The Murder at the Vicarage, Agatha Christie
The Murder at the Vicarage, Agatha Christie
10 Rating(s)
List: $18.99 | Sale: $13.29
Club: $9.49

The Murder at the Vicarage
A Miss Marple Mystery

Author: Agatha Christie

Narrator: Joan Hickson

Unabridged: 7 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 07/03/2012


Synopsis

The Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie’s first mystery to feature the beloved investigator Miss Marple—as a dead body in a clergyman’s study proves to the indomitable sleuth that no place, holy or otherwise, is a sanctuary from homicide.Miss Marple encounters a compelling murder mystery in the sleepy little village of St. Mary Mead, where under the seemingly peaceful exterior of an English country village lurks intrigue, guilt, deception and death.

Colonel Protheroe, local magistrate and overbearing land-owner is the most detested man in the village. Everyone--even in the vicar--wishes he were dead. And very soon he is--shot in the head in the vicar's own study. Faced with a surfeit of suspects, only the inscrutable Miss Marple can unravel the tangled web of clues that will lead to the unmasking of the killer. 

About Agatha Christie

What a daunting task to write about the most famous mystery writer, Agatha Christie. She was born in 1890 in England, where she was home schooled by her American father. It was an unusual way to be educated for the times. Her father did not want her to begin learning to read until age eight, but out of boredom, she taught herself to read by age five.

In his research, Curran found a plethora of information about Agatha. He outlines many of those interesting facts. Since there are so many, just a few will be mentioned here. Agatha could have been an excellent performer as a pianist, but she was much too shy to perform. She once had three plays running simultaneously in London. She traveled around the world in 1922, which would have been quite a feat back then. Agatha loved dogs. She has a rose named after her. She never did drink alcohol nor smoked. Her last public appearance was in 1974, at the premier of the movie, Murder on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie's name has appeared every day for 53 years in every newspaper with a West End London theatre listing. Her favorite flower was Lily of the Valley. The information about this illustrious author goes on and on. It is a great asset to readers that author John Curran wrote the definitive book about an iconic author. One other interesting fact was that Agatha met Archie Christie in 1912, married on Christmas Eve 1914, spending their honeymoon at The Grand Hotel in Torquay, but Archie returned to France on Dec 27th due to the War. Agatha and Archie fid not really experience married life until he was posted at the London War Office. Agatha has been quoted as saying only then did she feel that her married life truly began.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Anne on April 29, 2025

Miss Marple's 1st book! But beyond that, this is really just a fabulous example of Agatha Christie at her best. This was my first time reading (actually listening) The Murder at the Vicarage and I was blown away by how enjoyable it was. Especially considering I've read a ton of her books and pretty mu......more

Goodreads review by James on January 17, 2019

A solid 4.5 stars for Murder at the Vicarage, the first novel in the Miss Marple cozy mystery series, written by Agatha Christie in 1930. I've read ~ten novels by Christie and this one is near the top of the list for me. From the characters to the setting and the plot to the tone, it's an intriguing......more

Goodreads review by Henry on August 16, 2024

In this her first Marple novel published in 1930 ( not counting short stories) Jane Marple is not even the main character but undoubtedly the most intelligent and soon talent wins out. The quiet southern English village of St. Mary Mead where nothing ever happens it does when a hideous murder enter......more