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Marple: Twelve New Mysteries Audiobook Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“Each author captures Christie–and Marple–perfectly, while also displaying just a bit of her own unique touch. . . . This new and entertaining collection by some of our favorite writers will hook a new group of readers to the formidable Miss Marple.” — Rhys Bowen, Washington Post

“Marple is the best loved [detective]. Also the most influential. . . . It is Miss Marple who introduced the revolutionary notion that people are essentially the same wherever one goes.” Los Angeles Times

Agatha Christie’s legendary sleuth, Jane Marple, returns to solve twelve baffling cases in this brand-new collection, penned by a host of acclaimed authors skilled in the fine art of mystery and murder

One doesn’t stop at one murder…

Jane Marple is an elderly lady from St Mary Mead who possesses an uncanny knack for solving even the most perplexing puzzles. Now, for the first time in 45 years, Agatha Christie’s beloved character returns to the page for a globe-trotting tour of crime and detection.

Join Marple as she travels through her sleepy English village and around the world. In St Mary Mead, a Christmas dinner is interrupted by unexpected guests; the Broadway stage in New York City is set for a dangerous improvisation; bad omens surround an untimely death aboard a cruise ship to Hong Kong; and a bestselling writer on holiday in Italy is caught in a nefarious plot. These and other crimes committed in the name of love, jealousy, blackmail, and revenge are ones that only the indomitable Jane Marple can solve.

Bringing a fresh twist to the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, these twelve esteemed writers have captured the sharp wit, unique voice, and droll ingenuity of the deceptively demure detective. A triumphant celebration of Christie’s legacy and essential reading for crime lovers, Marple is a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains one of the most famous detectives of all time.

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Marple: Twelve New Mysteries Audiobook Narrator

Alex Kingston is the narrator of Marple: Twelve New Mysteries audiobook that was written by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

About the Author(s) of Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

Agatha Christie is the author of Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries Full Details

Narrator Alex Kingston
Length 11 hours 28 minutes
Author Agatha Christie
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date September 13, 2022
ISBN 9780063136083

Subjects

The publisher of the Marple: Twelve New Mysteries is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Anthologies (multiple authors), Fiction

Additional info

The publisher of the Marple: Twelve New Mysteries is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780063136083.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Jayme

July 24, 2022

How do you inspire a whole new generation of readers to want to become acquainted with the original, elderly female amateur detective, Agatha Christie’s “Miss Jane Marple”? How about by putting together a collection of TWELVE original stories, penned by TWELVE of today’s most impressive, popular, best-selling authors? That is what can be found within the pages of this book-short stories blending the unique perspectives of each author combined with the traditional aspects of the “Miss Marple” mysteries.Miss Marple solves many crimes in her quaint village of St. Mary Mead, but she also often travels to visit childhood friends, or when accompanying her nephew, Raymond West and his wife, Joan on their journeys. And, you can be sure that she will wear tweed, do some knitting and gardening, and have tea or Cherry Brandy, and sometimes even tea with Cherry Brandy which both go surprisingly well with village GOSSIP! The authors are (in alphabetical order):Naomi AndersonLeigh BardugoAlyssa ColeLucy FoleyElly GriffithsNatalie HaynesJean KwokVal McDermidKaren M. McManusDreda Say MitchellKate MosseRuth WareThere have been many adaptations of the Agatha Christie stories, on both the big screen and the small, but if you want to see how Ms. Christie envisioned her beloved character, tune into the BBC television series, “Miss Marple”. According to her grandson, Ms. Christie was never satisfied with how the character of Miss Marple was portrayed-so she penned a letter to character actress, Joan Hickson, whom she did envision in the role, telling her that she hoped that the actress would one day play the part-which she finally did-at the age of 78! Ms. Hickson also narrated a number of Miss Marple stories on audiobooks.Or you can just envision “Miss Marple” as you see fit-and dive right into the pages of these delightful stories! As with all short story collections, some resonated more than others, and I am not going to rate them all individually but there are a few standouts that I DO want to mention, as they were my personal favorites! Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware-really captured the flavor of an old fashioned Christmas in St. Mary Mead-which would not be complete without a mysterious disappearance-really honoring the “feel” of the stories penned by Agatha Christie-Bravo! Another favorite in keeping with her traditions was “The Mystery of the Acid Soil” by Kate Mosse, which begins with a train ride to visit a childhood friend. Impressing me with a different approach was “Murder at the Villa Rosa” by Elly Griffiths which was told from the POV of Signor Jeffries, who meets Miss Marple in picturesque Italy. She was more of a secondary character but as always, she makes herself very useful with her “knowledge of human nature “.Also taking a unique approach was author Karen M McManus. Since in her own books she writes from the POV of youth, her tale “The Murdering Sort” is told by Nicola West who may just be on her way to becoming a “chip off the old block” of her great great Aunt Jane (Marple). This charming collection by HarperCollins is set to publish on September 15, 2022 and should satisfy fans of “Miss Jane Marple” old and new!! When you read it, be sure to let me know which ones were your favorites! Thank you for my gifted copy provided through Edelweiss! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Mara

