Customer Reviews

Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (The Crime Club)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This novel features Miss Marple in her very late years. The world around her is changing. This is one of only two Christie novels where I was able to guess the identity of the murderer. It's a very good murder mystery, but it could have been a better Miss Marple mystery. The best parts of the book are when Miss Marple is on the spot. Unfortunately, I almost began to wonder if Miss Marple would be in this novel at all. She left her house no more than three times and was therefore decidedly shoved into the background. The parts without her were rather dull, dry, and far too abundant. I found myself rushing more to see if I'd solved the mystery correctly rather than out of any sense of real enjoyment.

Agatha Christie returns us to St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple's quiet village where much has changed. A new subdivision, young marrieds who buy on the installment plan, and even a supermarket have have invaded the quiet village. Only Miss Marple and her friend Miss Hartnell remain the same, still living in their same homes. Even Col. and Mrs. Bantry's lavish Gossington Hall (the scene of the crime in "The Body in the Library") has changed. After the Colonel's death, Mrs. Bantry put the house up for sale and it has now been purchased by the American film star Marina Gregg and her husband Jason Rudd. The Rudds host a grand reopening of the home to show the villagers the many changes they have made. At the party, a guest dies after drinking a poisoned cocktail. Since the coctail had actually been intended for Marina Gregg, an investigation begins as to why anyone would want to kill her. A frozen stare and facts Miss Marple gathers from movie magazines at the hairdresser's are clues that lead her to solve yet another mystery.

In 1980 this novel was transferred to the big screen with Angela Lansbury in the role of Miss Marple. Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and Kim Novak had the other lead roles in this excellent recreation.

THE MIRROR CRACK'D finds the quaint village of St. Mary Mead undergoing changes. Besides the charming old village, there is now a supermarket and a modern neighborhood of tract homes. Despite the physical changes taking place in the area, however, human nature remains a constant.

Having taken up residence in the local manor house, movie star Marina Gregg hosts a cocktail party. When one of the neighbor ladies suddenly dies from poison, it appears the fatal concoction might have been meant for Marina.

Aside from Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple is probably my favorite fictional detective. Her quiet way of getting at the truth is always clever and insightful. She's a delightful character, and Christie can be relied on to create a fascinating plot. Despite the seemingly unconnected details, the clues are there if you can just decipher what they mean. The outcome always ties up the loose ends very satisfactorily.

If there's anything to criticize here, it's that our dear old Miss Marple has become so decrepit that she must have a somewhat annoying companion and, since she rarely gets out of her house, her actual presence in the story is more limited than usual. Christie relys on other characters for most of the legwork in this tale and they aren't quite as engaging as Jane Marple. We just don't get the usual clicking knitting needles to the extent that Miss Marple fans have become accustomed.

That minor criticism aside, this is another first-rate Christie whodunit. It isn't my favorite Miss Marple mystery, but it's pretty darn good just the same. If an entertaining muder mystery is what you seek, THE MIRROR CRACK'D will fill the bill. I recommend it highly.

This book has the best murder motive of any mystery I've read. The characterizations are strong, and I like Miss Marple here as I always do, but it is the motive, as well as the ingenuity of the murder itself, that makes this book memorable. The motive isn't revealed until the end, and when I found out what it was, I was dazzled.

Life has begun to change in St. Mary Mead, or has it? A new housing development has brought many new faces to the sleepy little village along with a new supermarket. Gossington Hall (THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY) has been sold to a film star and many old friends have moved away or died. Miss Marple is beginning to feel her years and now must have live-in help (thoughtfully supplied by nephew Raymond West). Some things however, remain the same. The new arrivals have the same problems and flaws as the old with murder as the inevitable result. Although forbidden to garden and no longer as adept at knitting Jane Marple is still quite capable to ferreting out the solution when a young woman is killed in a failed attempt in the film star's life.

For Christie fans, particularly Miss Marple devotees this is a must read. It is nice to catch up on village life, visit with some old friends and meet some new ones. It is particularly comforting to see that Miss Marple is doing well and up to her old tricks of beating the police to the punch. Although this is part of a series this cozy mystery could be enjoyed by itself.

As always Christie has played fair with the reader, all the clues are presented for the reader to follow, there are no exotic poisons nor last minute surprise suspects (though there is a rather sneaky far fetched coincidence it is only a red herring).

