Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
UK General Books (2006), 144 pages
Description
Nine intriguing tales. One unequalled storyteller. An unknown wounded man in a church. A fatal riding accident. A corpse and a tape measure. Whether in St Mary Mead or further afield, there is always much wickedness lurking below the surface, should, like Jane Marple, you have the eyes to see it. Published posthumously, this collection of tales, seven of them featuring Agatha Christie�s much loved Miss Marple, is a treasure trove for fans of crime and thriller.
User reviews
LibraryThing member xicanti
Eight of Agatha Christie's short stories. While most of them feature Miss Marple, the final two stories are supernatural tales.
This is a good collection for any Miss Marple fan, but be aware that the title is somewhat misleading. The stories were originally published between 1934 and 1959; Dame
All the stories appear in other collections, too; the only ones I was not already familiar with were "Miss Marple Tells A Story," (a delightful mystery written in the first person, from Miss Marple's perspective), and "In A Glass Darkly," (one of the supernatural stories, and a durned good one at that).
But despite the fact that you can get all these stories elsewhere, this is still a solid collection. The stories make good use of Miss Marple's trademark logic. If they occasionally hinge on some sort of coincidence... well, that's another one of Aunt Jane's trademarks, and at least Christie deals with it in an entertaining fashion. Miss Marple's coincidental knowledge comes not from some sort of deus ex machina, but rather from her longtime observation of human nature.
Overall: good stuff. Worth checking out if you don't own many of Agatha Christie's short story collections or if you're a big Miss Marple fan.
This is a good collection for any Miss Marple fan, but be aware that the title is somewhat misleading. The stories were originally published between 1934 and 1959; Dame
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Agatha continued to publish Miss Marple stories and novels right through to the early 70's. It would be more appropriate to call this A Sampling of Miss Marple.All the stories appear in other collections, too; the only ones I was not already familiar with were "Miss Marple Tells A Story," (a delightful mystery written in the first person, from Miss Marple's perspective), and "In A Glass Darkly," (one of the supernatural stories, and a durned good one at that).
But despite the fact that you can get all these stories elsewhere, this is still a solid collection. The stories make good use of Miss Marple's trademark logic. If they occasionally hinge on some sort of coincidence... well, that's another one of Aunt Jane's trademarks, and at least Christie deals with it in an entertaining fashion. Miss Marple's coincidental knowledge comes not from some sort of deus ex machina, but rather from her longtime observation of human nature.
Overall: good stuff. Worth checking out if you don't own many of Agatha Christie's short story collections or if you're a big Miss Marple fan.
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LibraryThing member nickhoonaloon
I don`t own a copy of this, but having read it recently, thought a review might be appropriate.
The title of this collection is slightly misleading, as the book contains six `Miss Marple` short stories and two tales of the supernatural.
For my money, the best of the Marples here is Sanctuary, a story
The two supernatural tales, The Dressmaker`s Doll and Though A Glass Darkly, are very good efforst that any author might feel happy to have penned.
Overall, confirmed my view that Christie`s work, whilst sometimes flawed, is not as one-dimensional as her critics would have you believe.
The title of this collection is slightly misleading, as the book contains six `Miss Marple` short stories and two tales of the supernatural.
For my money, the best of the Marples here is Sanctuary, a story
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with a little more depth than the others. The others are a mixed bunch, with some being quite weak. Especially annoying in one or two is the tendency of Christie`s ageing sleuth to solve cases by recourse to facts not known to the reader. Perhaps we shouldn`t be too hard on her though, as this was not unusual in very early detective fiction.The two supernatural tales, The Dressmaker`s Doll and Though A Glass Darkly, are very good efforst that any author might feel happy to have penned.
Overall, confirmed my view that Christie`s work, whilst sometimes flawed, is not as one-dimensional as her critics would have you believe.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
Collection of short stories, mostly featuring Miss Marple and not previously published in the UK. Miss Marple applies her brain to various problems, not all of them murder - she helps a young couple find their inheritance. There are a couple of Gothic short stories at the end - 'A Dressmaker's
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Doll' is particularly creepy. A fine book on which to end the Marple series. Show Less
LibraryThing member Figgles
8 short stories, the first 6 of which are classic Miss Marple. Very enjoyable! The last two are slightly eerie and don't feature Miss Marple at all.
LibraryThing member BrokenTune
Ideal bed time reading - the stories are written well enough to draw you in, but are short and formulaic enough to not keep you up all night guessing what happened next.
Some of the stories are more obvious than others. Unlike in the The Thirteen Problems, there is no particular thread to
I guess, if Christie had been able alive to have an input in the editing and collating of the stories it might have turned out better, but this was published to provide a final fix for Marple enthusiasts.
So, if you are considering picking up a Marple story for the first time, don't start with this one.
Some of the stories are more obvious than others. Unlike in the The Thirteen Problems, there is no particular thread to
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collection - and no story line within the collection to reveal more about Miss Marple (or why the collection is titled Final Cases). For that, 3 stars, not more.I guess, if Christie had been able alive to have an input in the editing and collating of the stories it might have turned out better, but this was published to provide a final fix for Marple enthusiasts.
So, if you are considering picking up a Marple story for the first time, don't start with this one.
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LibraryThing member Fliss88
Miss Marple is one of those wonderful characters that I can see and hear whenever reading her mysteries. These final cases, 6 short stories, are by today's standards simple mysteries. There's no technical gadgetry, hardly even a telephone! No fast cars or high speed chases. No brutal attacks on
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anyone, apart from the murder, and that happens quietly, without a gory, blood and guts description of the deed. Reading this was like watching something from the black and white days of television. I remember watching Margaret Rutherford play the part of Miss Marple and for me, no other actress comes close to my imagined persona and the clever writing by Agatha Christie still manages to intrigue and surprise, even in the 21st century. Show Less
LibraryThing member mstrust
A collection of short stories, some of which don't feature Miss Marple at all. There are some good ones though, like "The Case of the Caretaker", in which a local bad boy who had to leave the village due to his behavior returns years later with a new, wealthy bride. The couple is relentlessly
My least favorite was "Strange Jest", which features one of Christie's rich old uncles who enjoys playing games with his will. There are two stories in the collection that involve the supernatural rather than criminals, and one story in which Miss Marple is the narrator, which I don't remember her doing elsewhere. I was worried by the title of this book that she'd be killed off here but it didn't happen.
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harassed by an old woman but no one can figure out why.My least favorite was "Strange Jest", which features one of Christie's rich old uncles who enjoys playing games with his will. There are two stories in the collection that involve the supernatural rather than criminals, and one story in which Miss Marple is the narrator, which I don't remember her doing elsewhere. I was worried by the title of this book that she'd be killed off here but it didn't happen.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1934-1958
1979-10: Collection
Physical description
144 p.; 7.48 inches
ISBN
0007208618 / 9780007208616