Marple: Twelve New Mysteries
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Odette Lattimer
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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。
Sarah
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Excellent collection of short mysteries that honor the iconic Miss Marple while introducing some new territory for our sleuth。
Eric
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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 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。 。。。more
MarmottanReads
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Absolutely loved the variety of approaches and settings to reimagining Miss Marple by a wide selection of authors。 Would recommend。
Joshua Taylor
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Stories best to worst: A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。5Inventive， clever， very readable and the most interesting new character of the collection。 The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Claustrophobic， reads exactly like Christie， fun new spinEvil in Small Places by Lucy Foley⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Reads like Christie， inventive twist， loving tributeMiss Marple’s Xmas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Reads the most like Christie and good treatment of recurring charactersThe Murdering Sort by Karen M。 McManus ⭐️⭐️⭐️。 Stories best to worst: A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。5Inventive， clever， very readable and the most interesting new character of the collection。 The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Claustrophobic， reads exactly like Christie， fun new spinEvil in Small Places by Lucy Foley⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Reads like Christie， inventive twist， loving tributeMiss Marple’s Xmas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Reads the most like Christie and good treatment of recurring charactersThe Murdering Sort by Karen M。 McManus ⭐️⭐️⭐️。5 Fascinating twist on the mystery genre， if not a little hard to swallow Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole⭐️⭐️⭐️Great setting for Miss Marple makes up for an ok plotMurder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths ⭐️⭐️⭐️A very interesting idea for a whodunnit without a satisfying ending， but amusing enough for a mystery or Christie fan for the clichés aloneThe Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid⭐️⭐️⭐️You can sense the affection for its predecessor， though it’s lacks its ingenuity。 The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse ⭐️⭐️⭐️Reads like an auto pilot Christie story which is not all together a bad thingThe Unraveling by Natalie Haynes⭐️⭐️⭐️Decent but mostly forgettableThe Open Mind by Naomi Alderman ⭐️⭐️。5 This story feels so forced without any affection for the source materialThe Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️A completely unnecessary insult to the fans。 What makes you think you’re the writer to get to try that？ 。。。more
Lovely Loveday
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Marple: Twelve New Mysteries is a collection of twelve original short stories that are full of mystery and intrigue。 What a delightful new collection！
Diane
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This was absolutely awful and is a testament to the view that， in 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 many any of the writers have actua This was absolutely awful and is a testament to the view that， in 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 many 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 sent 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。Thanks to Netgalley for a free review copy， in return for an honest， unbiased review。 。。。more
Maria
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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 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。 。。。more
what。heather。loves
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⭐⭐⭐⭐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 thecrumbling type。" - Leigh BardugoTwelve contemporary writers have each written a Miss Marple short story inspired by Agatha Christie's determine ⭐⭐⭐⭐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 thecrumbling type。" - Leigh BardugoTwelve 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 her doing Tai Chi will stay with me for some time！Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to an eARC。 。。。more
Amber Wright
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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 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！ 。。。more
Helen_t_reads
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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 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。 。。。more
Lynsay Tervit
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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。 Ea 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 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。 。。。more
Sandra Vdplaats
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I would like to thank HarperCollins; - I was chuffed to see my wish granted for an advanced copy of this Marple collection of twelve new stories， written by well-known and established writers。 These Miss Marple stories are written to 'give a voice to the older， unmarried， often overlooked and underestimated old maids。' Having been a keen fan of Agatha Christie's stories and novels for many， many years， I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about this new collection。 For me， it was impor I would like to thank HarperCollins; - I was chuffed to see my wish granted for an advanced copy of this Marple collection of twelve new stories， written by well-known and established writers。 These Miss Marple stories are written to 'give a voice to the older， unmarried， often overlooked and underestimated old maids。' Having been a keen fan of Agatha Christie's stories and novels for many， many years， I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about this new collection。 For me， it was important that these new stories wouldn't match the original stories， after all， there can only be one Agatha Christie - but that these new stories would use some of the original concept， yet being different in approach， and and of course with the unforgettable Miss Marple in the lead role。 After a hard day at work or whenever I feel stressed out， Miss Marple has always been my safe haven: all I need is a cuppa， curled up on the sofa， a book in hand， to bring me to the 'peace and quiet' of St Mary Mead; or at times enjoy the reruns of the 'old' tv series， that are quite popular here at the moment， with my own personal all-time favourite Miss Marple: Joan Hickson。 Living in a small village is not necessarily a soft life when you are living in a tranquil and small community， - where everyone and everything is scrutinized and it can easily render a misleading image of tranquility， as Miss Marple knows all too well。 Evil can come with smiles and 'a very happy good day'， and there are more terrible things happening more in England's villages and hamlets than in any other larger community。In these twelve new stories we see new locations and plots having been added to the well-known concept， in which every writer has added something personal to the original stories: sometimes the storyline shifts to the Big Apple， where it's all about illusion， in another there is another murder at the Vicarage， there is one in which a man is pierced with an arrow， and a story in which Miss Marple's dance partner is found murdered in his cabin。 So many stories， so many secrets！I didn't like every story; I could relate best to the stories of the authors already known to me。 My favorite story was written by Nathalie Haynes - I love her work -， and in this collection she combines a classic tragedy with Miss Marple's inquisitive and perceptive mind。 Other favourites I loved were written by Val McDermid， and Elly Griffiths， authors whose novels I also regularly read。 Although I liked some stories more than others， I am sure there is something in here for everyone to enjoy in this new Marple collection。 All you need is a pot of tea， - a comfy chair， and off you go to travel around the world with Miss Marple！I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this arc。 I leave this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Pam Sartain
