I’ve loved Agatha Christie from an early age, so I was very excited to learn of some new mysteries by some great authors. I loved all the stories, but I felt that some of the authors got Agatha’s style just a bit better then others. I would definitely recommend this book to all Agatha fans.

EXCERPT: Taken from 'The Second Murder at the Vicarage' by Val McDermid

'I'm afraid . . .' I stopped, not feeling entirely comfortable delivering my news among the gladioli and the dahlias and the talk of romance.

I often underestimate the steel under the tweeds when it comes to my older female parishioners. 'Mary's not sulking, my dear. Mary's been murdered,' Miss Marple said, her tone entirely lacking in drama.

Miss Hartnell's jaw dropped, revealing large yellow teeth that would have been more at home in the mouth of Colonel Bantry's favourite hunter.

'Mary? Murdered? There must be some mistake, Jane. What motive could anyone have for murdering Mary? It's not as if she's got the brains to be a threat to anyone. Or enough personality to provoke a murderous thought.'

It appeared that the concept of never speaking ill of the dead fell into abeyance when the dead were of the servant class.

ABOUT 'MARPLE: TWELVE NEW MYSTERIES': A brand-new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Mystery’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors.

This collection of a dozen original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.

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

Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Agatha Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

MY THOUGHTS: I love Miss Marple and largely enjoyed this collection of short stories involving my favourite knitting sleuth penned by both some of my favourite authors and some that were new to me.

The stories focus on Miss Marple's ability to detect evil in the most ordinary of people with some surprising results.

The three stories that really stood out for me were:
Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley;
The Second Murder at The Vicarage by Val McDermid; and
The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo.
All of them five stars. These three seemed to have a little more substance and depth than the others, no mean feat in a short story! The others ranged from 3 - 4 stars, with only one at 2.5 stars.

If you are in the market for a collection of short stories in the mystery genre, you really can't do better than Marple.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#MarpleTwelveNewStories #NetGalley

I: @harperfiction

T: @HarperFiction

#historicalfiction #mystery #shortstories

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins, Harper Fiction, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Marple: Twelve New Stories for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

MARPLE : Twelve New Stories is an anthology of short stories written by various contemporary authors, featuring Agatha Christie's Miss Marple as its protagonist.

I've never read Miss Marple books before, only Poirot, and this sounded like an interesting read. Now, this is probably because I do not know how Miss Marple stories usually go, but unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. Most of the stories failed to hold my interest.

I did enjoy the various ways the authors have used to unravel the mystery but I could guess what was happening early on in most of the stories. Only a few of them do I remember that were outstanding. These were The Second Murder At The Vicarage, Miss Marple Takes Manhattan, A Deadly Wedding Day and The Disappearance.

I think it will be perfect for a person who wants to start reading thrillers.

A selection of Miss Marple stories told through the eyes of modern crime writers. I enjoyed Ruth Ware's story the best. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

It can't be easy to pick up the reins and write about a well-established and well-loved character. Add in the fact that Marple is a collection of short stories by twelve different authors and it becomes an even trickier tightrope to walk.

Overall, I enjoyed the stories which felt largely in keeping with the spirit of the original works by Agatha Christie. Some were more successful (for me) than others, but I guess that is down to personal taste and my tendency to prefer full novels to short stories.

Thanks to the authors, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

I am not a lover of short stories and haven't read Christie for many a year but I was intrigued by the idea of this book. The stories are very much a mixed bag. The best are true to the original in terms of setting or are ones in which Miss Marple is a very tangential figure. The less successful are the stories which try to bring us too far into the future or which focus more on 'woke' themes in order to be politically correct. As with all anthologies the reader can skip through the less satisfying episodes without a shred of remorse and I'm afraid I did that. Funnily enough, my favourites were written by authors I am already familiar with and whose work I enjoy!

There is, for me, no better detective than Miss Marple. The unassuming spinster knitting quietly in the corner, who efficiently solves deadly crimes, is a character who I cannot get enough of.
Wonderfully, this well curated collection features huge amounts of Miss Marple goodness- from some brilliant authors not necessarily known for their crime fiction!

I loved this collection of stories! As a great fan of Christie and Mrs Marple this was a great reimagination of the character through the pen of skilful contemporary authors. What a joy!

This definitely reinvigorated my appreciation of Miss Marple as a character - and made me put a number of her adventures on hold at my library - but there were certainly entries in this collection that made me wonder whether the character was actually suited to short stories? Some authors in this collection are better at constructing novels rather than short stories - my personal favourites were from Ruth Ware, Dreda Say Mitchell, Jean Kwok, Elly Griffiths and Leigh Bardugo - particularly the last story felt like the most well-rounded and satisfying. A shame we had to wait until the end to read it.

I particularly enjoyed the stories that remain faithful to the classic characters and settings of the Miss Marple mysteries. However, reading the more contemporary-themed and abstract stories was thought-provoking. I have reviewed each of the stories individually below.

Evil in Small Places - Lucy Foley.
This story perfectly epitomises Miss Marple's character through her interactions with others and introspection. The village setting and familiar set of characters are evocative. It also has an underlying sense of menace at odds with the idyllic village community and location.

The Second Murder at the Vicarage - Val McDermid
A clever story evokes a past Miss Marple mystery with some familiar characters. The simple plot showcases Miss Marple and the characters and allows readers to follow her investigation and thoughts.

Miss Marple Takes Manhattan - Alyssa Cole
A departure from the traditional characters and settings that devotees of the Miss Marple mysteries expect. Rather like taking a favourite recipe and deconstructing it into something new but with familiar elements. It's clever but not my favourite.

The Unravelling - Natalie Haynes
This interesting story, with vivid imagery and a clever and poignant plot, demonstrates Miss Marple's compassionate nature and her inherent intelligence.

Miss Marple's Christmas - Ruth Ware
With distinctive characters from past stories, this has a festive setting complete with snow and unpassable roads. Full of colourful characters and sensory imagery, the cosy Christmas scene contrasts with the crime. The suspects are not hard to uncover, but the execution of the crime is. The story showcases Miss Marple's sharp mind that consistently fools those who do not know her well.

The Open Mind- Naimi Alderman
I enjoyed this fascinating mystery which features Miss Marple as she would be in 1970, after the social revolution of the 1960s. We do not get to know the characters in depth as Miss Marple didn't, but the clues are there as events unfold and the complex plot reveals its secrets. As the author intends, Miss Marple seems slightly out of place in this timeframe, but her powers of observation and assimilation still prevail.

The Jade Empress - Jean Kwok
A closed-room mystery set on the voyage to Hong Kong, where Miss Marple's often mentioned nephew Raymond, the novelist, is treating his aunt to an extended holiday. The story evokes the location well and Miss Marple's connection to the victim.

A Deadly Wedding Day- Dreda Say Mitchell
Set in the 1960s, it has two female amateur detectives, Miss Marple and Miss Bella, longtime friends since they met during WW2 in London. Both are guests at a high society wedding, where Miss Bella's niece is the bride. The story explores the prejudice rife in 1960s Britain and the social class divide. The plot has numerous twists, but the two women are formidable detectives and ensure justice prevails.

Murder at the Villa Rosa - Elly Griffiths
Miss Marple enjoys a holiday courtesy of her nephew; she meets a conflicted author. Not everything is as it seems in this story, where Miss Marple only has a cameo role. It's a good story but not enough of Miss Marple's unique talent for investigation here.

The Murdering Sort - Karen M. McManus
A story featuring the next generation of Marple investigators, but Miss Marple still saves the day. I struggled with the unlikely family tree in this story, but the plot and twists were good.

The Mystery of the Acid Soil- Kate Mosse
This slightly longer story is a traditionally styled Miss Marple mystery where a chance meeting and her keen observations and deductions catch a murderer in a quiet Sussex village. I enjoyed this classical portrayal of Miss Marple.

The Disappearance - Leigh Bardugo
I loved the classical elements of this story and the familiar characters from past Miss Marple mysteries. A surprising, unsettling twist makes it the perfect story to complete the collection.

I enjoyed reading new stories about my favourite classic amateur sleuth and recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

In summary, it's fabulous! As a huge Agatha Christie fan I was initially a little concerned that I may not enjoy this, however, I need not have worried. It's a wonderful collection and each writer brings her own essence of Marple to the anthology. Of course I enjoyed some more than others as is often the case with a collection, but with such an array of excellent authors there really is something for everyone. I loved that Dolly Bantry popped up, Sir Henry Clithering and of course dear nephew Raymond. Miss Marple appears both within St Mary Mead and does a spot of globetrotting but what I mainly enjoyed was that she mostly retains her own character. I could hear the various authors voices but I felt I could also hear Christie either reflected in the stories or echoes of her style. Overall, an great read for a Marpe fan!

I enjoy the intricate plots that Christie weaves in her novels coupled with her witty characterisation and stuffy social settings, but I am afraid most of her short stories are sketched out quickly and lack detail and depth. The contemporary authors of this collection of Marple short stories avoid falling into the same trap and celebrate the modest sleuth by transporting her to a range of entertaining settings in which she exercises her unassuming powers of deduction.. Marple’s Manhattan trip and her return to the Vicarage after a second murder were my personal highlights, but the overall standard was good.

