Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

By: Agatha Christie, Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse, Ruth Ware

Narrated by: Alex Kingston, Adjoa Andoh, Miriam Margolyes, Celia Imrie, Chipo Chung, Adrian Scarborough, Imogen Stubbs

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"Each author captures Christie—and Marple—perfectly, while also displaying just a bit of her own unique touch. . . . This new and entertaining collection by some of our favorite writers will hook a new group of readers to the formidable Miss Marple." — Rhys Bowen, Washington Post

“Marple is the best loved [detective]. Also the most influential. . . . It is Miss Marple who introduced the revolutionary notion that people are essentially the same wherever one goes.” — Los Angeles Times

Agatha Christie’s legendary sleuth, Jane Marple, returns to solve twelve baffling cases in this brand-new collection, penned by a host of acclaimed authors skilled in the fine art of mystery and murder

One doesn't stop at one murder...

Jane Marple is an elderly lady from St Mary Mead who possesses an uncanny knack for solving even the most perplexing puzzles. Now, for the first time in 45 years, Agatha Christie’s beloved character returns to the page for a globe-trotting tour of crime and detection.

Join Marple as she travels through her sleepy English village and around the world. In St Mary Mead, a Christmas dinner is interrupted by unexpected guests; the Broadway stage in New York City is set for a dangerous improvisation; bad omens surround an untimely death aboard a cruise ship to Hong Kong; and a bestselling writer on holiday in Italy is caught in a nefarious plot. These and other crimes committed in the name of love, jealousy, blackmail, and revenge are ones that only the indomitable Jane Marple can solve.

Bringing a fresh twist to the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, these twelve esteemed writers have captured the sharp wit, unique voice, and droll ingenuity of the deceptively demure detective. A triumphant celebration of Christie’s legacy and essential reading for crime lovers, Marple is a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains one of the most famous detectives of all time.

©2022 Agatha Christie (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Hit or miss Marple

Miss Marple is my favorite Agatha Christie character. These authors attempt to recreate the charm and complexity of the original mysteries to varying degrees of success. Some only use the characters from the original stories to establish a setting but do not have the tightness of plot one would expect. Others better utilize Miss Marple’s strengths—her attention to detail and her use of the village parallel to better effect. I guess my biggest complaint is that occasionally the character acts contrary to how we expect her to behave.

I often listen to the original stories over and over. I doubt I will listen to these stories again.

The quality of the performances are excellent. I look forward to listening to these narrators again. I will also look for other stories by these writers. But, maybe not any more about Miss Marple.

Authors need to take a closer look at Miss M.

Miss Marple can be a favorite detective without being watered down. She is not a weak character despite her deceptively mild manners. Never acidic, a deep thinker and unfailing kind - and she doesn’t stand up for societal bullying.

On the whole, that’s what I thought this collection of authors didn’t get. Especially when an author seemed to steer their crime towards servants or the poor, I knew the author didn’t understand Jane.

I enjoy pastiches but very few stories rang true. Fine mysteries but not Miss Marple’s. Marple is just a firm believer in the truth, even if it’s painful and thats made Ruth Ware’s entry as well as Naomi Alderman’s the most truthful attempts at recreating her detective skills.

Give them a try - I think you’ll find something missing.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

Loved the new Miss Marple stories. Looking forward to more. These were excellent and very entertaining

Fresh takes on Miss Marple

It’s great to see Miss Marple’s character being interpreted by a new generation of female crime and non-crime authors. Some stories were excellent and a few mediocre (IMO). Performances were excellent throughout. One listens to these not so much for the plots as the pleasure of seeing the characters continuing beyond the canon. Overall a nice collection well worth a listen for Miss Marple fans like myself.

Interesting, but misses the mark

The stories weren’t bad, but they miss Jane Marple’s character. Got some of the other characters completely wrong as well. It would have been better to say it was a completely different old maid sleuth rather that try to pass her off as a beloved Christie character.

Overall a pretty good set of mysteries

Most of the mysteries in this book sound like they could’ve been authored by Agatha Christie. Others missed the mark. Overall I enjoyed them.

Didn’t care for some of the narrators

I would have enjoyed these stories more if I had of just read the book rather than listening. Some of the voices were shrill and overacted imo so I found myself not really paying attention tot he story. Others weren’t so bad.

Miss Marple

I love Miss Marple and the quiet, quick, witted way she has a solving mysteries, always a pleasure

Jane Marple lives on

I am a huge mystery fan and really enjoy Agatha Christie’s Jane Marple character. I am sure her fans thought that Christie’s death would mean the end of Jane Marple but these writers have brought her back to life with brand new mysteries. Each one is uniquely entertaining. Hope they write more!

A fun collection of new Marple stories!

Well written, engaging stories which were well performed by the readers. Definitely worth a listen!