Nemesis by Agatha Christie

Nemesis by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 11th May 2023 by Harper Collins.

Originally published in 1971.

From the cover of the book:

A letter from beyond the grave.
One last request.
An unsolvable crime.

When Miss Marple receives a letter from the recently deceased millionaire Jason Rafiel, she’s not sure what to make of it.

Knowing her deductive skills, he challenges her to solve a crime. If she does so, she will inherit £20,000.

The only problem is that he has failed to mention who was involved, or where, and when the crime was committed. Jane Marple is intrigued.

Never underestimate Miss Marple...

***********

Miss Marple is saddened to read in the newspaper that millionaire Jason Rafiel, her sleuthing partner during her Caribbean holiday, has died. She is astonished when she later receives a letter from his solicitor telling her that Mr Rafiel has set her a challenge from beyond the grave. 

Her task is to solve a crime, in return for a handsome payment of £20,000. The problem is that has has not actually provided any details of the crime in question. Miss Marple is intrigued...

Nemesis picks up the threads of the quite excellent earlier Christie novel, A Caribbean Mystery, in which Miss Marple formed an intriguing partnership with ailing millionaire Jason Rafiel to foil a murderer on the island of St Honoré. It was case that made him dub her 'Nemesis' when he realised that she was more than the elderly lady she appeared to be. 

Although Miss Marple has not seen him since, he sets her a challenge in his will to solve another mystery - but first she has to find out exactly what he wants her to do. A little research related to their previous meeting fails to produce any clues, but Mr Rafiel eventually sets her on the right path via a place on a genteel coach tour of England's country houses and gardens. Under her guise as 'fluffy old lady', Miss Marple's rapier-like intelligence results in her finding out secrets and lies amongst the people she meets on her trip, particularly via another serendipitous arrangement of the deceased millionaire that puts her in the house of three very different sisters... 

The pace is deliciously slow-burn, with lots of twists and turns, dramatic interludes, and a cracking finale filled with menace, that has Miss Marple fulfilling her role of Nemesis beautifully. Interestingly, this is not quite as funny as many of the Marple stories that come before, but it is a novel that shows off Christie's skills as The Queen of Crime to absolute perfection in terms of the many layered psychological themes, the complexity of the plot, and the razor sharp poignancy of the killer's motivations. I love that it continues the story of one of my favourite Marple stories too, and has Miss Marple unashamedly planning to enjoy the spoils to the max, once she has fulfilled the terms of Jason Rafiel's will!

After an incredible year reading Agatha Christie mysteries through the decades for #ReadChristie2024, my last read of 2024 was an absolute winner, which I enjoyed through the voice talents of Emilia Fox in the audio book (one of her best Marple narrations, I think).

I cannot wait to get to grips with a new theme in January for #ReadChristie2025!

Nemesis is available to buy now in multiple 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.