February Read/4

Title: A Murder Is Announced

Author: Christie, Agatha

Genre: Mystery

Number of Pages: 297

ISBN: 0396087027

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            An announcement in the local paper states the time and place when a murder is to occur in Miss Blacklock's Victorian house. The victim is not one of the house's several occupants, but an unexpected and unknown visitor. What follows is a classic Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities, a second death, a determined Inspector grimly following the twists and turns, and Miss Marple on hand to provide the final solution at some risk to herself in a dramatic confrontation just before the final curtain

My Read:

            This is my favorite Agatha Christie’s mystery book. At the age of 22 I read this book the very first time then I read it again at the age of 28. Now I read it the third time and am still impressed with its plot.

            “But, Hinch, she wasn’t there…”-page 229 This is the revelation of Ms Murgatroyd as she was trying to reconstruct the night of the young man’s murder. Miss Marple, later explained that the scene would be fairly and clearly remembered as the brain stopped thinking allowing the unconscious mind to recall what a person saw. It’s pretty scientific to me, a method and theory well stated even in modern time. What one didn’t see is what’s the secret the murder tried hard to conceal in this mystery case.

            “Lamp. Violets. Where is bottle of aspirin. Delicious Death. Making enquiries. Inquiries. Severe affliction bravely borne. Iodine. Pearls. Ah, pearls. Lotty-no, Letty. Berne. Old-Age Pension.” –page 245The aforementioned items/list was written in a hurry by Miss Marple in a bit piece of paper. This list allows the readers to follow the train of thought of Miss Marple’s and find the pieces of evidence and put them together to reconstruct the crime. Though Miss Marple, in the book, is described as an old English lady living in a village her method to solve a crime is very scientific and she knows well the human nature.

            “Because, once a weak person gets really frightened, they get quite savage with terror and they’ve no self-control at all.” –page 282 “She’s beside herself with fear. Not human any longer. Just a dangerous animal.” –page 290 Those are Miss Marple’s descriptions of Miss Blacklock, the murderer in this mystery case. To the point, aren’t they?

            “They seem to think life owes them something. I’ve known many an invalid who has suffered far worse and been cut off from life much more than Charlotte Blacklock-and they’ve managed to lead happy contented lives. It’s what’s in yourself that makes you happy or unhappy.”-page285 This is Miss Marple’s explanation and description of the murderer in this book. It’s the yourself to blame, no one else for things went wrong in one’s life. I agree.

            Another nice read of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery.