This edition published 16th February 2023 by Harper Collins.
Originally published in 1950.
From the cover of the book:
An ordinary village. A shocking announcement...One morning the villagers of Chipping Cleghorn wake to find a strange notice in their papers:
‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm.’
Suspecting this is just a joke, they gather for some evening entertainment. Then a gunshot is heard.
In desperation, the police turn to an old lady whose hobbies are gardening, gossiping – and solving murders. After all, old ladies know better than anyone exactly what goes on in quiet English villages…
Never underestimate Miss Marple...
***********
The village of Chipping Cleghorn is buzzing when a strange notice appears in the local newspaper, appearing to announce a 'murder' will be taking place in their midst that very night. Miss Letitia Blacklock, whose home, Little Paddocks, will apparently be the venue of the crime, is bemused by the announcement. She is certain that several of her nosier neighbours will turn up at her door around the appointed time of 6.30pm, so nibbles and sherry are prepared while the household waits to see what will happen.
A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, 29 October, at Little Paddocks, at 6.30 pm. Friends accept this, the only intimation.
True to form, several villagers turn up at the door just before the 'fun' is about to kick off, anticipating the high jinks of a murder game. However, excitement turns to shock when the lights go out, a menacing figure appears, and shots are fired. When the lights go up, the horrified group discover Miss Blacklock has been injured, and a young stranger lies dead on the floor...
Inspector Craddock is puzzled why Swiss man Rudi Scherz, a slightly dodgy hotel receptionist, was attempting to hold up the residents of Little Paddocks and their neighbours - apparently shooting himself in the process. And as his investigation proceeds he is convinced that something is not quite right about the whole affair, but it is not until he gets the help of expert in human nature, Miss Marple, that this tricky crime can be solved.
A Murder is Announced, starring that fluffy old lady with a mind like a rapier, Miss Jane Marple, is one of my favourite Marple stories for its characters and the delicious complexity of its plot - incidentally, it also features my pick of the Marple police detectives, Inspector Dermot Craddock!
The story kicks off with a rapid introduction to the central players as we hear their views on the strange announcement, while they are browsing the local paper over breakfast - splitting between assorted nosy neighbours, and the residents of Little Paddocks themselves - who all seem to suspect some kind of prank. Any thoughts of entertainment are quickly dispelled when a murder actually takes place.
Inspector Craddock is on the case, with his charming manner, and a sixth sense that tells him the apparent accidental death of a young Swiss man who had no business being at Little Paddocks is more complicated than it seems. All the witnesses have a slightly different version of events, which makes ascertaining exactly what happened all the more difficult, but once he is introduced to the sharp Miss Marple (via Craddock's godfather, Sir Henry Clithering), all manner of interesting plotlines develop, and the bodies start to pile up - with suspicion cast upon various members of the Little Paddocks' household, and the nosy neighbours.
This is one of Christie's cleverest plots, revolving around money, deception, and false identities - with her trademark humour, and an enchanting slice of romantic suspense to boot. The secrets lie thick behind the doors of the residents of Chipping Cleghorn, leading to a bushel of red herrings. Miss Marple gradually discards these by playing her harmless old lady game, while staying with the village's vicar and his wife Diana 'Bunch' Harmon (a friend of the elderly sleuth) - with the help of the Harmon's cat. There is a lovely rapport between Miss Marple and Inspector Craddock, who recognises her talent from the start and worries about her safety in this nest of vipers - but Miss Marple is not to be underestimated, and she does not hesitate to co-opt the aid of some of Chipping Cleghorn's finest (and an excitable refugee cook) into a dangerous scheme to trap the guilty party in the very enjoyable climax.
The twists and turns really keep you guessing. Even though I have read this one multiple times I loved the display of Christie's brilliance once again, and every time I admire quite how much social history she touches on in the telling of this story. There is so much here about life in the post-WWII landscape that anchors it in time and place, from the smallest (and not always legal) of domestic arrangements to some pretty major social changes.
For this revisit, I consumed the story through the voice talents of Emilia Fox with the audio book. She is not one of my favourite Miss Marple narrators (and her rendition of Bunch sounds a bit unhinged at my regular listening speed of x1.5), but this was rather entertaining, so I recommend a listen if audio is your bag.
This was my August pick for #ReadChristie2024 as a book written by Agatha Christie in the 1940s/50s and it is an absolute gem. I am very much looking forward to September's pick, Ordeal by Innocence, as it is one I have not read before!
A Murder is Announced is available to buy now in various formats.
About the author:
Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.
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