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Barcelona: La Llar del Llibre, 1989 (3a ed.); 215 p.; 18,5 cm (Nova terra; 76)
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: 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.
User reviews
LibraryThing member JulesJones
Miss Marple goes to spend a few days with her old friend Carrie Louise, at the request of old friend's sister who is worried that something sinister is happening without being able to pin down why she feels that way. Carrie Louise's first husband set up a "good works" institution in the grounds of
Lewis tells the police that earlier that day the murder victim had told him in confidence that someone was trying to poison Carrie Louise -- an obvious motive for someone to seize the opportunity to silence him while everyone was distracted, and an urgent reason for the police to find the killer before anyone else dies. It's up to Miss Marple to unpick the tangle of motives and opportunity at Stonygates.
I worked out who and how almost immediately -- but so excellent was the misdirection that I thought that I must be mistaken. As usual with Christie, once you do know what happened a lot of tiny details suddenly click neatly into place.
One thing I did notice was that Christie through Miss Marple has a lot to say about excusing criminal behaviour because someone had a problem childhood. It's not a problem for me, since it's in character for Miss Marple anyway, but I did feel that it was the author's viewpoint as well as the character's, and for some readers it might feel a bit too much like being lectured. But I enjoyed this book a lot -- and when you finally know the answer, the motivation feels right for that character.
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his estate prior to his death, which is currently being used to rehabilitate young criminals, and her third and current husband Lewis is one of the trustees of the institution. Several members of the rather complex family structure live with them, which means there are several people with a financial interest in murdering Carrie Louise. Then, of course, there are the juvenile delinquents. However, when murder happens, it's with a twist. Lewis's young assistant has a mental breakdown and has a confrontation with Lewis which climaxes with the young man shooting at him but missing, and at the same time her step-son from her first marriage is murdered elsewhere in the house by a shot which initially goes unnoticed in the immediate aftermath of the altercation between Lewis and his assistant.Lewis tells the police that earlier that day the murder victim had told him in confidence that someone was trying to poison Carrie Louise -- an obvious motive for someone to seize the opportunity to silence him while everyone was distracted, and an urgent reason for the police to find the killer before anyone else dies. It's up to Miss Marple to unpick the tangle of motives and opportunity at Stonygates.
I worked out who and how almost immediately -- but so excellent was the misdirection that I thought that I must be mistaken. As usual with Christie, once you do know what happened a lot of tiny details suddenly click neatly into place.
One thing I did notice was that Christie through Miss Marple has a lot to say about excusing criminal behaviour because someone had a problem childhood. It's not a problem for me, since it's in character for Miss Marple anyway, but I did feel that it was the author's viewpoint as well as the character's, and for some readers it might feel a bit too much like being lectured. But I enjoyed this book a lot -- and when you finally know the answer, the motivation feels right for that character.
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LibraryThing member mrtall
I have a serious soft spot for this Miss Marple mystery. Our twinkly sleuth is planted in a group home for juvenile delinquents to investigate what's up with her old school friend Carrie Louise, who's married to the head of the school.
The mystery itself here is nothing special -- it's a variation
The mystery itself here is nothing special -- it's a variation
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on a closed-room job -- but what's interesting is Christie's other not-so-hidden agenda. That is, much of the book is a kind of satire on modern methods of criminal rehabilitation. It's fascinating how many of the tedious tropes of contemporary educational/psychological theory are already in the crosshairs here, especially the assumption that self-esteem is sacred. Christie has no time whatever for this, and lets the reader know in numerous ways . . . . Show Less
LibraryThing member dragonasbreath
He purely loves Agatha Christie, personally she's okay, but... Miss Marple though - I do like the way that lady thinks.
LibraryThing member riverwillow
Not my favourite Miss Marple, but still an enjoyable read.
LibraryThing member jepeters333
An old friend of Miss Marples and a murder at Stony Gates school.
LibraryThing member Figgles
Nice little problem for Miss Marple. Maybe not one of her best but when you know what happened it's fun to watch the misdirection!
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
After a plea from a worried sister, Jane Marple arrives at Stonygates to investigate into the affairs of an old school chum, Carrie Louise. Her sister doesn’t know exactly what is going on, but feels that something is very wrong at this country estate. It doesn’t take Jane long to realize she
They Do It With Mirrors is a solid offering from Agatha Christie that I enjoyed, but found a little plodding and predictable. Both the setting and the cast of characters were rather unbelievable and the book in whole felt rather dated. Usually as you read an Agatha Christie you get a strong sense of the enjoyment and relish she takes in her work, but that was missing in this book.
