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, so 12 short stories, 1 by each author, all with Miss Marple solving crimes in her quiet, overlooked way.

I really enjoyed the different interpretations, and takes on Miss Marple.  There are stories set in lots of different places, and with an amazing range of crime and thriller writers!  

If you enjoy cosy crime, then I recommend this!  And if you haven't tried any Agatha Christie yet and aren't sure if you want to, then try this, and go from there!  

Marple: Twelve New Stories was published on 15th September 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

I was given access to this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins UK.

Miss Marple is back! As observant and shrewd as ever, and still underestimated in her knowledge of human nature. A lovely series of twelve short stories written by twelve different female authors, some familiar to me and some not.. I felt some of the stories worked better than others but the spirit of Miss Marple was definitely there.

This is a colleciton of short stories, written by various famous authors to celebrate Agatha Christie's famous lady detetctive character, Miss Marple.

Its quite interesting to see how each writer interprets the character. Some of the stories are very similar to Christie's style, whilst others  are  different, concentrating more on Miss Marple. I enjoyed most of the stories, but there were a couple that didnt quite have the right feel for Marple.

I love that Miss Marple is Christie's nod to feminism, at a time when the police were very masgonystic and women were still not considered capable of intelligent thought, let alone one approaching her later years!.

I love a good whodunnit and Miss Marple catapults us back to the  1950s. Its very hard to recreate the work of a genius but this collection  is enjoyable nonetheless. A must for Agatha Christie fans!

Marple is an excellent set of Miss Marple short stories, written by some of the best and most popular writers of recent times. Many of the traditional Marple conventions are incorporated (a lot of knitting with dropped stitches, a lot of comparisons to events in St Mary Mead) but each writer has added their own flair to their story making it uniquely their own.

As with all short story collections, I enjoyed some tales more than others. A particular favourite of mine was Natalie Haynes’ story which incorporated some classical references and good knitting knowledge. Well worth a read, but you might want to dip in and out rather than reading straight through to avoid getting overloaded with all the dropped stitches.

I’ve not read or watched any Marple stories before, but love Poirot, and this new short story collection was full of some of my favourite authors, so I eagerly jumped at the chance to read this! There’s a good mix of murders and not, thefts and not, some at home, some on Marple’s UK holidays, some abroad. Standout stories were Lucy Foley’s “Evil in Small Places”, which set an extremely high bar right out of the gates… “The Unravelling” by Natalie Haynes was an intriguing premise, though followed by a slightly lacklustre entry with Ruth Ware’s “Miss Marple’s Christmas” which wasn’t difficult to spot at all really, and another slightly underwhelming one with Naomi Alderman’s “The Open Mind”. They were OK, just not quite on a par with the Foley/McDermid/Haynes early entries. However things picked up then with Jean Kwok’s “The Jade Empress”, where we join Miss Marple on a cruise to Hong Kong, solving the murder of a man she had been learning to waltz with. Dreda Say Mitchell’s “A Deadly Wedding Day” was a great story premise, though I did feel the whole Apfel-Strand explanation was a plot point shoe horned in far too clumsily, which is a shame as the story itself would have stood up fine without it. The one disappointment in the collection - and it pains me to say this, as she’s one of my favourite authors - was Elly Griffiths’ entry… it wasn’t really any mystery at all. It wasn’t quite “and it was all just a dream”, but there was no crime (not even fake crimes as in other stories), it was just a holiday in effect. Near the end, Kate Mosse gives us a good mystery with “The Mystery of the Acid Soil”, though if you’re not a gardener, you likely wouldn’t be able to solve the mystery yourself.

Overall as I say, there’s a good mix of plots, home/abroad, and the variety and creativity are impressive. It’s an excellent idea to get a group of current authors to write a collection of short stories featuring one of the UK’s most treasured detectives - whether you’re already a fan or like me, new to her - I think this book will please everyone and be a worthy addition to your bookshelf.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

I was a little nervous reading new Jane Marple mysteries which hadn’t been written by Agatha Christie and short stories either leave you thinking it was rushed or wishing the story had been longer. But with this collection of short stories all written by different authors I need not have worried.

They all remained true to the character and I could imagine my Miss Marple (Joan Hickson) in the stories and hear her voice when I was reading the words.

I liked all the stories and because they all remained true to the style of Agatha Christie I didn’t really notice they were written by different people.

