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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A CLASSIC TALE SUPERBLY READ, April 20, 2002
Although first published in 1950 "A Murder Is Announced" by vaunted mystery writer Agatha Christie has lost none of its zest. Deemed a classic in its genre this suspenseful tale is ably represented by British voice and television actress Rosemary Leach. When invitations are sent reading "A murder is announced, and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.," everyone, including the indomitable Jane Marple, would anticipate an unusual party game. Such as, someone will be chosen as the murderer, the room is darkened, and the victim meets his fate. It's not all fun and games when a real dead body is found. Miss Marple, on your mark! With her inimitable skill Agatha Christie allows listeners to enjoy solving the crime, step by step, just as much as Miss Marple does. Curl up in an easy chair and revel this remarkable tale wonderfully read. - Gail Cooke
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Agatha!, March 26, 2004
Like with "The Moving Finger," this is a Christie mystery I read maybe 5 years ago and then picked up again just recently. And, similar to that one, I somewhat remembered the solution to this mystery, though I couldn't remember nor ever quite reconfigure the logic behind it.For those who don't know, this excellent mystery starts off with a murder being announced in the personal ads in the local village paper. Somewhat akin to the irony of "Gross Pointe Blank" - where nobody believes that Cusack is a hitman because he states it directly - no one believes that a murder will really happen. Who would advertise such a thing? And so, in a predictable English manner, all the neighbors turn up - each insisting they just happened to drop by. Thus begins a subtly humorous and mind-bending tale. After reading a number of poor books lately, I have to say that it felt good to be back in Agatha's capable hands. She develops a small pool of likable characters that you can keep track of...and never really trust. She throws out red herrings galore and keeps you on your toes as you try to fit together the random jig saw piece clues handed to you. Of course, Miss Marple is on to things fairly early, but will you be? Of note in this particular Christie mystery:
- In addition to Miss Marple, Christie develops a likable & capable if slightly lackluster inspector in Craddock. I think it shows Christie's continued desire to mix things up and try new crime-solving combinations
- The time period is right after WWII, and so you pick up on what life was like in Britain in that time period. There is reference to food rations, Mittel European servants, reduced amounts of hired help, shifting of the population (even in small towns), an increased amount of suspicion with foreigners, etc. It's all very interesting.
- This is one of the few murder mysteries I remember with a real lack of rich/titles characters. There are a few in the background, but they don't play in the main plot at all. It was quite nice to read about working folks and their lives.
- Christie sets up several foils with the number of middle aged women in the book. I've never read a British novel where 3 main characters were weak minded (Bunch, Murgatroyd, and Dora), but Christie is able to develop each with distinction. However, each woman's relation with a strong woman (Marple, Hinch and Blacky) makes for an interesting study. (BTW - It is unclear if Murgatroyd and Hinch are a gay couple. Certainly, it seems possible, but Christie doesn't focus on that.)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another fine selection from the Queen of Crime, May 19, 2004
When a murder is forecasted in a local paper to occur in the quaint village of Chipping Cleghorn, none (well, perhaps one) of the locals knows what to expect. As the townspeople show up at the specified time and place, most anticipate a murder game of sorts. As readers, however, we feel certain that this will be no empty announcement of murder. And indeed, murder soon bursts upon the scene.
A Murder Is Announced is the nineteenth Agatha Christie book that I have read, and it certainly does not disappoint. However, it does happen to be the first Christie mystery in which I've been able to correctly identify the culprit, and this overwhelming hunch, surprisingly, came to me early in the novel. Expecting to be disappointed since I thought I had solved it, I read on. Well? As it turned out, I was correct in finding the murderer. And yet Christie includes myriad details that I had no idea about, making the story more and more intriguing and revealing specifics of the murder that only the most astute reader will deduce. I thought I had solved it, but I had in fact only seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
An aspect of the novel that I particularly enjoyed: Christie employs a (partially) omniscient third-person point of view, allowing us, for at least a short time, to follow Miss Marple's thought processes, which aren't always revealed to us in the other Marple mysteries.
Though I said previously that the novel does not disappoint, I must admit that my only (very slight) quibble about the book is that some of the relatively significant characters might have been present in the storyline more often. This is a mere trifle, though. Some readers might protest Christie's use of amazing and almost-unbelievable situations and coincidences. I, for one, enjoy them--I'd rather read an ingenious mystery that's slightly far-fetched than a realistic one that's predictable.
All in all, this is a fine read, and one that can be readily taken in one sitting, thanks to a plot that constantly reveals new twists and turns. I'd highly recommend it.
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by Agatha Christie
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