August 09, 2022

I was so pleased to see how entertaining this was! If I had to pick my top 2 contenders for continuing on with a full Marple collection or novel, I'd put it between Jean Kwok (honoring the vibes of Christie while going somewhere fresh) and Ruth Ware (nailed the Christie writing style & atmosphere)Smartest approach to the story I would say was Val McDermid; could totally see a YA spin off with the Karen McManus one; and the ones from Kate Mosse & Dreda Say Mitchell were also standouts from an entertaining while still feeling like Christie perspective (the Leigh Bardugo & Alyssa Cole ones were also entertaining but didn't feel very like Marple to me)All in all - highly recommend!

Ellery

September 21, 2022

I hope Harper puts out more of these (and maybe a Poirot volume?) because this collection was really fun. Some of the stories feel more authentic than others, but they're all fun. There were times when I had to remind myself that the Jane Marple I met in a few of the stories is willing to travel abroad, strike a yoga pose, and act rather contrary to the conservative and traditional woman I've come to know and love, but I was willing to roll with it. If you're a Christie fan, give this one a go.

Bam cooks the books ;-)

September 26, 2022

Twelve popular mystery writers take on the challenge to write short stories in the style of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories. Some are more successful than others to get the tone just right but all these stories are enjoyable. What sets the character of the elderly Jane Marple apart? 'I simply have a certain knowledge of human nature that has, on occasion, proved helpful to the police,' she claims.

Mandy

September 10, 2022

Who doesn't love a good murder mystery? And nobody did it better than Agatha Christie. I attended a crime writers festival here in Sydney this weekend and I think that every author at every panel mentioned their admiration for Agatha and what she did for the genre all those years ago. I grew up reading Agatha Christie novels with my grandmother, and it is a memory that will always stay with me. I was keen to see how these modern-day crime writers tackled Miss Marple. And I was really impressed. Jane Marple is a force to be reckoned with, and these writers captured her spirit, her wit and her tenacity. They took her outside her comfort zone, with trips to Manhattan and on a cruise ship. It was interesting to see their take on the gold age and returning to the village of St Mary Mead.There are some amazing writers in this collection of 12 new Miss Marple stories. With names like Lucy Foley, Val McDermid, Elly Griffiths, Karen M. McManus and one of my favourites Ruth Ware. How could you not want to read this.My favourite story was Miss Marples Christmas by Ruth Ware. It had all the elements of the classic tales, with the added bonus of Christmas. So, grab this book, get re-acquainted with Jane Marple, and her knitting needles and sharp tongue. Thanks to Harper Collins UK for my advanced copy of this book to read.

