to be a better gambit.) I don't think I would recommend the collection as a whole, which is a shame. A bit too patchy, and even the ones I thought were okay won't live long in the memory. Will doubtlessly sell plenty of copies, however, with Christmas coming up.

Thank you to HarperVoyager and NetGalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a joy! All the authors have managed to maintain the essence of Miss Marple while introducing their own clever crime stories allowing her acute observations skills to be released from under her lace cap. The manners of the era were beautifully maintained and, while I enjoyed some stories more than others, (I think lucy foley was my favourite) it was a great anthology to dip into.
Thank you to netgalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy of this book

I was so worried that the voice that I recognise as Miss Marple wouldn’t be clear in these stories but it so was! All of the authors I think captured her essence in different ways

I was super impressed that all the stories were very different! I loved the inclusion of so many characters from original Marple stories - Raymond must be well loaded taking aunt Jane on all these holidays lmao

I think short stories can leave people feeling a bit underwhelmed and like of course for most of these I wanted much more than there was - but it’s a short story! So yknow Jane is gonna have to solve the mystery pretty quickly!! For a few of the stories (in particular The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok) I was especially impressed by how much plot they actually fit into such a little story.

Each story brings something very different, but if I had to choose a few stand outs: Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware, The Murdering Sort by Karen M McManus and The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse.

Definitely one to pick up if you’re an Agatha Christie fan, love any of these authors, are well up for a wee murder mystery, or are keen on a unique short story collection!!

Jane Marple first appeared in 1927 in The Tuesday Murder Club, in The Royal Magazine. She went on to appear in nineteen short stories and twelve novels. She has been played on the screen by many actresses, most notably Joan Hickson, and is one of the most popular fictional sleuths ever. And now she’s back – forty-six years after the death of her creator, Agatha Christie.
Twelve writers have banded together to produce this collection of short stories featuring Miss Marple. But can anyone recapture the charm and style of Dame Agatha? Or have they not even tried?
Continuations are a contentious thing, with Sophie Hannah’s Poirot novels appearing as Exhibit A in the case both for and against. For the most part, the Golden Age circles that I hang around in don’t like them, as they are (consciously) not written in the style of Christie and hence see little point in them. However they clearly sell well enough so as (for whatever reason) the most readily available Poirot novels in most bookshops, they are entertaining readers out there and, probably most importantly, making money for the estate. It was hardly a surprise to see Miss Marple follow suit, but it is notable that in this case, there is a notable change in format, namely the set of short stories.
With a short story, you can get away without replicating one of Christie’s greatest skills, namely providing effective clues to a mystery, as while her novels are generally masterclasses in this, her short stories don’t always follow this. It’s probably the hardest skill to master and by using this format, the authors can generally sidestep this and get away with it. They can concentrate on Miss Marple and friends’ characters and surprising plots.
And you know what? Generally, it works.
What is interesting is the range of authors contributing. Only about half of the writers (all of whom are female) are established crime writers, the others having found success in or mostly in other genres. The stories are generally well told and generally loyal to the character. There is no “Young Miss Marple” or “Miss Marple In Space” nonsense as at least one person had speculated to me. There are a few “Miss Marple Travels The World” tales, such as to New York (would she really be more interested in visiting the linen department of Macys that going up the Empire State Building?), Hong Kong and Oxford University – oddly it’s the last one that feels the most off, feeling a little like Third Girl, thrusting the sleuth too far out of their comfort zone. There’s also one story in which Miss Marple takes the law into her own hands (in her own way, it’s not Death Wish Marple) which I’m sure some will find controversial. One story in particular is very strange – oddly, perhaps, it’s by one of the more established crime writers – but as I said in my review of The Thirteen Problems, they’re not all standard stories either. They’re not as strange as this one though.
One story stood out for me, and I feel I should credit the author of this one, namely Lucy Foley’s Evil In Small Places. I feel a little bad that Lucy’s The Hunting Party is my go-to example for the #ReclaimTheLockedRoom campaign, so I want to praise this story as it does feel almost like a distilled Christie novel, with clues and a surprising solution. It’s my favourite story in the collection and definitely worth a look.
All in all, I enjoyed this collection a lot more than I thought I would. There are a few stories that didn’t click for me, but more than half of them did – a pretty good hit rate for a short story collection, especially from a variety of authors.