If you are a fan of Miss Christie’s work, then I would say go ahead with this book. But if you are a first time reader I would suggest starting somewhere else.
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is right. With murder and poisonings happening around her, she is very worried indeed.They Do It With Mirrors is a solid offering from Agatha Christie that I enjoyed, but found a little plodding and predictable. Both the setting and the cast of characters were rather unbelievable and the book in whole felt rather dated. Usually as you read an Agatha Christie you get a strong sense of the enjoyment and relish she takes in her work, but that was missing in this book.
If you are a fan of Miss Christie’s work, then I would say go ahead with this book. But if you are a first time reader I would suggest starting somewhere else.
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LibraryThing member MikeLancaster
My wife reads Agatha Christie.
Loves them, actually.
Me, I think 'And Then There Were None' and 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' are two of the greatest detective novels ever penned, but every other time I've tried a Christie I've been left a little cold.
Still, I thought I'd give 'Mirrors' a go, and I
Which was a shame.
The killer was the only person it COULD be.
After experiencing the breathtaking revelations of the aforementioned classics, at the end of 'Mirrors' I just kind of shrugged and said 'Huh.'If this was an early Ellery Queen novel there would be a Challenge to the Reader that would say, simply: I challenge the reader to NOT solve this one.
Loves them, actually.
Me, I think 'And Then There Were None' and 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' are two of the greatest detective novels ever penned, but every other time I've tried a Christie I've been left a little cold.
Still, I thought I'd give 'Mirrors' a go, and I
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liked the setting, a couple of the characters, but I guessed the murderer as the murder was taking place and spent the rest of the book thinking I had been well and truly fooled, tricked into suspecting the wrong person, only to discover that there was no twist, I was right all along.Which was a shame.
The killer was the only person it COULD be.
After experiencing the breathtaking revelations of the aforementioned classics, at the end of 'Mirrors' I just kind of shrugged and said 'Huh.'If this was an early Ellery Queen novel there would be a Challenge to the Reader that would say, simply: I challenge the reader to NOT solve this one.
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LibraryThing member NellieMc
Classic Ms. Marple -- what's not to love?
LibraryThing member jason.goodwin
Could hardly fault this - straightforward good crime novel, with dollops of rather brilliantly observed character. I'd forgotten how spot-on AC could be. Of course it's all done, well, with mirrors, and smoke, and the denouement is the sort of huge surprise that's so surprising you should have
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guessed who, if not why; but crisply done. A Miss Marple story, btw. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookAngel_a
I have said previously that sometimes Miss Marple gives me the creeps, but in this book I found her character very likable. I would say it is one of the better Miss Marple mysteries I've read, however, I'm only half finished with them! I enjoyed the ending as well.
LibraryThing member smik
Set in the period immediately after World War Two, some families are still incredibly wealthy, but great houses are struggling to survive. The Gulbrandsen Institute built in the grounds of Stonygates, that has been the home of Jane Marple's old friend Carrie Louise through three marriages, has been
There are a number of people living as Carrie Louise's dependents, for she is the one with the wealth, and none of them seem to like each other very much. Ruth Van Rydock spins a tale to her sister that their old friend Jane Marple is a bit hard up and so Jane is invited to Stonygates for an extended stay. As it turns out the murders happen pretty quickly and Jane's presence doesn't do much to stop them. She is "recognised" by the investigating police who learns about her from a colleague. Even so I think there are two murders she may have thwarted had she reported a discovery quickly instead of deciding to do it the next morning.
The title is a bit of a red herring itself because it sends the reader off looking for doubles but that isn't quite its meaning. I thought the final resolution, the identity of the murderer, and how he achieved his ends, was actually a bit far fetched. However, there were clues, particularly in the "parallels" that Miss Marple narrates from her store of St. Mary Mead happenings.
Still, it is a quick and enjoyable read, with a bit of mind stretching as one would expect.
It gives an interesting picture of post-war England. You also learn a bit more about Miss Marple's youth, although she also reveals that she is a bit deaf.
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re-purposed as a sort of secure reformatory for delinquent boys.There are a number of people living as Carrie Louise's dependents, for she is the one with the wealth, and none of them seem to like each other very much. Ruth Van Rydock spins a tale to her sister that their old friend Jane Marple is a bit hard up and so Jane is invited to Stonygates for an extended stay. As it turns out the murders happen pretty quickly and Jane's presence doesn't do much to stop them. She is "recognised" by the investigating police who learns about her from a colleague. Even so I think there are two murders she may have thwarted had she reported a discovery quickly instead of deciding to do it the next morning.
