Rating: 
Summary: A CLASSIC IN ITS GENRE
Review: Although first published in 1950 "A Murder Is Announced" by vaunted mystery writer Agatha Christie has lost none of its zest. Deemed a classic in its genre this suspenseful tale is mesmerizing. When invitations are sent reading "A murder is announced, and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.," everyone, including the indomitable Jane Marple, would anticipate an unusual party game. Such as, someone will be chosen as the murderer, the room is darkened, and the victim meets his fate. It's not all fun and games when a real dead body is found. Miss Marple, on your mark! With her inimitable skill Agatha Christie allows listeners to enjoy solving the crime, step by step, just as much as Miss Marple does. Curl up in an easy chair and revel this remarkable tale.
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC IN ITS GENRE
Review: Although first published in 1950 "A Murder Is Announced" by vaunted mystery writer Agatha Christie has lost none of its zest. Deemed a classic in its genre this suspenseful tale is mesmerizing. When invitations are sent reading "A murder is announced, and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.," everyone, including the indomitable Jane Marple, would anticipate an unusual party game. Such as, someone will be chosen as the murderer, the room is darkened, and the victim meets his fate. It's not all fun and games when a real dead body is found. Miss Marple, on your mark! With her inimitable skill Agatha Christie allows listeners to enjoy solving the crime, step by step, just as much as Miss Marple does. Curl up in an easy chair and revel this remarkable tale.
Rating:
Summary: This is the best Miss Marple story yet.
Review: Engaging, delightful, interesting, the words escape me. I love this story. A must for every Agatha Christie fan.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful.
Review: I am a big mystery fan and this book is my favorite Agatha Christie selection to date.
Rating:
Summary: Warning: This book can do major damage to your self-esteem
Review: I used to think that I was of above average intelligence. But after just finishing A Murder is Announced (the 7th Christie book I've read) I know differently. Each time I start a Christie novel I am sure that this time I'll be able to figure out whodunnit, and every time I fail. This book is just another example of Christie's mastery of the mystery. The story begins when an advertisement runs in the paper announcing a murder will take place in a small town. Naturally, the towns people are intrigued thinking it's just part of a game. Of course it isn't and when there is a murder Miss Marple is called in to solve the case. With great characters and an outstanding plot (featuring more twists than you can get your head around) this is Christie at her best. A must read for anybody interested in the genre
Rating:
Summary: A review from the man of the house.
Review: I would like to announce a great book. My wife suggested this book to me, and I was not disappointed. You can find her review here as well. Great book second only to "And Then There Were None"
Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: In A Murder is Announced, Agatha Christie's fiftieth detective story, and surely the best of the Miss Marples, "the latest idea is to advertise one's murders beforehand", by placing an advertisement in the paper-hence the title. And so, "once more a murder is announced-for the benefit and enjoyment of Miss Marple." The setting is Chipping Cleghorn, which is perhaps Christie's best-drawn village setting-and certainly the quintessential Miss Marple novel. Christie vividly captures the feeling of how "the world has changed since the war... Fifteen years ago one knew who everybody was... If anybody new-really new-really a stranger-came, well, they stuck out-everybody wondered about them and didn't rest till they found out. But it's not like that any more. Every village and small country place is full of people who've just come and settled there without any ties to bring them... And people just come-and all you know about them is what they say of themselves... Nobody knows any more who anyone is." It is this feeling of insecurity Christie admirably captures that allows the ingenious plot-quite simply one of her best-to take place. Despite the beauty of the village, however, the simple rural cosiness, "there was a nightmarish feeling at the back of [Detective Inspector Craddock's] mind. It was like a familiar dream where an undertone of menace grows and finally turns Ease into Terror..." Neighbour cannot trust neighbour, and the tension