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Rating: 
Summary: Miss Marple in a Manor Mystery
Review: A worried friend sends Miss Marple to Stonygates on a visit with their old school chum, Carrie Louise Serrocold. Those worries are more than born out by a murder and a series of violent attempts on the lives of various manor inhabitants. Miss Marple needs all her experience to figure who is behind all the crimes.Ordinarily I love Miss Marple mysteries, but this one is not Christie's best. Miss Marple seems out of her element and there isn't enough St. Mary Mead insight to provide its usual enchantment.
Rating:
Summary: TVs own Marple reads a Marple mystery
Review: Again we have a good opportunity to see how two different writers adapt for the screen an Agatha Christie mystery. In 1985, Helen Hayes played a very American Miss Marple in "Murder With Mirrors." Of course, better known is the Joan Hickson version that appeared in the USA on Mystery Theatre. Now that same Ms. Hickson reads the original version on a 4-audio cassette boxed set from Audio Partners with the British title "They Do It With Mirrors." The plot revolves around a home for juvenile delinquents set up by Lewis Serrocold who is married to Carrie Louise, an old school chum of Marple's. The relationships are a bit hard to sort out when one is hearing a tape and cannot turn back a few pages to see who is who, but things get moving when three shots ring out, two behind a closed door and one far off. Murder (but for what reason?), attempted murder (but was it really?), and a little stab at slow poisoning (if that is what it was) complicate things. But by drawing her usual analogies between those concerned and those whom Marple knew long ago, she is able to hit upon the solution. Unfortunately, I feel this is not one of Christie's better plots--which still makes it a fairly good one!--but the title more or less gives the solution away. I also find that Hickson's voice, so perfect for Marple, is not as flexible as those of other readers in this series and she makes no attempt to act out the various parts. Now and then, but not very often, she does grow a tad hard to understand for a word or two. Still, it makes great listening on long trips or just sitting there on a cold winter's night with a mug of hot something and a good book on the tape deck.
Rating:
Summary: TVs own Marple reads a Marple mystery
Review: Again we have a good opportunity to see how two different writers adapt for the screen an Agatha Christie mystery. In 1985, Helen Hayes played a very American Miss Marple in "Murder With Mirrors." Of course, better known is the Joan Hickson version that appeared in the USA on Mystery Theatre. Now that same Ms. Hickson reads the original version on a 4-audio cassette boxed set from Audio Partners with the British title "They Do It With Mirrors." The plot revolves around a home for juvenile delinquents set up by Lewis Serrocold who is married to Carrie Louise, an old school chum of Marple's. The relationships are a bit hard to sort out when one is hearing a tape and cannot turn back a few pages to see who is who, but things get moving when three shots ring out, two behind a closed door and one far off. Murder (but for what reason?), attempted murder (but was it really?), and a little stab at slow poisoning (if that is what it was) complicate things. But by drawing her usual analogies between those concerned and those whom Marple knew long ago, she is able to hit upon the solution. Unfortunately, I feel this is not one of Christie's better plots--which still makes it a fairly good one!--but the title more or less gives the solution away. I also find that Hickson's voice, so perfect for Marple, is not as flexible as those of other readers in this series and she makes no attempt to act out the various parts. Now and then, but not very often, she does grow a tad hard to understand for a word or two. Still, it makes great listening on long trips or just sitting there on a cold winter's night with a mug of hot something and a good book on the tape deck.
