For my second installment in the Anything Agatha Challenge, I chose a short story, The Tuesday Night Club, from: The Tuesday Club Murders, 1932
Collected in:
Miss Marple
The Complete Short Stories
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1985
Miss Marple's nephew is visiting, and has a little party at her home. A conversation begins about unsolved murders, and the participants decide to meet each Tuesday evening.
It is to meet each week, and each member in turn has to propound a problem. Some mystery of which they have personal knowledge, and to which, of course, they know the answer. Let me see, how many are we? One, two, three, four, five. We ought really to be six.
"You have forgotten me, dear," said Miss Marple, smiling brightly.
This sets the stage for the main idea, and for the way Jane Marple is looked upon. She is simply a quiet old lady, sitting amongst the 'important' people: a retired Scotland Yard commissioner, an artist, a solicitor, a clergyman, and the nephew, a writer. They do not expect her to be a full participant in the weekly discussions. The reader knows that Miss Marple will solve the murder using her observations of daily life in her small village. This particular mystery involves a group of people who eat the same meal, and yet only one dies. I liked the story very much, and I plan to come back to these short stories during the months ahead.
It is to meet each week, and each member in turn has to propound a problem. Some mystery of which they have personal knowledge, and to which, of course, they know the answer. Let me see, how many are we? One, two, three, four, five. We ought really to be six.
"You have forgotten me, dear," said Miss Marple, smiling brightly.
This sets the stage for the main idea, and for the way Jane Marple is looked upon. She is simply a quiet old lady, sitting amongst the 'important' people: a retired Scotland Yard commissioner, an artist, a solicitor, a clergyman, and the nephew, a writer. They do not expect her to be a full participant in the weekly discussions. The reader knows that Miss Marple will solve the murder using her observations of daily life in her small village. This particular mystery involves a group of people who eat the same meal, and yet only one dies. I liked the story very much, and I plan to come back to these short stories during the months ahead.
Miss Marple is good, Nan, but I've always preferred Miss Maud Silver, Patricia Wentworth's governess-sleuth who knits even more than Jane Marple! Am also devoted to Charlotte Macleod's dotty mysteries, particularly her Alisa Craig ones, The Grub & Stakers mysteries. Set in Canada they remind me of gossip sessions in Avonlea or Glen St Mary, but with the participants all having unwittingly eaten a pie containing some kind of illegal substance. Are you familiar with them? The books are completely mad but wonderful fun.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this one, too! :) I believe I've only read 2 so far, but enjoyed them both.
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased you wrote, Nicola. I've never read Miss Silver, but will check her out. And I read one Charlotte Macleod years ago, with a fellow named Peter? I think he was a professor. I really liked it, but didn't get around to reading more. I'll look into The Grub & Stokers. What a great name!
ReplyDeleteJoy, I just read the first one. I'm going to try and vary my reading for the Agatha Challenge. Right now, I'm starting a Hercule Poirot.
Huh. I read these, but in a book called The Thirteen Problems. A look at Wikipedia shows that I have the British title and you've got the American. I think that may be the first time I've encountered totally different titles for the same work. (J.K. Rowling's first work is at least similar...)
ReplyDeleteI have always liked Agatha Christie, and particularly Miss Marple. I like domestic stories and they were just perfect. You have to love Poirot too but for me Miss Jane Marple was like someone you might know.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I think I'll dig up some Miss Marple books from my bookshelf and spend a few days catching up on her again.
I just found your site.
ReplyDeleteI like it.
Terry Finley
http://theterryfinleysite.blogspot.com/