Are you looking for Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple books in order? Worry no longer, you are in the right place!
Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie’s crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective.
She is one of the best known of Christie’s characters and has been portrayed numerous times on screen.
We looked at all of the books in the Miss Marple series and bring a list of Miss Marple books in order for you to minimize your hassle at the time of choosing the best reading order.
Hope this article about Miss Marple books in order will help you when choosing the reading order for Miss Marple books and make your book selection process easier and faster.
Happy reading!
Miss Marple books in order
Miss Marple is introduced in The Murder at the Vicarage but the books can be read in any order. You have two options when choosing the reading order for Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series:
- Miss Marple Books
- Miss Marple Collections
Publication Order of Miss Marple Books
We propose the following publication order when reading Miss Marple books:
1.The Murder at the Vicarage (1930)
The first Miss Marple mystery, one which tests all her powers of observation and deduction.
“Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe,” declared the parson, brandishing a carving knife above a joint of roast beef, “would be doing the world at large a favor!”
It was a careless remark for a man of the cloth. And one which was to come back and haunt the clergyman just a few hours later – when the Colonel is found shot dead in the clergyman’s study. But as Miss Marple soon discovers, the whole village seems to have had a motive to kill Colonel Protheroe.
2. The Body in the Library (1942)
The iconic Miss Marple must investigate the case of a girl found dead in Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, The Body in the Library.
It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?
The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple into their home to investigate. Amid rumors of scandal, she baits a clever trap to catch a ruthless killer.
The indomitable sleuth Miss Marple is led to a small town with shameful secrets in Agatha Christie’s classic detective story, The Moving Finger.
Lymstock is a town with more than its share of scandalous secrets—a town where even a sudden outbreak of anonymous hate mail causes only a minor stir.
But all that changes when one of the recipients, Mrs. Symmington, commits suicide. Her final note says “I can’t go on,” but Miss Marple questions the coroner’s verdict of suicide. Soon nobody is sure of anyone—as secrets stop being shameful and start becoming deadly.
4. A Murder is Announced (1950)
The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which read: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.’
Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the pointed time when, without warning, the lights go out.
5. They Do It with Mirrors (1952)
In Agatha Christie’s They Do It with Mirrors, the indomitable Miss Marple investigates some rather deadly doings at a rehabilitation center for delinquents.
Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in Stoneygates, a rehabilitation center for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when someone shoots at the administrator.
Although he is not injured, a mysterious visitor is less fortunate—shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building.
Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and must use all her cunning to solve the riddle of the stranger’s visit and his murder.
6. A Pocket Full of Rye (1953)
In Agatha Christie’s classic, A Pocket Full of Rye, the bizarre death of a financial tycoon has Miss Marple investigating a very odd case of crime by rhyme.
Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his “counting house” when he suffered an agonizing and sudden death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain traces of cereals.
Yet, it was the incident in the parlor which confirmed Miss Marple’s suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme.
7. 4:50 From Paddington (1957)
In Agatha Christie’s classic mystery 4:50 From Paddington, a woman in one train witnesses a murder occurring in another passing one and only Miss Marple believes her story.
For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman’s throat. The body crumpled. Then the other train drew away.
But who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses and no corpse.
One minute, silly Heather Babcock had been babbling on at her movie idol, the glamorous Marina Gregg. The next, Heather suffered a massive seizure, poisoned by a deadly cocktail.
It seems likely that the cocktail was intended for the beautiful actress. But while the police fumble to find clues, Miss Marple begins to ask her own questions, because as she knows…even the most peaceful village can hide dark secrets
As Miss Marple sat basking in the Caribbean sunshine, she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened.
Eventually, her interest was aroused by an old soldier’s yarn about a murderer he had known. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her a snapshot of this acquaintance, the Major was suddenly interrupted. A diversion that was to prove fatal.
At Bertram’s Hotel the intrepid Miss Marple, on holiday in London, must solve a deadly mystery at the end of a chain of very violent events.
An old-fashioned London hotel is not quite as reputable as it makes out to be.
When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she’s looking for at Bertram’s Hotel: traditional decor, impeccable service, and an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly-polished veneer.
Yet, not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric guest makes his way to the airport on the wrong day.
In utter disbelief, Miss Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr. Rafiel…an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. He had left instructions for her to investigate a crime after his death.
The only problem was, he had failed to tell her who was involved or where and when the crime had been committed. It was most intriguing.
Soon she is faced with a new crime…the ultimate crime…murder. It seems someone is adamant that past evils remained buried.
In Agatha Christie’s classic, Sleeping Murder, the indomitable Miss Marple turns ghost hunter and uncovers shocking evidence of a perfect crime.
Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernize the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs.
In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a “perfect” crime committed many years before.
Publication Order of Miss Marple Collections
We propose the following publication order when reading Miss Marple Collections:
1.The Thirteen Problems (1932)
When her friends from the Tuesday Night Club visit Miss Marple’s house, the conversation often turns to unsolved crimes. Trying to solve these 13 mysteries are Raymond West, a young writer; the artist Joyce Lemprière; Dr Pender, the clergyman, who claims to know the hidden side of human character.
Mr Petherick, a lawyer who is only interested in the logical approach; and Sir Henry Clithering, whose experience as commissioner of Scotland Yard speaks for itself. Then, of course, there is Miss Marple, who has observed enough about human nature to be more than a match for the most perspicacious investigator.
2. Miss Marple’s Final Cases (1979)
First, the mystery man in the church with a bullet-wound. Then, the riddle of a dead man’s buried treasure…the curious conduct of a caretaker after a fatal riding accident…the corpse and a tape-measure…the girl framed for theft…and the suspect accused of stabbing his wife with a dagger.
Here are six gripping cases with one thing in common: the astonishing deductive powers of Miss Marple.
Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot both make appearances in Agatha Christie’s Double Sin and Other Stories, a sterling collection of short mystery fiction that offers double the suspense, surprise, and fun.
In a small country church, a dying man’s last word becomes both an elegy and a clue to a crime.
These chilling stories, and more, cleverly wrought by master Agatha Christie and solved by the inimitable Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple.
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