NILTON

October 22, 2022

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 starsThis was very entertaining.Some stories were clever and ingenious, some captured Christie’s essence perfectly.A couple of authors surprised me.I enjoyed the writing of each author, and I appreciated their creativity and their effort to pay an homage to one of my top favourite authors.Below is a list of the stories and its respective author, as well as my ratings.I highly recommend the audiobook, which I had the pleasure of listening while reading the book.Evil in Small Places, by Lucy Foley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Second Murder at the Vicarage, by Val McDermid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Miss Marple Takes Manhattan, by Alyssa Cole ⭐️⭐️The Unravelling, by Natalie Haynes ⭐️⭐️⭐️Miss Marple’s Christmas, by Ruth Ware ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (gasp!)The Open Mind, by Naomi Alderman ⭐️⭐️The Jade Empress, by Jean Kwok ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A Deadly Wedding Day, by Dreda Say Mitchell ⭐️⭐️⭐️Murder at the Villa Rosa, Elly Griffiths ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this story did not have Christie’s essence (in my opinion) but the writing was very goodThe Murdering Sort, Karen M. McManus ⭐️⭐️⭐️The Mystery of the Acid Soil, Kate Mosse ⭐️⭐️⭐️The Disappearance, Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gary

September 03, 2022

I have always enjoyed Agatha Christie books as well as the many films and television series over the years. I have read and enjoyed all of her novels so it is pleasing to read other popular authors pay a huge compliment to her memory by writing a Miss Marple story themselves. This made fascinating reading and was very entertaining throughout, I particularly enjoyed the stories by Ruth Ware, Elly Griffiths and Kate Mosse.This is a collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple written by top authors in their own right. The stories are written with many of the characteristics we have come to love but also the authors have put their own interpretation across making this an excellent read.Authors featured in this collection, Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse and Ruth Ware.A brave attempt to write Miss Marple stories to a similar level of ability but this is a very good effort. I would enjoy reading a similar book featuring one of Agatha Christie’s other characters Hercule Poirot.I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Iain

October 23, 2022

A overall delightful collection of new Marple stories. As with any collection with different authors there are ups and downs. Lucy Foley, Val McDermid, Kate Mosse and Natalie Haynes deliver the better stories, while those that stray away from the traditional Agatha Christie Marple model tend to suffer the most. A worthwhile experiment though.

