Rating: 
Summary: A predictable, but enterteining wiev of the 1950's England
Review: Once again Agathe Christie's clever and strong storytelling, combined with social critcism and description have produced an entertaing mystery.While not Christie at her best, "A Murder Is Announced" is a worthwhile read. Written in 1940, the story isn't as clever as many other mysteries Christie produced in her time, and having Miss Marple as the investigator always stretches the boundaries of credibility. Fortunately Marple, as usual, really isn't as prominent a character as, for example, Hercule Poirot is in his books. We get a newspaper announcement concerning a murder that's going to happen later that very same day. The curious inhabitants of a quiet little village in England rush to the announced murder scene, and a mystery is started. Christie describes the post-WW2 England intriquingly. We see a definite battle between the working class and the snobbish elite, as well as the suspicious and prejudisious wiev towards the jew refugees that went to England after the end of the concentration camp period, and one of the most contravercial aspects of the book is the possibly unkind description of a jew housemaid, who is supposed to bring humor to the story. This might very well shed some light to the after-war mentality in England. The overall ethics are fortunately in place, though. A recommendet, light, and entertaining, if predictable, little mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent.
Review: This book is very good. But what do you expect, it's Agatha Christie & Miss Marple. These books are interesting, enthrolling, and improve thinking ability. What more could you want from a good book? So, sit back, get a nice warm cup of tea and enjoy reading "A Murder Is Announced". Be prepared, you won't be able to set this book down.
Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT ending but a little slow
Review: This book surprised me at the ending. It was so obvious throughout the book but like all the others you never realize. Though the begining was slow it soon picks up the pace and it amazing! I really reccomend this book but not for first time agatha christie readers!
Rating:
Summary: Really fun
Review: This is definitely one of her best - sheer entertainment, lots of fun, & intelligent.
Rating:
Summary: Better and better!
Review: This mystery series just keeps getting better and better. Buy it and see for yourself what makes this mystery writer heads above most other mystery writers. As you can see I am a fan.
Rating:
Summary: Better and better!
Review: This mystery series just keeps getting better and better. Buy it and see for yourself what makes this mystery writer heads above most other mystery writers. As you can see I am a fan.
Rating:
Summary: Christie At Her Peak
Review: This novel finds Agatha Christie at the peak of skill, presenting the reader with a startling crime and an engaging cast of characters all bound into a puzzle both believable and clever. When a newspaper advertisement announcing that a murder will take place in the home of well-known residents of a small town, the varied residents of the address believe they have been made the victims of a bad-taste practical joke--but when community curiosity leads friends to drop in on the evening in question, they find themselves caught up in a violent crime instead of the parlor game they expect. This Christie novel is among her finest works, including memorable characters, Jane Marple at her most vividly portrayed, and a solution that is startling even in comparison to other Christie novels. Highly recommended; you'll read it in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: Another Fine Selection From the Queen of Crime
Review: When a murder is forecasted in a local paper to occur in the quaint village of Chipping Cleghorn, none (well, perhaps one) of the locals knows what to expect. As the townspeople show up at the specified time and place, most anticipate a murder game of sorts. As readers, however, we feel certain that this will be no empty announcement of murder. And indeed, murder soon bursts upon the scene. A Murder is Announced is the nineteenth Agatha Christie book that I have read, and it certainly does not disappoint. However, it does happen to be the first Christie mystery in which I've been able to correctly identify the culprit, and this overwhelming hunch, surprisingly, came to me early in the novel. Expecting to be disappointed since I thought I had solved it, I read on. Well? As it turned out, I was correct in finding the murderer. And yet Christie includes myriad details that I had no idea about, making the story more and more intriguing and revealing specifics of the murder that only the most astute reader will deduce. I thought I had solved it, but I had in fact only seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg. An aspect of the novel that I particularly enjoyed: Christie employs a (partially) omniscient third-person point of view, allowing us, for at least a short time, to follow Miss Marple's thought processes, which aren't always revealed to us in the other Marple mysteries. Though I said previously that the novel does not disappoint, I must admit that my only (very slight) quibble about the book is that some of the relatively significant characters might have been present in the storyline more often. This is a mere trifle, though. Some readers might protest Christie's use of amazing and almost-unbelievable situations and coincidences. I, for one, enjoy them--I'd rather read an ingenious mystery that's slightly far-fetched than a realistic one that's predictable. All in all, this is a fine read, and one that can be readily taken in one sitting, thanks to a plot that constantly reveals new twists and turns. I'd highly recommend it.
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