This edition published 13th October 2022 by Harper Collins, Originally published 1942.
From the cover of the book:
A young woman found murdered...
A scandal in the making...
When Mrs Bantry wakes to find a body in her library, there’s only one woman to call: her good friend Jane Marple.
But she hasn’t called her old friend for comfort.
The body in her library has been murdered and Miss Marple is so very good at solving murders.
Her investigations uncover a scandal far darker than either of them could have imagined, and this time she may be out of her depth.
Never underestimate Miss Marple.
***********
The orderly morning routine of Gossington Hall, in the quiet village of St Mary Mead, is shattered when the maid announces to a recently awakened Mrs Dolly Bantry that there is a body in the library. Dolly wakes her sleeping husband, Arthur Bantry, with the news, and sends the bemused retired Colonel downstairs to investigate. The body of a platinum blonde, clad in a spangly dress, is indeed lying on the floor of the library. No one seems to know who she is, or how she got there. Colonel Bantry calls the police, who soon attend the scene, but Dolly has other ideas - instead she calls her old friend Miss Marple, who is bound to be able to solve the crime!
This was the first Miss Marple book I read (although it is actually the second one in the series, after Murder at the Vicarage), way back in my youth. It did take me a number of years to really appreciate the genius of Jane Marple (Poirot being my first love), but the cleverness of the story captivated me - along with the charms of the delightful Dolly Bantry. Dolly remains one of my firm favourite Marple characters.
The story is not easy to sum up in a few words, as it is one of Christie's most complicated set ups, revolving around the deaths of two girls from nearby Danemouth - a dancer at the refined Majestic Hotel, called Ruby Keene, who was in the process of being adopted by wealthy widower Conway Jefferson (much to the chagrin of his nearest and dearest): and a local girl guide who went missing on her way to Woolworths.
While the police (Arthur's pal Colonel Melchett and the assiduous Inspector Slack) attempt to get to the bottom of the Ruby Keene affair, Dolly and Miss Marple decamp to the Majestic Hotel for a bit of sleuthing of their own - especially as Arthur is uncomfortably in the frame as a murderer. The appearance of the delightful Sir Henry Clithering, on the request of Conway Jefferson, gives Miss Marple an official 'in' on the case, and of course, she manages to sort out the tangled mess in no time - and even suggest a little trap at the end to catch the guilty party.
Christie misleads and misdirects with characteristic skill, and there are lovely themes delving into loss, ambition, complex family dynamics, and reputation. However, my favourite aspect is the insightful way Miss Marple uses her understanding of female psychology to cut through the red herrings, with a case that turns on the 'wrong dress' and cut fingernails!
It is an absolute cracker, and a wonderful way to kick of a brand new theme for #ReadChristie2026 which explores Christie's Biggest, Best and Beloved stories - January's prompt being 'Best Opening'. The Body in the Library certainly starts with a bang!
I very much enjoyed revisiting this gem through the voice talents of Stephanie Cole, via the audio book - I am a big fan of Cole's Marple narrations (I find Emilia Fox a tad too young to do her justice). Highly recommended!
The Body in the Library 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.
