A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
May 31, 2010 by Caribbean Vacation and Island Tips
Filed under Books
- ISBN13: 9780451199928
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Miss Jane Marple, Agatha Christie’s most appealing sleuth, returns in this classic baffler of a vacation-turned-deadly.
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(out of 33 reviews)
List Price: $ 6.99
Price: $ 3.15
Review by Gary F. Taylor for A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
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Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is the best known mystery novelist of the 20th Century–and with good reason, for when it came to plots, truly fiendish plots, she could easily out-construct all competitors. Even so, as Christie entered her sunset years, the nature of her novels changed, often becoming less interesting for the complex plots that made her reputation than for a their chatty charm.
Such is the case with 1964 A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY, which finds Christie revisiting her favorite character Jane Marple–but in a unlikely setting. Suffering from arthritis, Miss Marple has been sent on vacation to a south seas resort by her nephew Raymond. The weather is lovely, the sea is lovely, and Miss Marple finds her incredibly bored… until the unexpected death of retired Major Palgrave forces her to wonder if there is, as the Major seemed to suspect, a killer in this island paradise.
The plot is entertaining but, for Christie, surprisingly transparent; most readers will spot the killer approximately two thirds of the way into the book. The great charm of the book is in its characters and the deftly amusing way in which Christie presents them. A visit with Miss Marple is always enjoyable, and she remains every one’s favorite English spinster–and Christie presents several other characters, including the very wealthy and very gruff Mr. Raifiel and his ever-calm secretary Esther, both of whom will figure in the 1971 NEMESIS.
Hardcore mystery readers in search of one of Christie’s truly mind-bender tales may be disappointed with A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY, but most Christie readers will find it unexpectedly light but none the less enjoyable for that. Recommended for fans.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Review by for A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
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This story is set in the Caribbean – quite an unusual setting for Miss Marple who usually prefers to stay close to home. A garrulous major talks about various crimes he has observed over the years and says he may have recognized a killer…the next day he is found dead and Miss Marple finds herself called upon to solve the crime. Notable for its beautiful locales as well as the interesting dialogue among the various characters, the most interesting of which is the interplay between Miss Marple and Jason Rafiel, an old, ill millionaire who despite this failing powers, still comes to her assistance at a crucial moment. This also sets the stage for the sequel to this book, “Nemesis” where Mr. Rafiel asks for Miss Marple’s help in solving another, much older crime. You should definitely read that as a followup to this one.
Review by for A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
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..Agatha Christie to read. This is not a good example of her writing. The pace was slow, the characters were a bit too “cookie cutter” and it didn’t contain any of the wonderful puzzles that AC is well known for.Miss Marple is on a Carribbean vacation, where, suprise, a murder occurs. Or is it murder? Only Miss Marple can solve the mystery.Is anyone really suprised that the happy couple really aren’t? Is anyone really suprised that characters aren’t what they appear? This book was too stereotypical for me. AC is not an author strong on character development, however she usually does a better job than this. Similarly, she sends Miss Marple to an exotic locale, then barely describes it or utilizes the locale for differences in her writing. It could just as easily have taken place in St. Mary Mead. If you’re an AC fan, you may like this book. I found it readable, but not great. If you’re looking for a “classic” AC, try something else: And then there were none, Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, or The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Don’t get this book unless/until you’re a bonafide fan.
Review by for A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
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Caution!This Book Could Make You A Mystery Addict, too!
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I first read “A Caribbean Mystery” at age 12, when we were away from our home in Boston, MA, and staying in Israel for a year’s sabbatical. I was desperate for anything in English to read and resorted to my mother’s paperback mystery collection. I was so excited and intrigued by this story, that it started me on a Mystery book addiction, now going on 32 years worth of mystery reading.
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I remember the chill down my spine at the intricacy and “rightness” of the solution to the mystery. The story is very simple. Agatha Christie’s sleuth Miss Marple has been sent on a vacation to the Caribbean, supposedly to relax, by her wealthy nephew. She meets an interesting group of fellow travelers at her hotel, and watches them carefully. A retired Military gentleman is ruffling the other guests feathers in his blunt way, and is with a group that includes most all of them when he is suddenly very upset by something he has seen or heard. When he becomes the victim of murder, Miss Marple must deduce what it was that had affected him so, in order to find the killer.
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This is a wonderfully entertaining example of the “Classic” mystery, with a fixed group of suspects, a circumscribed location, and a wonderful sleuth to follow. I like Helen Hayes in the movie adaptations of Miss Marple. She seems as endearing, and as seemingly muddle headed, shy, and retiring as the Miss Marple of the story.
This book follows the unwritten rules that the clues were there all along, but you just don’t see them, until the case solution is revealed.
On reading the solution to this neatly done mystery, I felt that spine tingling sensation- and it remains the standard that I use to judge the success of a mystery.
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You don’t have to be new to mystery stories to enjoy this light, easily read, entertaining book. You don’t even have to be new to Miss Marple. Any mystery story lover will find this a nice, light but satisfying read.
Review by Antoinette Klein for A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
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Miss Marple escapes the rigors of an English winter, thanks to her nephew, the successful mystery writer Raymond West. He has sent Jane on a Caribbean vacation and it is at the Golden Palm Hotel on St. Honore that we find her with her ever-present knitting needles. After the eventful life she has led in St. Mary Mead, however, Miss Marple finds the island life a bit boring. But all that is about to change rather quickly. It begins one day when another elderly guest, Major Palgrave, is about to show Miss Marple a photograph of someone he claims is a murderer who got away. He stops short when four other guests approach, any of whom may have heard the conversation. A chambermaid telling tales and two murders are pivotal in this mystery that Miss Marple solves with her usual shrewd detection skills. Notable to this book is the introduction of Jason Rafiel, an ill, rude, and extremely rich guest we will hear of again in “Nemesis.” He recognizes in Miss Marple a kindred spirit and together they form an effective partnership which prevents further murders.