- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Fontana; New impression edition (2 Mar 1970)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006115152
- ISBN-13: 978-0006115151
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,749,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple)
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Review
“The best opening I ever wrote.” Agatha Christie
“Genuine old-crusted Christie.” Time
“Professional detectives are no match for elderly spinsters… it is hard not to be impressed.” Times Literary Supplement
“one of the most ingeniously contrived of all her murder stories.” Birmingham Post
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.Review
"The best opening I ever wrote." Agatha Christie "Genuine old-crusted Christie." Time "Professional detectives are no match for elderly spinsters! it is hard not to be impressed." Times Literary Supplement "one of the most ingeniously contrived of all her murder stories." Birmingham Post
--This text refers to an alternate
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
[This review is for the HarperCollins facsimile reprint edition, published in 2005]
First published in 1942, The Body in the Library is the second Miss Marple Mystery (after Murder at the Vicarage, 1930). It's very good - easy read, wry, witty, twisting plot, only takes a few hours to read - perfect for a holiday mystery, or a quick read when you want a good book, but not one that's too in-depth. I was guessing right up until the end in this Miss Marple and didn't manage to guess the right murderer at all, so hats off again to Agatha Christie.
A note on the edition: I love these HarperCollins facsimile reprint editions of the First Editions (the original Collins Crime Club editions). The dust jacket covers are so much more appealing and iconic than most of the paperback versions that came afterwards (1960s and 70s covers would often have a pool of blood, murder weapon, bottle of poison, or whatever else was relevant to the plot adorning the front cover). These covers are more suitable to the story - gentle Golden Age crime and mystery writing at its best - not gory, not graphic, just good old-fashioned honest detecting.
First published in 1942, The Body in the Library is the second Miss Marple Mystery (after Murder at the Vicarage, 1930). It's very good - easy read, wry, witty, twisting plot, only takes a few hours to read - perfect for a holiday mystery, or a quick read when you want a good book, but not one that's too in-depth. I was guessing right up until the end in this Miss Marple and didn't manage to guess the right murderer at all, so hats off again to Agatha Christie.
A note on the edition: I love these HarperCollins facsimile reprint editions of the First Editions (the original Collins Crime Club editions). The dust jacket covers are so much more appealing and iconic than most of the paperback versions that came afterwards (1960s and 70s covers would often have a pool of blood, murder weapon, bottle of poison, or whatever else was relevant to the plot adorning the front cover). These covers are more suitable to the story - gentle Golden Age crime and mystery writing at its best - not gory, not graphic, just good old-fashioned honest detecting.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The title `The Body in the Library' kind of gives away just what is coming in the opening pages. Yes that's right, the Bantry household awakes to find that there is indeed a body of an unknown platinum blonde in their library. No one in the household has seen the young girl before and it takes some time for the police to track her down. However it doesn't take that long for Miss Jane Marple to appear on the scene as Mrs Bantry, a close friend, sends a chauffeur round for her pronto phoning ahead before `the recognised time to make friendly calls to neighbours'.
The police having met Miss Marple and her amateur sleuthing naturally want her gone as soon as possible. She doesn't leave until she overhears that the victim was a dancer at the Hotel Majestic in Danemouth and before long Mrs Bantry and Miss Marple just so happen to take a small holiday there. So who was this girl, how did she end up in a strangers library in St Mary's Mead and who took her there and killed her? Well you will have to read this joyous romp to find out and revel in the village gossip and brilliant characters as you go. I didn't know Christie was so rye and witty.
The police having met Miss Marple and her amateur sleuthing naturally want her gone as soon as possible. She doesn't leave until she overhears that the victim was a dancer at the Hotel Majestic in Danemouth and before long Mrs Bantry and Miss Marple just so happen to take a small holiday there. So who was this girl, how did she end up in a strangers library in St Mary's Mead and who took her there and killed her? Well you will have to read this joyous romp to find out and revel in the village gossip and brilliant characters as you go. I didn't know Christie was so rye and witty.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ian Masters reads competently, but you really need the full text to appreciate the setting and the characters. The action mainly takes place in an upmarket seaside hotel in the 30s that provides bridge and dancing partners. The characters range from the wealthy Bantries through the louche film industry hanger-on Basil Blake to the dancers themselves (one of them is the body). Christie turns a beady but not unsympathetic eye on their "cheap finery" and attempts to make a living while fawning on their rich customers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Classic crime novel
The body of a young woman is found in Colonel Bantry's library. Mrs Bantry immediately sends for her friend Miss Jane Marple and the Colonel sends for the police. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Damaskcat
Very good
It was a good production with very good sound quality Some of the acting was poor I enjoyed it though The script was a bit snobby in parts
Published 5 months ago by Kenneth W. Jones
Just a little mediocre
I am a big fan of the BBC Radio adaptations of Christie's novels and now own several of them. This, IMHO, is one of the weaker ones. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2010 by Iain C. Davidson
A great read
This is a highly enjoyable book and I think it was a great read. Unfortunately, I read a review on amazon.com ( not .co.uk ) that spoilt the ending for me. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2007 by I AM ME
A great mystery, one of the best ones ever written!
When the body of a murdered young woman is found in their library, the Bantry's bring in their old friend, Jane Marple. Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2005 by Kurt A. Johnson
A body in the first chapter.
Agatha Christie dedicated her 1941 crime novel, "The Body In the Library", with affection to her brother-in-law who had expressed a wish to find a body in the first chapter of her... Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2004 by John Austin
A Christie's classic
One of Agatha Christie's classic novels, 'The body in the library' is again a story on a murder. Unlike other novels by the same author (but again very much like some other ones by... Read more
Published on 27 Oct 2002
Classic Murder Mystery
A classic murder mystery from 'the acknowledged queen of detective fiction'.
The body of a dead girl with blonde hair and wearing a 'tawdry satin' dress is found in the library... Read more
Published on 4 May 2002
One of the best!!!!
I was just casually looking over some books when i saw that this had been rated only 4 stars. This had to change!!! Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2001
Most unexpected end
As in all of Agatha Christies book, you do not know who is the murdrer until the end. I thought that the whole book was interesting, not only the end. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2001
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