Fantastic collection of mystery short stories that capture the essence of Christie, whilst appealing to a 21st century audience

I have been a huge fan of Christie ever since I read one of her mysteries for the first time as a teen. There’s something timeless about the ingenuity of her plots, the astute characterisation and her perpetual ability to surprise her readers with a perpetrator who is so obviously guilty once the final reveal unfolds. Often with Christie, whilst the conclusion is always satisfying, it’s the peeling back of the fragile layers to reveal the dark heart that makes her books so compelling. This collection of new Marple short stories by twelve contemporary authors captures the very essence of what makes Christie’s novels so fine, whilst also making the character accessible to 21st century readers. I loved how the stories were set across various timeframes and in a multitude of locations. They breathe a new life into Marple, building beautifully upon the foundations laid by Christie, whilst also being wonderfully nostalgic. There are so many references to Marple’s original cases (from the subtle mention of Marina Gregg from The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, to the brilliantly titled The Second Murder at the Vicarage, written by the equally legendary crime author #ValMcDermid) that this is truly a feast for the most ardent of Christie fans, as well as being accessible to those who are new to her characters. The authors involved have done a brilliant job of paying homage to Marple and her creator, whilst also putting their own unique stamp on their story. I really enjoyed the wit and humour that rippled through many of these stories, as well as the skill the writers have for wrapping up some really intriguing mysteries in such neat little packages.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories in this volume, but highlights for me were:

#EvilInSmallPlaces by @lucyfoleyauthor - Miss Marple come across the murder of a rather disliked choir mistress whilst visiting an old acquaintance. I loved the debate around evil lurking in small, rural life, which really captured the essence of Marple and her world.

#MissMarplesChristmas by @ruthwarewriter - Whilst staying with friends for Christmas, another guest’s valuable pearls are stolen, but Miss Marple’s intuition might just discover what’s happened to them. The cast of characters were brilliantly drawn here and this story exuded the aura of one of Christie’s Marple mysteries. From the closed location right to the clever revelation, this felt like a quintessential Marple and I loved it!

#TheJadeEmpress by @jeankwokauthor - On a cruise around Asia, Miss Marple befriends a gentleman who is later found poisoned. Does the woman accompanying him and administering traditional medicines have something to do with it? Or does his daughter know more than she’s letting on? I was gripped by this story and I really enjoyed the cultural differences between the quintessentially English Miss Marple and the murdered Mr Pang and his family. Kwok explores these in a compelling way and I found the heart of this mystery to be both clever and painfully human.

#TheMurderingSort by @writerkmc - Miss Marple accompanies her nephew Raymond’s granddaughter Nicola to Cape Cod in the U.S., where they visit one of Nicola’s school friends. When the patriarch of the family is murdered during a family get together, Nicola and Miss Marple will get to the bottom of it! This was such a fun story that felt equal parts classic Christie and 90s American murder mystery TV show. The blend of styles worked fantastically and I was totally hooked on finding out who the perpetrator was. With genuine tension and a wonderful rapport between Nicola and Marple, this was such a joy to read!

As I say, all of these stories are noteworthy and I enjoyed them all. They’ve introduced me to some authors who are new to me, but that I will definitely be checking out their other work. Whether you’re new to Marple, or a devout fan, I can’t recommend this new collection enough!

A fun, exciting and fresh new take on a beloved old character. Marple is a legend, as is Agatha Christie and these 12 new stories breathe fresh life into a fondly known character.

What an absolutely stunning collection of short stories! They were all fantastic but if I had to choose I'd say that Val McDermid's 'The Second Murder at the Vicarage' was my absolute favourite, closely followed by 'Evil in Small Places' by Lucy Foley, 'Miss Marple's Christmas' by Ruth Ware and 'The Jade Empress' by Jean Kwok. Every single one of the stories made me wish it had been a full-length book. I can't praise this book highly enough.

I was excited to read this - I heard about it quite a while ago now and was intrigued to hear how it would turn out, being a fan of Miss Marple and of a fair number of the contributing authors.

The book contains 12 short stories, each by a contemporary author, with a new Miss Marple mystery to investigate. I really enjoyed each story - I felt that the authors stayed very true to the character of Miss Marple, while staging some of the stories in new locations such as New York, and on a cruise. Each story was distinct and well written and gave a good indication of the writing style of each author included, so I feel it would be a good starting point for anyone who was interested in one of the authors included. I also felt that each story was a good balance of freshening up the character, while still maintaining the elements of the character that people enjoy. The mysteries are varied and entertaining and I really enjoyed each one. I found this interesting as I’m not usually a huge fan of short stories, but I really enjoyed these mysteries as they still had enough detail to draw me in! I really enjoyed this book and it has led me back to starting to re-read the original mysteries!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marple is a collection of short stories from some really brilliant mystery authors, centred around one of Agatha Christie's best characters - Miss Marple. Each author has a distinct voice, and some manage to engage with the character and atmosphere better than others. I found some a little difficult to get into because of the brevity - being short stories, it felt like there wasn't enough build up. Overall though, a quick and interesting read for fans of the genre.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book.

