Colonel and Mrs. Bantry are shocked when they wake up one morning to find the dead body of a young platinum blonde on the floor of their library. Nobody in the village of St. Mary Mead seems to know who she is, but everyone has a theory about the crime. The ensuing investigation follows a twisted trail from the quiet village to an upscale hotel in the nearby town of Danemouth, where the victim worked as a ballroom dancer and bridge hostess. As the local inspectors sift through emerging clues to identify a suspect, Miss Jane Marple, St. Mary Meade's resident sleuth, always seems to be one step ahead of them.
First of all, forgive the slightly askew book cover — I love this edition far too much not to use it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t manage to take a perfectly lined-up photo of it, and eventually I decided close was good enough.
If I’m remembering correctly, I haven’t reread The Body in the Library in ten or twenty years, so it’s been a while since I’ve spent time with this convoluted caper. It had been long enough that I found myself genuinely surprised by the fiendish little scheme Miss Marple exposed. While I remembered the mastermind behind the murder, I had completely forgotten how it was accomplished, so I took great delight in letting Miss Marple fill in the blanks for me all over again.
Agatha Christie had a mind like no other. She gives you every clue you need and then buries them in just enough distraction to make you doubt your own intelligence. Somehow, when the final reveal arrives, you don’t feel tricked — you feel outmatched. That balance is precisely why she has been my favorite author since I was given two of her books for Christmas in the fifth grade.
I do wish Miss Marple were a little more at the forefront in this one. Too much of the story belongs to the professional inspectors and not quite enough to her quiet deductions. But that’s a normal reaction for me — I almost always want more Miss Marple in her books and less Hercule Poirot in his. I suppose I’ve always enjoyed the old lady with a knitting basket more than a man who refers to himself in the third person.
Challenges: Cloak and Dagger, Mount TBR
10 comments:
I think it has been long enough since I have read this book that I would enjoy a reread. And I don't think I would remember who did it. I do remember often being disappointed that Miss Marple did not have a big enough part in the stories. Thanks for reminding me of this one.
When I was young and first reading Christie's books, i didn't really care for Marple. Now I adore her.
I do not think I have read this one. Different cover from what I usually see
Tracy, You are most welcome. If you give it a reread, I hope you enjoy it.
Carol, she's a lot of fun to read. Poirot's ego becomes too much for me at times.
Linda, years and years ago, Barnes & Noble had a ton of Christie hardcovers on their bargain table, this was part of that series.
This is one of my favorite Marples though I completely agree with wanting more Miss Marple. I get Christie's methods and Miss Marple is a fabulous background character who puts all the pieces together but I want more!
I'm a Christie fangirl! 😂 Some of her books were in the house, and when I grew up, I bought the rest. I haven't reread this one in years either, so I've forgotten a lot about it, but your observations about the author and Miss Marple are spot-on (I'll admit to not minding Poirot's antics though...😉).
Katherine, I always want more of her.
Roberta, There is something about him that annoys me after a while.
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