Well, I'll be! Miss Marple deigns to make an appearance before three-quarters of the book is up. How kind of her to come.

One of Christie's better stories, though I still prefer Poirot. ( )

Miss Marple solves another murder in a small village. Not my favorite Miss Marple, but very good. ( )

This is an interesting story and one in which Christie explores identity as quute a few characters turn out not to be who the reader thinks they are. The final revelation of the murderer is quite shocking, even by Christie's standards. ( )

One of my favorite Miss Marple novels so far. She really is a sweet old dear, but amazingly shrewd. The plot was complex, suspenseful, and interesting. I had no idea who the murderer was until the end. The whole plot is attention grabbing and creepy - I like that. ( )

In a Murder is Announced a murder is announced in the local newspaper and actually happens. More murders follow, and everyone in a small English village’s circle of friends is a suspect. Detective Inspector Craddock, with the help of sixty-something Miss Jane Marple, works to solve the crime. The mystery deepens with every chapter as new clues are revealed. This gives the reader an invigorating mental exercise of sorting through the ever-increasing load of information and speculation. It’s difficult to decide which clues are key to solving the murder and which are red herrings, and that’s the fun of it. The characters are colorful and drawn in detail. But this book was first published in 1950, and young adult readers may not be interested in the many elderly, old-fashioned characters. Even the younger villagers are in their 20s and have concerns that teenagers today probably won’t relate to, such as providing for a young child or having success in a writing career. Nevertheless, the ending, though unexpected, is exciting. ( )