This collection is something of a mixed bag.

Some of the stories capture the essence of the Miss Marple stories perfectly, some don't quite hit the mark. Others don't try to be 'authentic', and those are the ones that fall flat for me.

Well worth a purchase if you're a Christie/Marple fan though.

First off I am a huge Agatha Christie fan, and Miss Marple is my favourite detective.. I adore her.. favourite Miss Marple book.. it changes from Nemesis, At Bertram’s hotel, Sleeping Murder or A pocketful of Rye.. such clever books.. I think what I like about Miss Marple is how truthful the character is.. a little old lady who traditionally blends into the background, who actually sees everything and with old age comes wisdom and the knowledge that people are the same whether they are city dwellers or live in St Mary Mead.

Miss Marple seems to be having a resurgence with this book of short stories written by 12 contemporary women writers and it’s a celebration of the character (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t)

· Naomi Alderman Miss Marple in 1970 college murder mystery 6.5/10 not my favourite story


· Leigh Bardugo 9.5/10 I think this was my favourite it was cosy but with a kick.. not sure the ending was Marple though..

· Alyssa Cole 6/10 disappointing probably as the author deviated from 1950 America to modern day and it was all over the place.. set in a New York theatre

· Lucy Foley 7/10 very very cosy murder, few characters and very claustrophobic

· Elly Griffiths 7/10 not sure if I liked this book.. I can’t make my mind up..no crime is committed so I think it is a pointless story but it was a good story

· Natalie Haynes 9/10 a traditional Mrs Marple, good story and great characterisation

· Jean Kwok 8/10 Miss Marple takes a cruise to Hong Kong and encounters murder.. I did not think I would like story but I enjoyed it very much..

· Val McDermid 8/10 a return to the vicarage from a previous book, great imagination and reimaging of characters we already met

· Karen M. McManus 7/10 a great little murder mystery but its set in modern day Cape Cod.. it’s a little confusing

· Dreda Say Mitchel 8/10l Murder at a wedding in a stately home and another Miss Marple in the form of Miss Bella..

· Kate Mosse 9.5/10 the most Miss Marple book.. suspicious deaths in a small village

· Ruth Ware 8.5/10 a return of Henry Clithering and the Bantrys, a lovely little Christmas tale – no murders but a little mystery for Miss Marple to solve.. I think I would read this book again just to read more Marple..

It’s a mixed bag of stories some good and very Miss Marpleish and some not really Miss Marple like at all.. but they all made me crave more Marple both old and maybe some more new..

#NetGalley #Marple #Anthology #AgathaChristie #celebration

Absolutely stunningly brilliant collection of new Miss Marple stories, written by some of our finest contemporary authors.

I love reading mysteries and thrillers and having a collection to read was amazing! Really enjoyed the individual authors stories! Definitely one for marple fans.

#Marple #NetGalley
Awesome collection of stories. Highly recommended.its a must read for everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy of this book.

As someone who loves Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novels and is a fan of many of the writers who contribute to this short story anthology, I was so excited to have the opportunity to read Marple. Like many short story collections it was a mixed read for me. My favourites were the first two contributions by Lucy Foley and Val McDermid as I felt that these writers were more true to the original Christie stories. I'd love either of these writers to create a full length Marple novel ! Some of the other contributions didn't work for me, either due to the settings or the less than gripping plots. I also felt there was an over use of Miss Marple's nephew Raymond in some of the stories. An anthology that's definitely worth a read for some of the more outstanding contributions.
3.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Love this compilation of Marple-y stories! Some more gripping and well written than others, but all in all a very enjoyable read that I would recommend to all Christie's fans.
Thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A joy for Marple fans.

I felt like I was ring transported back in time with these stories, back to the good old days of Miss Marple and her ingenuity, cunning and ability to crack the case.

These stories are a joy to behold.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I was very excited to see this collection of short stories, each one featuring Miss Marple herself, and including contributions from some of my favourite authors. I was also pleased to discover new (to me) writers, giving me several good ideas for future reads.

All these stories capture the essentials of Agatha Christie’s original Miss Marple’s character, but I was surprised to learn how old some authors allowed her to get - and still keep all her marbles! As would be expected, some of the stories appealed less to me than others, but I’d rate the vast majority of them as 5 star.