A Murder Is Announced was the first “adult” book I ever read back when I was a kid, so Miss Marple will always have a special place in my heart. When a few months back I saw this project announced I was overjoyed, but also a bit scared. Could twelve different authors capture Miss Marple’s spirit? Past few years I’ve enjoyed Sophie Hannah’s Poirot revival quite a lot so I was optimistic this one would deliver too.

Some of the biggest names in today’s literary world contribute stories to this short story collection where we’ll find twelve new mysteries that will help new generations of readers discover this beloved character. Even though each of them put their own personal spin, overall Christie’s character shines through.

As it happens with any short story collection, I enjoyed some stories more than others. Some of my favorites were the ones penned by Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, Dreda Say Mitchell and Kate Mosse, cause while I read them I had the feeling I was reading one of Agatha Christie’s stories. And what to say about Val McDermid’s homage to The Murder At The Vicarage with The Second Murder At The Vicarage? It was such fun!

Although most of the stories are set in the quaint village of St. Mary Mead, some of these authors take the character out for a trip and we’ll meet Miss Marple in NYC accompanying her nephew Raymond, in Italy or aboard a cruise to Asia. No matter the setting, she will always find a mystery to put her mind to work.

There were a couple of stories in which I didn’t find the Marple wit and soul at all. Yes, they were stories with a character named Jane Marple, but they didn’t read as a Miss Marple story.

Anyway, it was so nice to get reacquainted with one of my favorite characters ever, and I’m sure even the toughest Agatha Christie fans will be satisfied with this collection of mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a mixed bag!
Having read a lot of Agatha Christie books and watched most of the various tv adaptations, I am somewhat of a fan.
Some of the stories were great and with some wonderful authors behind the stories. I really liked the ones which stayed true to character and were generally good mysteries but as with all short story collections, not all were great.
I loved the Lucy foley, Val McDermid, Ruth Ware, Jean Kwok and Kate Mosse stories. I liked the Allysa Cole one and the Dreda Say Michell ones but less. The others less memorable and Karen McManus one was more like an episode of murder she wrote (memorable but not in a good way).
Overall a good read though and would recommend. Read through netgalley but had intended to purchase

I celebrated Agatha Christie's birthday by reading this short story collection. I don't think there is a better way (for me) to celebrate the birthday of the absolute queen that AC is.

The book has a collection of twelve short stories featuring Miss Marple, the pink-and-white-faced, fluffy-haired, improbable detective. These stories have been written by some of the best authors of today's times including Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Karen McManus, and Ruth Ware, among others.

My rating according to story:

Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley
Miss Marple visits Mrs Prudence, a school friend, at Meon Maltravers, a remote town along the south coast. The town's opera singer is murdered gruesomely and almost everyone has a motive of wishing her ill. Who could be the murderer after all?
4 stars for excellent writing, world-building, and a proper (and largely believable) twist.

The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid
After Colonel Protheroe's death in the vicarage, the vicar doesn't expect another death in the same place. Unfortunately, his fears come true and their previous maid, Mary, ends up dead on the kitchen floor. What did she know that caused her death?
I didn't like the ending of this one so I will give this one 2.5 stars.

Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole
Raymond, Joan, and Miss Marple are in Manhattan to watch a drama adaptation of Raymond's latest book. Miss Marple is so far away from home. Will she be able to adjust to the new lifestyle? And when something untoward happens, will she be able to solve the mystery?
For me, this was one of the weakest stories of the lot. 1.5 stars (1 star for the title alone!)

The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes
Mr Weaver has returned to St. Mary Mead a long time after the war. No one knows where he was all this time. But Mrs Weaver seems happy to just see him and welcomes him back without any questions. But then, a pigkeeper is murdered in the town square. And it is up to Miss Marple to find out the real killer unless Mr Weaver is arrested falsely.
Though the story was well-written, it felt too...loose. 2 stars.

Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware
Dolly Bantry has very kindly invited Miss Marple, Raymond, and Joan over for Christmas. To her dismay, Colonel Bantry has also invited the tiresome Carltons. With so many people over for Christmas lunch, it is inevitable for something untoward to happen. Can Miss Marple solve the crime?
This was well-written with a good ending and a happy twist at the end. 4.5 stars.

The Open Mind by Naomi Alderman
An obnoxious Master at Oxford dies unexpectedly. Unfortunately, he has earned the enmity of nearly all his colleagues and peers. Miss Marple, as an invited guest for the Founder's Day lunch, witnesses his death and thinks deeply about it all....
4 stars for a good, solid story (plus I am always happy when the obnoxious one dies)

The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok
Miss Marple is on her way to Hong Kong aboard the Jade Empress. She makes an acquaintance with an elderly man with a sad past. When the man dies on board, suspicion naturally falls on his companion. But when she is found dead too, the man's daughter, who is travelling with him, is arrested. But Miss Marple is not sure she is the murderer...
This one reminded me strongly of A Caribbean Mystery, which is one of my favourites. I was a bit disappointed to see that the story has been copied almost completely albeit with some minor changes. However, even though I knew what to expect, the story was well-written and the language was simple. 3 stars.

A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell
A wedding. A death. How can Miss Marple save the day from becoming a complete disaster?
Though the story mentioned St. Honore, there is no connection between the original story and this one. It seemed a bit contrived in the end. 2.5 stars.

Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths
An author visits an idyllic retreat to get over his writer's block. But when strange things start happening, it is up to Miss Marple to find the correct explanation and save the author.
Though it was not a typical Miss Marple story - indeed, it was unconventional in every sense - and is narrated by the author (which reminded me very much of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), I liked it very much. 4.5 stars.

The Murdering Sort by Karen McManus
Nicola is Jane Marple's great niece. The age gap, however, does not matter for the two. When Nicola's friend, Diana, invites her to a birthday party, little does Nicola suspect that the day will take a bad turn. Diana's paranoid grandfather dies and the whole family is under suspicion. Thankfully, Nicola seems to have inherited her great-aunt's acute sense of observation and thinking.
This was a refreshing take from a teenager's point of view. 4.5 stars.

The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse
A train companion complains about his friend who suddenly disappeared. A small town reveals additional secrets. Incredibly, it is up to Miss Marple, a visitor, to sort out all the tangled threads.
This was written in the typical Miss Marple style and the ending was quite convincing. 4 stars.

The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo
While Miss Marple is in London with Raymond and Joan, she receives a call from Dolly Bantry asking her to return to St Mary Mead urgently. A young man has disappeared just a week before his wedding and his whole family is distraught. Miss Marple rushes back to see to the problem but will she be able to solve it within a week?
Dolly Bantry is one of my favourite side characters (apart from Mrs Oliver) and she didn't disappoint in this one as well. 4.5 stars.

All in all, I spent quite a pleasant time with Miss Marple over the last few days. If you are a new reader and not sure what Agatha Christie book to read first, this would be a good starting point. Most of them are written in the typical Agatha Christie style that is easy to absorb and give out a series of red herrings that are so common in AC books.

4.5 stars for an enjoyable reading experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and HaperCollins UK Fiction for the ARC.

I am a big Miss Marple fan so I was looking forward to reading these 12 short stories by various authors, some known to me and some not. I found this to be an enjoyable read with some stories more enjoyable than others but all were in keeping with what I had hoped and expected them to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Marple: Twelve New Stories' by a collection of twelve authors: Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo; Alyssa Cole; Lucy Foley; Ella Griffiths; Natalie Haynes; Jean Kwok; Val McDermid; Karen M. McManus; Dreda Say Mitchell; Kate Mosse and Ruth Ware.

Marple is 12 stories by 12 different authors - highlighting the beautiful character of Miss Jane Marple who was a eager and smart older detective. These new stories are wonderful to read and share even more of Miss Marple to a newer generation. There was some stories I loved more than most with authors such as Natalie Haynes and Jean Kwok but the author I need to talk about is - my favourite - Leigh Bardugo. The final story by her finishes this collection off with a bang.

i've read a few agatha christie books but never any featuring miss marple so this was a nice experience of a few different styles of the famous detective's cases. i liked the different authors' styles and each one was exactly the right length

As a big fan of Miss Marple I requested this with a little trepidation but wow was I wrong. I’ve always felt that Miss Marple was much more enjoyable as short stories and this selection contains some corkers!

I used to really enjoy Miss Marple stories, so when I saw this on Netgalley, I snapped it up. This book does exactly what it says on the cover - twelve new Miss Marple mysteries, written by established crime writers. They were all different, but captured the essential spirit of Miss Marple, whilst providing a short mystery, neatly wrapped up by the end of the story. Since the stories were short, you could read them one a day (which is what I did - it was a lovely way to wind down at the end of the day).
One of the things that intrigued me was that all the writers have widely differing voices when they write their own books, but when it comes to writing Marple, the differences even out a bit, probably because Agatha Christie's voice is so very well known. (You can tell that each story is by a different person, but the style is in keeping with the originals, so you soon forget). While Miss Marple was largely the same in all the stories, Raymond West and his wife Joan were slightly different in each one. It's like seeing the same characters played by different actors.

If you're a fan of Agatha Christie's books, you'll enjoy this new update.
I got a free ARC from the publisher (thank you!) via Netgalley.