Having more than enough of the patronizing attentions of her live-in companion, Miss Knight, Jane Marple decides to go out for a stroll. While exploring the newest intrusion of suburban expansion called "The Development," the old spinster slips on some loose stones and takes a tumble. Heather Badcock, one of the new residents, helps Miss Marple and invites in her for a nice cup of tea to recover from the shock. There she learns that Mrs. Badcock is a big fan of film diva Marina Gregg and that therefore overjoyed to be invited to Gossington Hall in St. Mary Mead, the new residence of her idol. Big is Jane's surprise when she learns a few days later that Heather got killed during a benefit for a local hospital at Gossington Hall.

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side was written in 1962 and is a great example of the ingenuity of Agatha Christie. Without the burden of numerous side stories, Agatha succeeds is drawing the setting of a murder mystery that not only quite convincing, but also extremely fair. For the experienced detective reader it is possible to catch the killer before a third of the story is told, there is even a very clear hint on the first few pages. It is just the challenge to not let Agatha change your mind before Mrs. Marple explains what at the end is so terribly obvious.

Trivia: the motive of the murder is based upon a tragic accident in the life of actress Gene Tierney (I cannot explain further, because that would ruin the story).

This story is clearly one of the reasons why Agatha Christie is still rightfully known as the Queen of Crime.

This Christie mystery is really more simple and pleasant than some. The motive to the murder was legitimate and you feel almost sympathy with the murderer. The conclusion is summed up in a few words--nothing too complicated like One, Two, Buckle My Shoe or others. And you needn't feel confused or tied up in a tangle of evidence and clues--those are few and far between.

If you are a fan of the sinister or like your mysteries dark and complicated, this simply isn't your cup of tea. I have to admit, although I don't always like the simple, pleasant mysteries, that Christie knew what she was doing. Can you see Miss Marple chasing after a serial killer across continents wielding an assault rifle and going down in hand-to-hand combat? No, never. So Christie was wise and keeps her characters in their natural habitats doing realistic things. That way she knew her mysteries and her detectives would receive respect and credulity--quite important for the success of her books.

This is an excellent book by Agatha Christie. I read And Then There Were None and I thought that was the best book I had ever read. After reading The Mirror Crack'd I have changed my mind. A great boild up with a shocking ending.

As Miss Marple has always said, small villages allow one to observe all the possible sides of human nature. Such is the case in Miss Marple's small village of St. Mary Mead, when film star Marina Gregg and her husband buy an old mansion, hoping for a peaceful life. Yet when a poisioning occurs during a party at the mansion, all thoughts of a peaceful life are shattered.

Miss Marple herself is wishing for a more peaceful life, recovering from and illness and disliking the woman who has been sent to live with her. She soon becomes embroiled in the mysteries surrounding Marina Gregg, who is certain that the poison was meant for her. When more deaths occur among those who live in the mansion, Marina is desperate to leave, but must allow the police to carry out their investigation. But of course, Miss Marple makes the most of her idle time to research and piece together the reason why that first death had to occur, and finds the murderer in their midst.

"The Mirror Crack'd", which makes much of Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalott", is as quick-paced as all of Christie's mysteries. The wide cast of characters, with storylines that may seem superfluous at the beginning, all contribute to the mystery at hand. As usual, the twist of an ending that seems to be Christie's forte, is fitting and believable.

The Mirror's Cracked from Side to Side is a quotation from Alfred Lord Tennyson, "One fled the web and floated wide; The mirror crack'd from side to side; "The curse is upon me", cried The Lady of Shalott.' Christie uses this quote as the theme of terror and murder in her novel. This book was published in 1963; it is the final Miss Marple mystery which takes place entirely within the confines of St. Mary Mead. Miss Marple is very elderly in the novel.
The murder occurs at Gossington Hall where a movie star named Marina Gregg and her husband Judd Rudd are recently installed.
During a reception for the film star a local woman named Heather Badcock dies. An autopsy shows that the middle aged woman died after ingesting six times the normal dose for a sedative called Calmo. There are two other murders in the book by the means of being shot and another death by cyanide being placed in a nasal atomizer.
Ther are fewer characters than usual in a Christie novel. Your reviewer proudly guessed the murderer! This is not an earth shaking Christie novel but it has been filmed (featuring Kim Novak, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson) and seen on the BBC in 1992. An interesting footnote is the dedication of the book to Margaret Rutherford the actress associated with the role of Jane Marple.