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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 w 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。 。。。more
Janet Owen
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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。
Sally Cowling
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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 femin 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！ 。。。more
Dee
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⭐️ 3 ⭐️Review to follow
Barbara Gillan
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I was really excited to receive a copy of this from a Goodreads giveaway。 I looked forward to reading Miss Marple mysteries from authors that I have read and enjoyed and from others who were new to me。 Unfortunately， I only found a few of these stories enjoyable。 Most felt like the authors were trying too hard to capture the original character。 I also felt that some of the story lines seemed too forced and lacked Christie's nuance of seamlessly weaving the story to a satisfying ending。 There is I was really excited to receive a copy of this from a Goodreads giveaway。 I looked forward to reading Miss Marple mysteries from authors that I have read and enjoyed and from others who were new to me。 Unfortunately， I only found a few of these stories enjoyable。 Most felt like the authors were trying too hard to capture the original character。 I also felt that some of the story lines seemed too forced and lacked Christie's nuance of seamlessly weaving the story to a satisfying ending。 There is nothing like reading the original Miss Marple by Agatha Christie。 。。。more
Katherine Busby
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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 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。 。。。more
Karen Knight
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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 remai 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。Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Stuart Cummins
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Fantastic collection of mystery short stories that capture the essence of Christie， whilst appealing to a 21st century audienceI 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 Fantastic collection of mystery short stories that capture the essence of Christie， whilst appealing to a 21st century audienceI 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！ 。。。more
Susan
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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。My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in return fo 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。My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Lynsay Tervit
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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。 Ea 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。 。。。more
Liv
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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 publ 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。 。。。more
Mark Davies
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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。 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。 。。。more
Louise
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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 dwel 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 。。。more
Becki Sims
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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。
Marianne
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Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this collection of short stories featuring Miss Marple。 I discovered Agatha Christie as a pre-teen and have spent a lifetime enjoying her work。 Her appeal is universal， and her observations about people and motivation have taught me a lot about human behavior。 I was very impressed by this variety of stories featuring Miss Marple and especially appreciated several of the authors ability to capture the essence of the character。 I particularly liked the Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this collection of short stories featuring Miss Marple。 I discovered Agatha Christie as a pre-teen and have spent a lifetime enjoying her work。 Her appeal is universal， and her observations about people and motivation have taught me a lot about human behavior。 I was very impressed by this variety of stories featuring Miss Marple and especially appreciated several of the authors ability to capture the essence of the character。 I particularly liked the stories by Val McDermid， Ruth Ware， Natalie Haynes， and Kate Mosse。 I thought the portrayals were sympathetic to the original and the period details authentic。 Thank you again to Netgalley and the publisher I highly recommend this collection。 。。。more
The Cookster
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Rating: 3。0/5 Ever since I heard that this project was being worked on， I have been looking forward to getting my hands on a copy。 Twelve successful authors each penning a new mystery featuring Agatha Christie's classic amateur sleuth， Miss Jane Marple。 Writing is a challenging enough occupation at the best of times， but when you are attempting to walk in the footsteps of the most famous mystery writer of all time， it is surely a task that brings with it a fair amount of trepidation， too。 So， ho Rating: 3。0/5 Ever since I heard that this project was being worked on， I have been looking forward to getting my hands on a copy。 Twelve successful authors each penning a new mystery featuring Agatha Christie's classic amateur sleuth， Miss Jane Marple。 Writing is a challenging enough occupation at the best of times， but when you are attempting to walk in the footsteps of the most famous mystery writer of all time， it is surely a task that brings with it a fair amount of trepidation， too。 So， how did these fine writers fare in this new anthology？ Well， as you might imagine， the results were mixed。There is an art to writing a successful short story and I have great admiration for any author who can construct a properly rounded tale in the space of a hundred pages or so - but the writers of this collection had an even more difficult assignment， in that each of these stories is only around a third of that length！ For that reason， I was not expecting perfectly crafted plotlines， nor fully rounded characters with real depth to them。 I was also prepared for the solutions to mysteries to be a little contrived and stretching credulity in order to fit into the constraints of the very short format。 What I was looking for was evidence of the core components of a solid mystery， with a portrayal of Miss Marple that captured the essence of her character and environment， but without being hackneyed or trite。In my opinion， there are four authors whose depictions stand out positively from the rest。 In the order in which they appear in this book， they are Lucy Foley （"Evil in Small Places"）， Ruth Ware （"Miss Marple's Christmas"）， Elly Griffiths （"Murder at the VIlla Rosa"） and Kate Mosse （"The Mystery of the Acid Soil"）。 Of the other eight contributions， I thought two were quite poor， two were passable， and the remaining four were pretty decent， but without quite matching up to the most impressive ones that I listed。My overall rating for the collection as a whole reflects my mixed feelings about the individual stories， but I would certainly recommend picking up this new collection and revisiting the world of St。 Mary Mead。 Now， I can't help but wonder whether one （or more） of these authors might be approached to write some new full-length Marple mysteries 。。。 Time will tell。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Michelle
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