Celeste

February 17, 2023

I love the idea of taking a classic character and allowing a plethora of talented authors to revisit said character and breathe new life into them. The variety that can be given to this character when others are allowed access to their voice, the depth that can be added to an already loved fictional entity, is astounded. Yes, such collections can go horribly wrong and can adversely affect the character in the minds of readers if handled improperly, so there’s always a danger in allowing this kind of artistic freedom. But when they’re successful, they revitalize an already beloved figure. And that’s what thankfully occurred in this collection. Here we have twelve remarkably talented authors riffing on one of the mystery genre’s most dearly loved amateur detective, Miss Jane Marple. I enjoyed most all of these stories; even those I didn’t absolutely love still weren’t bad. Below are micro-reviews for each story, along with a few notes regarding the audio version, which I was given through Libro.fm’s influencer program. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed this collection quite as much had I not tandem read the audiobook with the ebook, as I thoroughly enjoyed all of the narrators attached to the project.“Evil in Small Places” by Lucy Foley (read by Alex Kingston): 4.5 starsLoved this one. Tightly plotted and unexpected. However, it did use the dreaded cliche of a line: “she let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding.” Which immediately took me out of the story. But I came right back into it, so little harm done there. Christie would have been proud of this one. And Kingston did a brilliant job with the narration.“The Second Murder at the Vicarage” by Val McDermid (read by Adrian Scarborough): 3.5 starsI really enjoyed revisiting the scene and characters of The Murder at the Vicarage. I don’t think the story would have been nearly as fun without that prior knowledge. However, the case felt rushed, and the solution wasn’t one that could have been come to without being told, as Christie stories are meant to be. Scarborough’s narration brought the characters to life, though, so I added half a star to the rating.“Miss Marple Takes Manhattan” by Alyssa Cole (read by Adjoa Andoh): 5 starsThe voice in this one was so much fun. We’re actually inside Miss Marple’s mind instead of simply observing her, and I loved the internalized snark. I’ve not read enough of Christie’s Marple stories to know if this tone was accurate, but it felt very likely and authentic to me.“The Unravelling” by Natalie Haynes (read by Imogen Stubbs): 3.5 starsWe start in the midst of the story, which made it a bit difficult to follow. That being said, there’s a depth to the story and an elegance to the writing that elevated it. And, of course, it related back to mythology in a way. This is, after all, Natalie Haynes. I’ve never read her work, but I own multiple books my her. Based on her craftsmanship here, those books just became a priority.“Miss Marple’s Christmas” by Ruth Ware (read by Alison Steadman): 3.5 starsThis story felt very classic, especially with the holiday setting. However, I found it too predictable and easy to solve to be convincingly Christie. The tone and the writing, however, were very on point. As odd as it sounds, whodunits like this that are set around Christmas feel incredibly cozy to me, so I’m glad this was part of the collection.“The Open Mind” by Naomi Alderman (read by Jodhi May): 2.5 starsI like this story more in theory than in execution. I found it oddly dark for a Marple story, with the proported sexual assault and drug use. It also came across as weirdly moralizing, which was a turn-off. The culprit was also easy to predict, as their behavior would have made no sense otherwise. “The Jade Empress” by Jean Kwok (read by Chipo Chung): 4.5 starsWhile this story took a little bit to grow on me, but I ended up really appreciating it. The encapsulating cruise setting is always a good one, as the killer can’t escape immediately after committing the murder. The subtext of racism gave additional depth to the story. There was something achingly heartfelt about this one.“A Deadly Wedding Day” by Dreda Say Mitchell (read by Cathy Tyson): 5 starsFascinated and poetic. I was surprised by the complexity of this one. And I wasn’t able to predict the resolution, which is always refreshing. The addition of a secondary lady detective at Miss Marple’s side was fun, as well. This one was one of my favorites!“Murder at the Villa Rosa” by Elly Griffiths (read by Ramon Tikaram): 4 starsHighly unusual, but interesting and compelling. Miss Marple was barely present, so I’m not sure how much of a Miss Marple story it was, but it was still a fun story. There was something about the tone that reminded me of Poe in the very beginning, but that shifted as we got further into the story. While odd, I enjoyed this one.“The Murdering Sort” by Karen M. McManus (read by Tanya Reynolds): 4 starsI got strong Knives Out vibes from this one. The family dynamics, as well as the murder committed, were very similar in tone and execution. There was a sweetness to the relationship between Miss Marple and her great-niece that I really appreciated, as well.“The Mystery of the Acid Soil” by Kate Mosse (read by Celia Imrie): 4.5 starsAn incredibly solid story. It felt very in keeping with both Christie’s style and Marple’s character. I love that the solution to the mystery revolved around Miss Marple’s knowledge of gardening. I had no problem guessing the crimes and the resolution, but I still enjoyed the journey to get there.“The Disappearance” by Leigh Bardugo (read by Miriam Margolyes): 5 starsI love that this showed a bit of a different side of Jane Marple. There was a maudlin air to it that felt appropriate somehow, and I didn’t find the resolution easy to predict. I found it one of the stronger stories in the collection, which surprised me for some reason. I wasn’t expecting such a tight mystery in this tone from Bardugo.I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this collection, and I can see myself rereading it in the future. Short stories in the mystery genre weren’t something I had much prior experience with outside of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories, but I loved having mysteries packed into such a tight, brief package. Short-form mystery is something I’m going to have to seek out more of in the future. While I would recommend reading The Murder at the Vicarage before diving into this collection, no other prior knowledge of Christie’s beloved character is needed. The mix of voices and settings and styles, while still staying true to Miss Marple’s character, was a pleasure to read.

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