Rating: 
Summary: Minor but Entertaining
Review: Also known under the title MURDER WITH MIRRORS, this 1952 Agatha Christie is neither the best nor the worst of her work. Set in a decaying English mansion, the grounds of which have become home to an experimental school for delinquent boys, the novel finds Miss Marple visiting an elderly friend from her own school days--and being plunged into crime when her hostess' stepson is shot dead. Christie is best known for her fiendishly cunning plots, but in this instance I found the mechanism of the crime somewhat obvious. Still, the novel has other, undeniable charms: a renewed acquaintance with the always entertaining Miss Marple, a memorable cast of characters, and a particularly atmospheric setting. While it will never compare with the likes of A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED or MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Christie fans will find it an entertaining one-gulp read. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Minor but Entertaining
Review: Also known under the title MURDER WITH MIRRORS, this 1952 Agatha Christie is neither the best nor the worst of her work. Set in a decaying English mansion, the grounds of which have become home to an experimental school for delinquent boys, the novel finds Miss Marple visiting an elderly friend from her own school days--and being plunged into crime when her hostess' stepson is shot dead. Christie is best known for her fiendishly cunning plots, but in this instance I found the mechanism of the crime somewhat obvious. Still, the novel has other, undeniable charms: a renewed acquaintance with the always entertaining Miss Marple, a memorable cast of characters, and a particularly atmospheric setting. While it will never compare with the likes of A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED or MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Christie fans will find it an entertaining one-gulp read. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating: 
Summary: This was horrible
Review: Any reader of Agatha Christie would not appreciate this novel. If you have read her past works, guessing the whodunnit (which is half the reason why somebody reads a mystery novel) can be done blindfolded and by the time you have finished reading the fifth chapter. Miss Marple is good, as usual, but this book is extremely disappointing.
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Summary: When Miss Marple Visits Friends, Murder Is Sure To Follow
Review: Strange things have been happening at Stonygates, the home of Carrie Louise Martin, an old friend of Miss Marple's. Carrie Louise's sister, Ruth Van Rydock, has asked Miss Marple to visit Carrie Louise and determine what the trouble is and to alleviate her worries about her sister. Agatha Christie once again takes us into a family estate overrun with family members. This family is particularly complex because Carrie Louise has been married three times and there is a wide assortment of relatives including stepsons, a widowed daughter, grandchildren, and even a current husband. The husband is deeply involved with corrective training and has turned the family home into a school where first offenders come for counseling and attention. So to this already strained situation, Mrs. Christie includes psychologists and therapists and a situation ripe for murder. Indeed, three murders occur and there is much unpleasantness before Miss Marple explains it all. This story (also published under the title "Murder With Mirrors") was adapted for TV in 1991 with Joan Hickson in the role of Miss Marple and Jean Simmons as Carrie Louise.
Rating: 
Summary: One of Christie's best.
Review: This is one of Agatha Christie's finest mysteries. Although it is set in the post WWII era it is not dated like alot of mysteries of that era. One of Miss Marple's childhood friends is worried about her unworldly sister and sends her good friend Jane to find out what's wrong. The sister, Carrie, is very wealthy and has turned her estate into a type of reformatory school. It is suspected that Carrie is being poisoned, and alot of strange things are happening at the school. This is a great mystery and I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Marple visits an old friend
Review: When Miss Marple visits her old school friend Ruth Van Rydock, she discovers that Ruth is concerned about their mutual friend Carrie Louise. Ruth had recently visited with Carrie Louise, and something in the household did not seem right. She persuades Miss Marple to visit Carrie Louise herself to see if she can detect what's wrong. When she arrives, Jane discovers that Carrie's home has been turned into a haven for delinquent boys by her husband. Soon a murder occurs and the plot thickens. Although professional investigators are called on the scene, Miss Marple exhibits her famous powers of deduction and comes up with a solution before they do. This is a typical, clever Agatha Christie mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Marple visits an old friend
Review: When Miss Marple visits her old school friend Ruth Van Rydock, she discovers that Ruth is concerned about their mutual friend Carrie Louise. Ruth had recently visited with Carrie Louise, and something in the household did not seem right. She persuades Miss Marple to visit Carrie Louise herself to see if she can detect what's wrong. When she arrives, Jane discovers that Carrie's home has been turned into a haven for delinquent boys by her husband. Soon a murder occurs and the plot thickens. Although professional investigators are called on the scene, Miss Marple exhibits her famous powers of deduction and comes up with a solution before they do. This is a typical, clever Agatha Christie mystery.
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