The title is a bit of a red herring itself because it sends the reader off looking for doubles but that isn't quite its meaning. I thought the final resolution, the identity of the murderer, and how he achieved his ends, was actually a bit far fetched. However, there were clues, particularly in the "parallels" that Miss Marple narrates from her store of St. Mary Mead happenings.
Still, it is a quick and enjoyable read, with a bit of mind stretching as one would expect.
It gives an interesting picture of post-war England. You also learn a bit more about Miss Marple's youth, although she also reveals that she is a bit deaf.
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LibraryThing member Jiraiya
This was so very nearly a perfect score. But I found the fate of the criminal and his accomplice too much of an anticlimax. Having said that, this book was an absolute pleasure to read. The characters are memorable. Miss Jane Marple appears in it a lot. We know something new about her youth, but
There was a certain fluidity in the narrative that I didn't find in Marple stories till now. The best example of that were when Jane Marple was being introduced to the rambling household of Carrie Louise, and also during the interrogation scenes by Inspector Curry. The interviews were far from rambling themselves. It's curious how Inspector Curry at one instant has respect for Miss Marple, but when she has solved the case, and was beginning her explanations, he immediately thought she was batty. That was the one jarring inexplicable fact of the book.
The character Gina is the one who gives out the usual, obligatory, and much awaited speech about life. Immediately after the speech, she is given a forceful kiss by Alex. The author makes Alex pay dearly by making him the one who realizes the truth about the murder, how the trick was accomplished. Alex I think, died needlessly. His death is barely given the decorum of the limelight. His needless death is glossed over. Nobody really says how or when was he killed.
I was dreading the title of this book; 'They Do It With Mirrors'. There's an Hercule Poirot story that has a similar title and I feared this plot was to be a rehash. Good news; there's no actual mirror in the solution of the case. This book was a joy to read. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Marple stories with impatience.
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it's not much to go with. Carrie Louise and Ruth could have been temporary props that weren't significant in Miss Marple's past.There was a certain fluidity in the narrative that I didn't find in Marple stories till now. The best example of that were when Jane Marple was being introduced to the rambling household of Carrie Louise, and also during the interrogation scenes by Inspector Curry. The interviews were far from rambling themselves. It's curious how Inspector Curry at one instant has respect for Miss Marple, but when she has solved the case, and was beginning her explanations, he immediately thought she was batty. That was the one jarring inexplicable fact of the book.
The character Gina is the one who gives out the usual, obligatory, and much awaited speech about life. Immediately after the speech, she is given a forceful kiss by Alex. The author makes Alex pay dearly by making him the one who realizes the truth about the murder, how the trick was accomplished. Alex I think, died needlessly. His death is barely given the decorum of the limelight. His needless death is glossed over. Nobody really says how or when was he killed.
I was dreading the title of this book; 'They Do It With Mirrors'. There's an Hercule Poirot story that has a similar title and I feared this plot was to be a rehash. Good news; there's no actual mirror in the solution of the case. This book was a joy to read. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Marple stories with impatience.
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LibraryThing member RubyScarlett
Alright. She's done much better. None of the characters stand out which is unusual and (what I think goes hand in hand with that) there's no trace of the humour I've come to love in Christie's books. I knew who the murderer was as soon as the murder was committed and that never bothers me but since
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the characters are so bland there was nothing much left to enjoy. Still very readable but infinitely forgettable too. Show Less
LibraryThing member antiquary
Miss Marple is asked to look into trouble at a home for juvenile delinquents, which also involves a wealthy family.
LibraryThing member Helenliz
I listened to this, so once or twice when it seemed to me that things had got out of sync, it might have been me and not being able to flick back, rather than Agatha Christie actually getting it wrong. At more than one point, I felt sure that at least a day had gone by, but maybe that was me.
It's
It's
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possible I have either read this before or seen it on the TV, but I got the murderer correct. Right at the point the Police appear and Miss Marple says "I think they call it misdirection"; at that point I knew who, but not exactly the how of it. It's set in a large house, part of which is used by the philanthropic owners as an institute for reforming young criminals, there's a complex and somewhat unhealthy family dynamic, with a number of possible suspects for the crime. That, when coupled with a suspected poisoning, causes a long list of suspects. And the list seems to get longer, not shorter, as the murder progresses. As is usual the obvious suspect is not, the truth lies somewhere else and there's a certain amount of water muddying that goes on before it all gets sorted out. The end is slightly unexpected and mildly unsatisfactory, I do prefer the law to get their man. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Jane Marple’s childhood friend and schoolmate, Ruth, expresses her concern about her sister, Carrie Louise, and asks Miss Marple to go for a visit and try to find out what is happening. Carrie Louise has always been rather idealistic and she hasn’t had much luck with her marriages, though she
I love Agatha Christie and have enjoyed other Miss Marple mysteries, but this one misses the mark. It is far too convoluted, and yet very slow going despite everything that is happening. There is the central murder; the evidence of poisoning; a clearly unhinged paranoid patient who apparently is trusted enough to be Lewis Serrocold’s assistant; a possible love triangle between Carrie Louise’s granddaughter, her angry American husband, and at least one (if not both) of Carrie’s stepsons; and a juvenile delinquent who is a master lock picker and claims to have witnessed something important on one of his nocturnal jaunts away from the dormitory.
