I received a complimentary copy of Marple from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting collection of authors stepping in and taking over writing the iconic role of Miss Marple. Some stories are stronger than others - some caught the tone of the original books well, other struggled. I wasn't convinced by Miss Marple's international travels but all the stories are clearly written by people who love the character.

An enjoyable read.

The famous sleuth returns with the help of twelve female authors at the top of their game, proving that Agatha Christie’s characters are so indelible that they still live on. For Christie fans there are lots of references to previous cases and books!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this quirky book

12 new miss marple stories from different authors and i have to admit to liking all of them, they each bought the character of miss marple alive and it was within the parameters of how agatha christie created the amazing miss marple

its so difficult to write a short story and hold the readers interested...and i have to admit i had forgotten how quickly miss marple can see through all the evidence and know who did what to whom

each author did manage to capture miss marple and it also gave me an interest in the authors themselves that i feel i need to investigate each one of them and see if i like their style of writing and genres they write under

well worth a read if you love all things agatha christie and miss marple

I follow several of these authors, so I’d heard about this project. I have to say, I’m sure even the most die-hard Miss Marple fan will be happy with these new stories.

Each of the authors has Agatha Christie’s Jane Marple down to the t of her hat pins. They manage to make her mannerisms and voice so similar to each other’s versions, you really wouldn’t know this was an anthology. The only defining quirk, if I can call it that, is the way each author’s own preferred setting comes in and gives our heroine a new experience, in many cases.

For example; Elly Griffiths gives Jane Marple a mystery in an Italian hotel called Villa Rosa (Elly Griffiths fans will probably get the reference). Jean Kwok takes her on a cruise to Singapore, and Alyssa Cole takes her to Manhattan. Each of these trips are thanks to the generosity of the recurring nephew.

I couldn’t single out a favourite, although I went back to see if I could. There is one I thought weaker than the others, but that may be because it’s a sort of sequel, and I haven’t read the original. In fact, I think I’ve only read one original Agatha Christie Miss Marple, although I have read several of her other murder mysteries. The snatches of afternoon television I’ve seen may have influenced me too much. If so, I apologise to the die-hards reading.

If you’re like me, don’t shy away from this lovely anthology. And if you’re a die-hard, well, read it and see what you think!

A wonderful homage to the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie and one of her most loved characters, Jane Marple. I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by some of the leading female authors at present. I think my favourite short stories were by Alyssa Cole, Kate Mosse and Val McDermid, as I felt they were most like Christie's style. However they were all really good reads and a great introduction to the Marple stories. For Christie fans like myself I loved the subtle nods to previous Christie books and the return of characters like Dolly Bantry. It was a real celebration of the author and character of Miss Marple. A must read for all fans.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Unfortunately this didn't quite hit the mark for me. I don't think any of the stories quite encompassed the true essence of Miss Marple but perhaps that is quite hard to do in a short story. Some of the stories I did really enjoy for what they were but I don't think the aim of recreating Marple has quite been pulled off.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Uk for a copy of “Marple” for an honest review.

I’ve not read any Miss Marple books, although I’ve seen many tv and film adaptations.I’m also not a great fan of short stories , always finding them a bit hit and miss. I was still drawn to this book by the names of Ruth Ware and Val McDermid , and I’m so glad I was!
I really enjoyed this book, dispute the short length of the tales we were still given a well rounded stories cleverly told, with a real sense of suspense.
I found the stories to have all been of a consistently high standard , and flowed together nicely.
I cannot recommend this highly enough.

I'm not a big fan of updated classics myself, but despite everything, I think it's necessary to give such books a chance. Twelve contemporary, well-known crime fiction authors have lent their voices to Agatha Christie and brought the legendary Miss Marple to life.

I liked the stories of Lucy Foley and Val McDermid the most, because they almost exactly summed up the narrative style of Agatha Christie, and even if it is a short story, they still managed to write a suspenseful and mysterious narrative that takes the reader on a real detective journey.

A fresh approach to Miss Marple and different authors will satisfy various readers' tastes.

All in all; a good read for sleepy winter evenings.

This was absolutely awful and is a testament to the view that the best way to introduce a classic character to a new audience is to point the prospective audience in the direction of the original material and urge them to read it. Classics are such for a very good reason. Fans of the original Miss Marple books will find it hard to pick out the character they know and love from within these 12 pastiche travesties.

