A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie [Review]

A Murder is Announced (Miss Marple Mysteries #5) by Agatha Christie
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: February 12, 2025

Miss Marple Mysteries
1. The Murder at the Vicarage
2. The Body in the Library
3. The Moving Finger
4. Sleeping Murder
5. A Murder is Announced - Paperback | Kindle
6. They Do It With Mirrors
7. A Pocket Full of Rye
8. 4:50 From Paddington
9. The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side
10. A Caribbean Mystery
11. At Bertram's Hotel
12. Nemesis
13. The Complete Short Stories

Agatha Christie
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which read: 'A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.' Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the pointed time when, without warning, the lights go out ...

Thoughts on A Murder is Announced: This one was fun (and I actually remembered most of the whos and whys this time, so that's a treat) and had a whole bunch of suspects who seemed unlikely on the surface. You know, until Miss Marple wanders in and started unraveling lies and alibis one person at a time.

This time around, we were given an invitation to a murder in the local newspaper. Which, quite naturally, everyone is all atwitter over because it's not a REAL murder. Right? Except someone does end up dead at the proclaimed time, another ends up winged by a bullet, and the motive behind it all doesn't quite line up.

But mysteries are Miss Marple's bread and butter and she is quick to make connections between the clues and all the things people say they saw and what REALLY happened. A little subterfuge and some gentle sleuthing and soon the villain is unmasked and Miss Marple has solved another crime. Which is exactly why I'm reading these books.