Christie has proved that she is more than capable of juggling many storylines to build suspense and thwart the reader’s efforts to figure out the solution before the author chooses to reveal it. But rather than tight plotting with twists and turns, this novel’s storyline seemed to just meander without purpose (other than to fill pages). The final reveal was done in the form of a letter, neatly tying up all loose ends in a couple of paragraphs rather than giving us the confrontation and reveal in real time. I had been bored for much of the book and was glad it was over, but I felt that I hadn’t read a Christie novel at all, but something written by a less-skilled author to imitate the Queen of Crime.
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has been left with considerable wealth and a large country estate. Miss Marple arrives to find that Carrie Louise’s current husband has helped her turn the estate into a home for delinquent boys, with a large staff of doctors, therapists and teachers. Her daughter, granddaughter and two stepsons are also currently at the estate. Her former brother-in-law, Christian Gulbrandsen, who is a director of the trust that funds the estate, arrives unexpectedly to confer with her husband, Lewis Serrocold. Before they can meet with the other directors, however, Gulbrandsen is murdered and someone has tried to poison Carrie Louise. Just what is going on?I love Agatha Christie and have enjoyed other Miss Marple mysteries, but this one misses the mark. It is far too convoluted, and yet very slow going despite everything that is happening. There is the central murder; the evidence of poisoning; a clearly unhinged paranoid patient who apparently is trusted enough to be Lewis Serrocold’s assistant; a possible love triangle between Carrie Louise’s granddaughter, her angry American husband, and at least one (if not both) of Carrie’s stepsons; and a juvenile delinquent who is a master lock picker and claims to have witnessed something important on one of his nocturnal jaunts away from the dormitory.
Christie has proved that she is more than capable of juggling many storylines to build suspense and thwart the reader’s efforts to figure out the solution before the author chooses to reveal it. But rather than tight plotting with twists and turns, this novel’s storyline seemed to just meander without purpose (other than to fill pages). The final reveal was done in the form of a letter, neatly tying up all loose ends in a couple of paragraphs rather than giving us the confrontation and reveal in real time. I had been bored for much of the book and was glad it was over, but I felt that I hadn’t read a Christie novel at all, but something written by a less-skilled author to imitate the Queen of Crime.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is one of Christie's shorter novels at just over 200 pages, but it's tauter than some, and the setting is slightly more unusual - a reform home for young criminals. This is the first Miss Marple novel I have read, and she played a less prominent role than Poirot does, advising on the sidelines
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but not taking part in the setpiece interview scenes with the cast of suspects as does the Belgian. She is dismissed as a slightly dotty old lady by some of the younger characters, who think she can never have been young ("To youth it seems very odd to think that age was once young and pigtailed and struggled with decimals and English literature."), but naturally she later gains the respect of all. The ending was quite dramatic and unexpected (to me, anyway). One minor point that has struck me in this and a couple of her other novels is the characters in each of them who are dismissive of Italian people in general as liars who are prone to violence, which is a bit odd. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
While I enjoyed this entry in the Miss Marple series, it was just "good" not great as some of Christie's are. Given Miss Marple's oft pronounced maxim of never believe anything anyone says without confirmation, she seemed to take Lewis Serrocold's statements at face value for far too long .
LibraryThing member SueinCyprus
Miss Marple is visiting a old friend when a murder is committed. Each member of the household (naturally) falls under suspicion. I felt the truth, when finally revealed, a little forced and unlikely but the book was well-written and enjoyable anyway.
LibraryThing member jshillingford
Working my way through all of Christie’s Miss Marple books, I hit two fantastic installments in a row, including this. In Murder with Mirrors (or, They Do It With Mirrors) Miss Marple appears before anyone has actually died!
