The Murder at the Vicarage

A Miss Marple Mystery

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: Richard E. Grant

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©1930 Agatha Christie Limited (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Grant's Performance

I'm only writing to say that of the hundreds of books I've listened too on Audible, Richard E Grant's performance stands out as one of the all time greats. He captures the sensibility of place, character subtleties and has incredible command of distinctive voices. I'd recommend this to anyone.

A fun read!

I had a good time reading this book for the most part! The narration is just what I’m looking for in an audiobook, not whiney or monotone and not overdone. I love Agatha Christie books for the uncertainty the whole way thru until the very end, unlike some mystery novels that are way too easy to figure out. This book was no exception! I did not have the ending figured out by the end!
My only critique is that the many many many characters get very confusing, like, right away in the story. I could not keep them straight and had to keep rewinding to make sure I knew who they were talking about. I’m inclined to admit it’s the only issue I unfortunately have with every Agatha Christie book. Regardless of the character confusion I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the narration!

excellent

a great story and i love these actors! a gripp8ng story with such fun twists

Excellent mystery and narrator

Delightful Miss Marple mystery with humor, narrated superbly by Richard Grant. One of Agatha Christie's best. The first chapter is extremely funny, as the vicar views with dismay the unpalatable meal served by a surly maid, while he's teased by his lively young wife.

Most Excellent!

Delightful Agatha Christie murder mystery featuring Miss Marple and wonderfully performed by Richard E. Grant. Bravo!

Soothing and stressful

Not a huge audio book lover but I quite enjoyed it. The narrator has the right feel to his voice to match the story.

Fun whodunit

Agatha Christie novels are very formulaic - but it's a good, fun formula. Quaint, quirky characters, quietly funny observations of human behavior, and lots of twists and turns. In my limited experience, the audio book adaptations are only really differentiated by the quality of the narrator. In this case, I would say Mr. Grant is good, but not great. He's very dramatic/ over dramatic - which does admittedly fit Ms. Christie's writing pretty well.

Overall, it's fun, and I'd recommend.

An intriguing time in prewar England.

So nice to go back to a time when Britain was a cozy spot where everyone knew each other and intelligent Miss Marple could figure out dreadful murders.

What a wonderful story!

The ins and the outs... Thread sewn here then there. I didn't see the true ending until it happened.

Excellent narration of a true cozy mystery

I'm re-reading some of Christie after a long pause...I seldom remember the denouement until it is revealed in the narrative, which suits me well. I know it is popular to diminish the author's ability to fully develop her many characters, but the sketches she draws are quite definitive and suit me in a mystery read for pure escaping. The narration by Richard Grant is superb. Very enjoyable and relaxing...I forget it is a narrator and not the clergyman, Miss Marple or others.