slowly mounts-no atmospherics here, simply first-rate characterisation, with Christie particularly good at depicting elderly spinsters, with a sympathetic treatment of lesbianism and of old age. Miss Marple's statement that "one is alone when the last one who remembers is gone. I have nephews and nieces and kind friends-but there's no one who knew me as a young girl-no one who belongs to the old days. I've been alone for quite a long time now" captures the whole feeling of the book-elderly spinsters living in solitude in the country, dependent upon each other for their comfort. At the heart of the novel are five old women: Miss Marple, the detective, "the finest detective God ever made. Natural genius cultivated in a suitable soil..."; Miss Blacklock and Miss Bunner; and Miss Hinchcliffe and Miss Murgatroyd. Miss Blacklock and Miss Hinchcliffe are the dominant partners, shrewd and capable; while Miss Bunner and Miss Murgatroyd are woolly-minded and amiable, dependent upon their stronger-minded friends for security. Yet when Miss Bunner and Miss Murgatroyd are both murdered, the true depths of the feelings-of the dependency-Miss Blacklock and Miss Hinchcliffe felt is made apparent. These portraits of love and grief are unrivalled anywhere else in Christie's books, and show her ability to create human characters. Miss Marple herself is at the top of her powers, actively detecting. Sir Henry Clithering remarks that "an elderly unmarried woman who knits and gardens is streets ahead of any detective sergeant. She can tell you what might have happened and what ought to have happened and even what actually did happen! And she can tell you why it happened!" Although she deprecates her abilities, modestly claiming that she has "no gifts at all-except perhaps a certain knowledge of human nature", her ability to reason from both material clues and dialogue is seen at its best; and she is an active player for once, reasoning and sleuthing like the best of them. Setting and characterisation aside, the plot itself is one of Christie's best. It is complicated, "all so complex, nearly all so trivial and if one thing isn't trivial, it's so hard to spot which one-like a needle in a haystack", but not cluttered-one of Christie's gifts. The motive, stated quite clearly from the beginning, is money, and Miss Marple "know[s] only too well the really terrible things that people will do to lay their hands on a lot of money." Yet the identity of the real beneficiary / murderer is so well-hidden, aided by "the most amazing impersonation", that the reader will never work out the meaning of the clues, despite Miss Marple's listing them. "You could get away with a great deal if you had enough audacity", Miss Marple reflects at one point-and both murderess and author do have enough audacity.
Rating:
Summary: One of Agatha Christie¿s most ingenious plots
Review: In the small English village of Chipping Cleghord something quite remarkable is published in the advertisement section of the local Gazette. Most advertisements are about antique cars for sale, puppies for adoption or lovers seeking reunions, but not this particular one. This one advertises murder. "A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29, at Little Paddocks, at 6:30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation." Needless to say that quite a party of people appears at Little Paddocks at the appointed hour. Alas, when it turns out to be all but a joke, only Miss Jane Marple seems to have a clue about what really happened. This book, published in 1950, was claimed to be Agatha Christie's 50th novel, although not everyone agreed to this number, due to of a few short story collections. It certainly is one of the most memorable books she ever wrote. As always, the personalities of Miss Marple's friends create ample opportunities to introduce subtle sparks of humour to the story. Quite remarkable are the characters of Amy Murgatroyd and Miss Hinchcliff. This was certainly the first time Agatha Christie went this far portraying obviously "gay" people in one of her novels. The plot itself is quite ingenious, even measured against Agatha's high standards, while the suspense is present from the very beginning until the final revelation. But most importantly the outcome is unscrupulously fair, since the book is scattered with clues - but also with quite a few of her famous red herrings. You need to note down every little detail if you want to catch the murderer before our old friend Miss Marple does. This book is a must-read for every Agatha Christie addict or fan of a good detective story.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Agatha!
Review: Like with "The Moving Finger," this is a Christie mystery I read maybe 5 years ago and then picked up again just recently. And, similar to that one, I somewhat remembered the solution to this mystery, though I couldn't remember nor ever quite reconfigure the logic behind it. For those who don't know, this excellent mystery starts off with a murder being announced in the personal ads in the local village paper. Somewhat akin to the irony of "Gross Pointe Blank" - where nobody believes that Cusack is a hitman because he states it directly - no one believes that a murder will really happen. Who would advertise such a thing? And so, in a predictable English manner, all the neighbors turn up - each insisting they just happened to drop by. Thus begins a subtly humorous and mind-bending tale. After reading a number of poor books lately, I have to say that it felt good to be back in Agatha's capable hands. She develops a small pool of likable characters that you can keep track of...and never really trust. She throws out red herrings galore and keeps you on your toes as you try to fit together the random jig saw piece clues handed to you. Of course, Miss Marple is on to things fairly early, but will you be? Of note in this particular Christie mystery:
- In addition to Miss Marple, Christie develops a likable & capable if slightly lackluster inspector in Craddock. I think it shows Christie's continued desire to mix things up and try new crime-solving combinations
- The time period is right after WWII, and so you pick up on what life was like in Britain in that time period. There is reference to food rations, Mittel European servants, reduced amounts of hired help, shifting of the population (even in small towns), an increased amount of suspicion with foreigners, etc. It's all very interesting.
- This is one of the few murder mysteries I remember with a real lack of rich/titles characters. There are a few in the background, but they don't play in the main plot at all. It was quite nice to read about working folks and their lives.
- Christie sets up several foils with the number of middle aged women in the book. I've never read a British novel where 3 main characters were weak minded (Bunch, Murgatroyd, and Dora), but Christie is able to develop each with distinction. However, each woman's relation with a strong woman (Marple, Hinch and Blacky) makes for an interesting study. (BTW - It is unclear if Murgatroyd and Hinch are a gay couple. Certainly, it seems possible, but Christie doesn't focus on that.)
Rating:
Summary: Classic Agatha!
Review: Like with "The Moving Finger," this is a Christie mystery I read maybe 5 years ago and then picked up again just recently. And, similar to that one, I somewhat remembered the solution to this mystery, though I couldn't remember nor ever quite reconfigure the logic behind it. For those who don't know, this excellent mystery starts off with a murder being announced in the personal ads in the local village paper. Somewhat akin to the irony of "Gross Pointe Blank" - where nobody believes that Cusack is a hitman because he states it directly - no one believes that a murder will really happen. Who would advertise such a thing? And so, in a predictable English manner, all the neighbors turn up - each insisting they just happened to drop by. Thus begins a subtly humorous and mind-bending tale. After reading a number of poor books lately, I have to say that it felt good to be back in Agatha's capable hands. She develops a small pool of likable characters that you can keep track of...and never really trust. She throws out red herrings galore and keeps you on your toes as you try to fit together the random jig saw piece clues handed to you. Of course, Miss Marple is on to things fairly early, but will you be? Of note in this particular Christie mystery:
- In addition to Miss Marple, Christie develops a likable & capable if slightly lackluster inspector in Craddock. I think it shows Christie's continued desire to mix things up and try new crime-solving combinations
- The time period is right after WWII, and so you pick up on what life was like in Britain in that time period. There is reference to food rations, Mittel European servants, reduced amounts of hired help, shifting of the population (even in small towns), an increased amount of suspicion with foreigners, etc. It's all very interesting.
- This is one of the few murder mysteries I remember with a real lack of rich/titles characters. There are a few in the background, but they don't play in the main plot at all. It was quite nice to read about working folks and their lives.
- Christie sets up several foils with the number of middle aged women in the book. I've never read a British novel where 3 main characters were weak minded (Bunch, Murgatroyd, and Dora), but Christie is able to develop each with distinction. However, each woman's relation with a strong woman (Marple, Hinch and Blacky) makes for an interesting study. (BTW - It is unclear if Murgatroyd and Hinch are a gay couple. Certainly, it seems possible, but Christie doesn't focus on that.)
| 
