Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

When Colonel Protheroe is found dead from a single gun-shot wound to the head, none of his neighbors in the village of St. Mary Meas is much surprised.  So many people wished this local official would say farewell-if not quite so permanently.

First of all I have to say I love this book for one major reason, it's the debut of Miss Jane Marple, my favorite Agatha Christie detective.  Miss Marple is that old lady who lived down the block from you that knew everything that went on in the neighborhood but never used the information maliciously or for her own gain.  Miss Marple, by hobby and habit, is a student of human behavior and one thing she has learned after many years is that human behavior rarely ever changes.

When Colonel Protheroe turns up dead, Miss Marple uses her many years of observation to solve who killed him.  This is her first chance to test her knowledge in a serious way, instead of figuring out who absconded with funds or missing fish.  Now Miss Marple has a slew of  suspects to observe.  Is is the Vicar himself or maybe his much younger wife?  After all it was in the Vicarage the body was found.  Or could it be someone in the Colonel's family?  Maybe his new, younger wife Anne or the his wayward daughter.  You musn't rule out the young artist Lawrence Redding who is getting too close to more than one woman.  It may very well be someone they all know but probably shouldn't have trusted.  Through all the hazy clues and misdirections Miss Marple is able to see clearly not only who killed the unfortunate Colonel but the why as well.

Now for myself, I can't wait to read the next Miss Marple book, which will hopefully contain much more of her since this one didn't showcase her enough.  With each Agatha Christie book that I either read for the first time or revisist once again on my quest to read all her mysteries in order, my appreciation for her talent and creativity only gets stronger.

Now this will qualify for both the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenger 2010 and the Typically British Reading Challenge 2010 both of which are hosted by Carolyn of Book Chick City.