Reading some of these stories, it is doubtful any of the writers have actually read the original material themselves, and the virtue-signalling relating to what they clearly see as the racism and negative attitudes towards foreigners is pitiful. If people cannot read the originals and understand that this is how things were at the time and learn from that, then where are we? We cannot simply write a book set in the 1930s and project 2022 attitudes and values upon it. The resultant work makes no sense, nor does it show any respect to Ms Christie or her body of work which, after all, is why this book was written, was it not? If they feel so strongly about it, then write a contemporary story and have done with it.

One star given only because giving no stars is not possible.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free review copy, in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this.

What a fabulous set of short stories, I was excited to read this, we have our familiar characters back and some new settings. This is truly a must read and not only for Christie.

Twelve authors have each written a short story about Agatha Christie's iconic Jane Marple, the most famous female detective in fiction.

As a massive fan of Agatha Christie I was very excited to read Marple, and I was not disappointed!

Every story is unique and feels like its own adventure. The authors have done a fantastic job of making the stories their own while still remaining true to Agatha Christie's style.

I loved that each story could be read in one sitting, I can imagine curling up with one on a cold winter evening to enjoy a cosy mystery!

As you would expect from such brilliant authors the writing is flawless. Even with such short stories you will still find yourself on the edge of your seat.

If you enjoy Agatha Christie's books I have no doubt that you will love Marple too.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

My first Agatha Christie, read in the 1960s, was The Thirteen Problems and so it was with interest, but a degree of trepidation, that I approached this volume of short stories featuring Miss Jane Marple.

Twelve authors give here their own "reimagining" of the character "while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery", according to the publicity material.

In only some instances do a few of the stories live up to the claim, and I confess that, of the twelve, I really only enjoyed those by Val McDermid, with her "Second Murder at the Vicarage", and by Lucy Foley, who effectively captured Marple's ability to deal with real evil.

Many were simply attempts to imbue the character with "modern ideas", which, while laudable and worthwhile, did not make for interesting mysteries, and largely failed to revitalise or update the central character. And therein lies the problem.

Jane Marple is not just an English lady of a certain age with uncanny insight into the criminal mind. She is the embodiment of Nemesis, and is therefore eternal. She needs no updating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for "granting my wish" to read a digital review copy.

In 1927, Miss Jane Marple of St Mary Mead made her first appearance in print, in a short story published in The Royal Magazine. Three years later she appeared in a the first full-length Miss Marple novel, The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976 but Jane Marple remains one of the most famous fictional detectives of all time.

Now we have a collection of 12 brand new, Marple short stories, written by 12 contemporary writers, who reimagine Jane Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.

It is a diverse collection of stories and a varied rollcall of authors: Lucy Foley, Val McDermid, Alyssa Cole, Natalie Haynes, Ruth Ware, Naomi Alderman, Jean Kwok, Dreda Say Mitchel, Elly Griffiths, Karen M. McManus, Kate Mosse, and Leigh Bardugo.

I was very excited when I heard that this collection was coming out and had high expectations of it. Perhaps too high? On reading them, I found that I preferred some more than others, and I felt that some worked better than others.

Whilst the aim of the collection was to ”introduce the character to a whole new generation”, for me some of the authors took the reimagining a shade too far away from the world of Miss Marple, and too far into their own sphere or territory in trying to achieve this.

I am quite a purist, so for me the most successful ones were the ones that still maintained an indefinable but authentically true spirit of “Marpleness” about them, and I can single out for particular praise those by Ruth Ware, Kate Mosse, Dreda Say Mitchel, Jean Kwok and Natalie Haynes.

However, all 12 of the stories retain the hallmarks of the traditional mystery as per the given brief, and most of them had really good plots and were well written.

It was an interesting experiment and a largely enjoyable read, but if the collection proves anything at all, it is that there is only one Miss Marple, and only one Agatha Christie.
With thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twelve well known authors have given their twist on Mis Marple and her investigations. Overall a good read but I felt that a couple of the stories just tagged Miss Marple into a story they already had in mind and were not specific to Miss Marple and a couple just used Miss Marple to promote their own campaigns and ideals..

Absolutely loved the variety of approaches and settings to reimagining Miss Marple by a wide selection of authors. Would recommend.

Marple: Twelve New Stories
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.