A brilliant collection of stories. The quiet yet formidable Miss Marple is back - underestimate her at your peril!
I love Agatha Christie’s mysteries, and Miss Marple is one of my favourite characters, so I was thrilled to receive a review copy of this excellent anthology of Miss Marple stories by 12 contemporary female authors.
The authors have their own unique styles, but all manage to capture the quiet yet formidable Miss Marple. Jane Marple’s sharp curiosity, searing intellect, and her condemnation of wickedness. It’s all here, complementing Agatha Christie’s genius.
The stories are set across various locations and time periods, but in all of them Jane Marple, an elderly lady, who notices the things others overlook, shines through just as she does in the original Christie stories.
The settings, including St Mary Mead, Italy, New York and a cruise to Hong Kong were beautifully described.
I loved the inclusion and subtle nods to familiar events and characters. Dolly Bantry, the original murder at the vicarage, Miss Marple’s time in the Caribbean, and of course, Miss Marple’s nephew, Raymond West.
I enjoyed every story. My favourite was by Dreda Say Mitchell. A traditional, yet ingenious murder. I think Miss Bella deserves her own spin off series!
Elly Griffith’s description of Villa Rosa was captivating. I felt I was there, sipping the limoncello, luxuriating in the Italian sun as the tension intensified. I did not guess the ending to this one!
Kate Mosse’s story was exceptional too. As I was reading, I kept thinking how close it was to Christie’s own style. If someone had given me the story to read and told me it was a lost Christie story, I would have believed them.
Leigh Bardugo was another standout for me. Beautifully written, with a charming nod to a previous Christie story, I loved it.
They were all exceptionally well executed. It must be nerve-wracking to attempt to write a story in the tradition of the best-selling novelist of all time, but I think all the authors did an outstanding job. They did Agatha Christie proud.

This is a mixed bag of a collection of short stories all featuring a reimagining of Miss Jane Marple - Agatha Christie's beloved character. They all put their own ingredient into the traditional mix with varying results.
I'm not going to single out individual authors -some of whom I am more familiar with than others as what Marple means to me is probably not the same as for anyone else. Which I guess also correlates with how an people connect to one of the actresses who has played the part more than another. What I can say is that I enjoyed all the stories, some more than others, and it was clear to see the bones of Marple in each and every one. Knitting was especially popular - as it should be! She also did quite a lot of travelling and caught up with nephew Raymond a fair few times too.
What it also did for me was introduce me to the 6 authors I have never read and added a whole load of new books from them to my TBR!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Along with many others, I suspect, Miss Marple is a bit of a heroine to me. Not only her talent to solve mysteries, but her ability to rock a pair of brogues and a tweed suit whilst managing her rose garden. It was for this reason that I was not only wildly excited but also a little apprehensive to be granted a review copy of this title.
I think that these authors did Miss Marple proud for the most part. Some stories I enjoyed more than others; some were more plausible than others; some should be developed in to a full length novel; some were a confusing struggle to read in parts. This is definitely something that any Miss Marple fan should give some time too. It is nice that one can dip in and out without losing the thread as they are all standalone stories.
On the whole, a success, I don't think that Agatha Christie will be too restless!

Not an easy task at all! Not easy one bit! And yet… how wonderful to be back in the world of Marple and how splendidly done!
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The authors in this collection have beautifully created new and some familiar scenarios for one of the worlds favourite sleuths to investigate and these authors and Miss Marple herself do not disappoint!
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There’s not much I can say apart from after this review I shall be starting this all over again when my copy arrives in the post as I couldn’t not also preorder this! Just buy it. You’d regret not having a copy! So buy it! NOW!!

Readers will best enjoy this book if taken as likely intended: this is not 12 perfect imitations of Agatha Christie, but rather a speculative “what if?” collection transporting a beloved character into 12 new scenarios. “The Unravelling”, “A Deadly Wedding Day” and “The Mystery of the Acid Soil” were the stand-out stories for me, with the latter straying closest to the spirit of Miss Marple. However, I found it difficult to remind myself each author was taking their own style and applying it to Marple, and struggled with some of the more non-canon stories seeing Miss Marple travel far from St Mary Mead to New York and beyond, putting me occasionally in mind of fanfiction that does not declare it is non-canon and while they are often enjoyable stories at heart, they, like these stories, may have benefited from a short introduction from the author explaining what their vision was for the piece. I enjoyed reading the book over a cosy Sunday afternoon, as Christie novels are often best read.

There's been a lot of discussions about this book in the Golden Age discussion groups. The authors are all well known even if not all of them are mystery writers.
The task was not easy: Miss Marple is a sort prototype for any senior amateur sleuth and Agatha Christie is the most famous of the Queen of Mystery. You also have to consider that those were golden age mysteries and the puzzle and the psychology of the characters was fundamentals.
That said it worked. I didn't love all the stories but it was interesting read how different authors recreated this iconic character.
My favorite stories were by Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Val McDermid, and Ruth Ware as they wrote stories that worked as mysteries and were also able to reproduce the GAD atmosphere. Please note that almost all of the are mystery writer.
I think it's up to the future readers to decide what worked and what didn't.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is an anthology of short stories by 12 great authors, and I thought all 12 were great reads. The authors are Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse and Ruth Ware. Each story is written in the author’s own style and I quickly found that reading one after the other didn’t work. I read one a day whilst on holiday, perfect.

All of them are great little mystery stories and I don’t want to pick favourites but it was clear that all are Agatha Christie fans and I really enjoyed seeing Miss Jane Marple from their different perspectives. I was transported to different settings and very different ‘mysteries’ from murder to missing jewels and St. Mary Mead to Italy and all equally enjoyable.

If you are a Christie fan then you will either love or hate the different styles of writing, me I loved them! As for the stories themselves I didn’t guess the culprit with quite a number of them, the red herrings were well done. A very enjoyable read and one I hope will open new eyes to the brilliance that was Agatha Christie.