Jane’s friend Ruth asks her to go and visit Ruth’s sister Carrie
There were couple things about this mystery that I really loved. First, Miss Marple is actually part of the story right and is involved from beginning to end. In previous books, I felt like she just showed up toward the end just to “solve” the mystery. Here, she is seeing everything unfold so her deductions gave the reader more. Also, this something of a locked door mystery, which I’m a fan of. Just about everyone has motive, but at the time of the murder they were all listening outside a door as Lewis had a violent confrontation with Edgar Lawson, one of the offenders. It’s possible one or more suspects could have slipped out, but how and why is where the fun begins. I thought the ultimate conclusion was excellent. The culprit made perfect sense – if you were paying attention!
Jane’s friend Ruth asks her to go and visit Ruth’s sister Carrie
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Louise because she feels sure there is something wrong in her household. Miss Marple takes her intuition seriously and heads to Stonygates, Carrie Louise’s home, where they have set up a foundation to help juvenile offenders escape a life of crime. Jane also meets Carrie Louise’s family: friend and companion Jolly, husband Lewis, daughter Mildred, step sons Alex and Steven and granddaughter Gina with her husband Walter. It isn’t long after arriving that Carrie’s other stepson Christian, on the board for the foundation, arrives unexpectedly – and is promptly murdered. Was he there on foundation business? Was it something to do with Carrie Louise’s health? There were couple things about this mystery that I really loved. First, Miss Marple is actually part of the story right and is involved from beginning to end. In previous books, I felt like she just showed up toward the end just to “solve” the mystery. Here, she is seeing everything unfold so her deductions gave the reader more. Also, this something of a locked door mystery, which I’m a fan of. Just about everyone has motive, but at the time of the murder they were all listening outside a door as Lewis had a violent confrontation with Edgar Lawson, one of the offenders. It’s possible one or more suspects could have slipped out, but how and why is where the fun begins. I thought the ultimate conclusion was excellent. The culprit made perfect sense – if you were paying attention!
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LibraryThing member srah
Agatha Christie wins. She always beats me. I suspected the murderer at one point in the book, but I think that I suspected everyone at some point or another. AC's always a good read.
LibraryThing member Dreesie
Another Christie novel narrated by Emilia Fox, available on Hoopla.
I read this (perhaps under another title?) years ago in middle school. I didn't remember any of it, even while listening. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Everything in this story is relevant. Miss Marple is visiting an old school
Miss Marple is her usual dithery self. And the solution is clever--and there are hints throughout. One of her better novels.
I read this (perhaps under another title?) years ago in middle school. I didn't remember any of it, even while listening. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Everything in this story is relevant. Miss Marple is visiting an old school
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friend, the visit arranged by another school friend who thinks something is off at Carrie Anne's home. There is she and her husband, her daughter, the daughter of her late adopted daughter, two stepsons by her previous husband, her loyal servant, and a stepson by her current husband comes to visit. There are also various boys from the delinquent's school they run on site. SO when Mr Gulbrandson--her husband's son--is shot and killed, who killed him, and why?Miss Marple is her usual dithery self. And the solution is clever--and there are hints throughout. One of her better novels.
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LibraryThing member passion4reading
An old school friend asks Miss Marple to visit her sister, about whom she's quite worried. When Miss Marple arrives at Stonygates, a country house with a young offenders institution attached, she is thrown into the complicated relationships of an extended family, and it isn't long before a murder
I agree with one or two other reviewers that the solution was quite easy to spot, especially if one is familiar with the way Agatha Christie's mind works. It is true that she does quite well to throw in false clues and red herrings so that I wavered in my resolution more than once. Not all of the plot line is convincing, but as ever Ms Christie's novels and stories prove a diverting read that exercises those *little grey cells*.
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is committed. Luckily, Miss Marple is at hand to prevent a possible miscarriage of justice from being carried out.I agree with one or two other reviewers that the solution was quite easy to spot, especially if one is familiar with the way Agatha Christie's mind works. It is true that she does quite well to throw in false clues and red herrings so that I wavered in my resolution more than once. Not all of the plot line is convincing, but as ever Ms Christie's novels and stories prove a diverting read that exercises those *little grey cells*.
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LibraryThing member kaitanya64
Nice, neat little Miss Marple mystery. Miss Marple is asked by an old friend from her school days to check up on the friend's sister, who is now a remarried widow, living at her estate. Her second husband has turned the estate into an institution for the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents. But,
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something odd and sinister seems to lurk, not in the dormitories, but in the manor house itself. When a trustee of the institution is murdered while staying in the house, Miss Marple's detective skills come into play to catch the murderer before he or she strikes again. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1952-11-17
Physical description
215 p.; 18 cm
ISBN
8472792919 / 9788472792913