This is a collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple.Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery

There’s no better way to celebrate best selling novelist Agatha Christie, than with a story collection of the much loved amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple (who doesn’t look like your average detective,but then again looks can be deceiving)
This is a brilliant introduction into the world of Christie or as a long time fan a welcome chance to revisit. The list of well known authors have done a superb job of creating 12 new intriguing tales and l found it an enjoyable read. My favourite stories were The Deadly Wedding Day and The Jade Empress.The writing style l loved the most was from Leigh Bardugo. A great read to dip in and out of.
With thanks to Netgalley,the authors and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction,for my chance to read and review this book

Let's start by explaining that I'm an Agatha Christie fan. A big fan. Huge fan, to be honest. So, when I heard that there would be a 'new collection' of Ms. Marple stories released, I was decidedly nervous - after all Christie was a wonderful writer, with a very particular style for her Marple stories and indeed one of the best selling authors of all time.
How could a new collection possibly live upto my expectations and be worthy of the title? I was sure that the venture was little more than an attempt to ensure copyright or purely for financial reasons. Then I heard the list of authors involved.....
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. In fairness, a line cannot really become more impressed - this is truly the 'crème de la crème' of current female crime writing talent.
So now, I have even higher expectations!
The authors have been carefully to keep the tone of the classical Ms Marple and so ensure that there is a sense of authenticity to this collection - even when Ms Marple travels to Oxford and New York! And we meet her as an older woman in 1970.
I particularly enjoyed the tale of 'The Open Mind' by Naomi Alderman where we see our favourite sleuth pitted against the might of the Oxford intelligentsia. And a return to the Vicarage where it all started for Ms Marple with a second murder written by Val Dermid.
I would not rate every story as 5 stars but there are enough wonderfully written stories here to be worth an overall gold mark. Congratulations to these fantastic authors for keeping Ms Marple alive once again in such an authentic collection

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Marple: Twelve New Stories, Twelve Great Writers, One Agatha Christie published by @harpercollinsuk on 15 September 2022

"All remnants of eras past must evolve and adapt, or crumble; even Miss Marple herself. She knew that the younger people around her assumed she had already crumbled...But she was self-aware: Miss Marple understood that she wasn't the
crumbling type." - Leigh Bardugo, The Disappearance.

Twelve contemporary writers have each written a Miss Marple short story inspired by Agatha Christie's determined sleuth. Whilst the stories are varied, each contains quintessential Miss Marple elements - She's underestimated as an old lady; she often obliquely refers to what's happened before it's apparent to everyone else (using St Mary Mead residents as examples), which other characters think irrelevant and see her as 'scatty'; she believes living in a village gives her ample opportunity to observe human nature; and she always identifies the culprit, whilst others remain mystified.

In terms of settings, if not in the eponymous St Mary Mead (where 'the Development' of presumably new houses is feared in typical NIMBY village-style), Miss Marple can be found visiting a 'dear friend' or relative. Some stories are linked to original Marple locations (the Caribbean and 'The Second Murder At The Vicarage'), whilst one is set in New York City, one in academia in Oxford and one on a cruise ship to Hong Kong.

There are familiar characters, including Sir Henry Clithering, neighbour Dolly Bantry, and nephew Raymond and some new characters and relatives for Miss Marple, marking the passage of time. Most stories are undated, although most make it clear whether they're early, late or future Marple. There is, and rightly so, more diversity and inclusivity, with black and Asian characters, whilst acknowledging and challenging prejudice.

This range of short stories, each taking a different perspective on classic Marple, have captured the essence of Miss Marple and her twinkling eyes. The image of Miss Marple doing Tai Chi will stay with me for some time!

Oh my gosh, I was so excited to read this book as I am a huge Miss Marple fan.
And I was not disappointed. There are a couple of my favourite writers in there already but I think I’ll be adding a few more to the list after reading the others short stories. Perfect for a little lunch break read, or whilst travelling.
I really felt the nostalgia of Agatha’s writing whilst reading this book, with a few more modern twists incorporated into what essentially is now an old school vibe.
Only thing is I wished it was longer!

Like all short story collections some are stronger than others, however, just remember your favourite Miss Marple ( mine is Joan Hickson) and envisaged her in these stories. They are a delight. How did Miss Marple spend Christmas?,how did she get on in New York and what is in the flower bed? An ideal book to curl up with on a cold winter night as it will leave you with a warm glow.