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A collection of short stories featuring Miss Marple as the detective. Vary in quality and setting. In the ones set most recently (early 60s) I wonder why the author would think Miss Marple would be dressing like an elderly woman of the Victorian era, lace cap and mitts and all. Miss Marple wasn't an elderly woman in the Victorian era, she was a young girl. Should I be dressing in a cotton print shirtwaist dress and thin cardigan sweater like an older woman in 1950s?

Collection of Marple short stories. Great intro to some other authors½

I started reading this book because I was in the middle of a career change when the current shitshow hit, and felt the need to brush up and organise my English grammar. Most of the times, I was thinking 'Yeah, I know that'. Some other times I felt 'All right, I was using that the correct way unconsciously and now here comes a rule explaining it and I am starting to feel utterly confused'. I'm not so sure right now that it was a good idea. Anyway.

It is very clearly structured, with (tapable) cross-references, a comprehensive and easy to follow guide to English grammar. However, I found 10 mistakes (missing words, typos, wrong examples - I mean examples for the next rule, not the one discussed, etc). In a reference book like this, it is quite a problem. I reported most of them (didn't remember to do so for the first couple of instances, sorry) through the app (it's a kindle edition). Hopefully, these will be corrected when an update is released.

As it ended with a chapter on punctuation, it helped me to decide which of the two books I was keeping at my bedside to read next. Eats, Shoots & Leaves it is, then.

A set of 12 authors each provided a short Miss Marple story in this anthology. As with any anthology, it is a mixed bag. Some tried a bit to hard to be different, moving Miss Marple to New York, Italy or a boat to Hing King, each of which felt a bit too far fetched to work. Other stuck more closely to home and they fared better. In one instance the voice of the teller was the first person, in this case the vicar finding yet another body in his house. There were a few quite successful ones with MIss Marple in a village location with an old friend each time. The most successful was by Natalie Haynes, and was the one that I was sure I'd read before, it had Miss Marple at Gossington Hall with Dolly & Arthur Bantry, Henry Clithering, Raymond & Joan. The missing jewels were carefully hidden, and I was sure I'd read that hiding place before - and I was right, as it was inspired by a book that the jewel thieves' nephew was reading and I have also read. It was very cleverly done, used a known setting and known characters and a borrowed plot. Simple but effective.
It was interesting that while some of the stories made reference to Miss Marple's youth, none tried to set a story in her younger days, she remains a little old lady in each of these stories. Maybe we can't imagine her any other way.

Miss Marple Returns!
Review of the William Morrow paperback & Kindle editions (September 5, 2023) of the William Morrow hardcover original (September 13, 2022).

[45/60 Average = 3.75/5 rounded up to a GR 4]
These 12 new stories by various contemporary authors feature Agatha Christie's amateur senior sleuth Miss Marple back to solve what are otherwise inexplicable mysteries. I was already familiar with more than half of the writers, who are not all otherwise known for mysteries or detective stories. On the whole everyone did a fair to excellent job.

In the kind, warm glow of the fire the marks of old age were flatteringly blurred. Jane Marple was so little changed, in the important details, from her girlhood self. The quick, birdlike manner, the bright, inquisitive eyes, the sense of a quiet, perhaps even formidable intelligence.

My favourites ***** were the ones that had Miss Marple back on her home ground in the village of St. Mary Mead (#2, #5 & #12). #8 was my other favourite, for a very clever plot which included a Caribbean-based amateur sleuth as Miss Marple's partner in crime-solving. Many of the others had Miss Marple travelling to various exotic locations, always funded by her generous nephew Raymond West, which admittedly is still in keeping with the canon (i.e. A Caribbean Mystery).

#10 was a bit of an odd-ball story in that it had Miss Marple visiting with her nephew Raymond West's grand-daughter. I think most would picture Miss Marple in the original stories (1927 to 1976) as a permanent or slowly aging 60 to 80 years old. Jumping an entire 2 generations would seem to add 40 years or so to her age i.e. making her 100 to 120 years old. Or, perhaps like the best of fictional characters, she is simply immortal😊.

1. Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley. **** Miss Marple visits an old school colleague when the local choir leader is found murdered.

2. The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid. ***** A sequel to the 1st Miss Marple novel The Murder at the Vicarage with many of the same characters. McDermid captures the atmosphere of the original very well.

3. Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole. *** Miss Marple joins her nephew Raymond West and his wife Joan in a trip to NYC to attend the opening of a theatrical adaptation of his first novel. An apparent death occurs at the theatre dress rehearsal.

4. The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes. **** A man appears on a family doorstep and is later murdered for no apparent reason. I had expected that this one would somehow tie-into Greco-Roman classical myths based on my other readings of Natalie Haynes, but it didn’t. It did however tie-in to a rather famous historical court case from the middle ages 🤐 .

5. Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware. ***** Miss Marple spends Christmas with her nephew Raymond and his wife Joan visiting her. They attend Christmas dinner at the Bantrys, along with several others, when a jewelry theft occurs.

6. The Open Mind by Naomi Alderman. *** Miss Marple attends a Founders’ Dinner at St. Bede College when an apparent murder occurs.

7. The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok. *** Miss Marple is on a cruise to Hong Kong on the Jade Empress cruise line when a murder occurs on board the ship.

8. A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell. ***** Miss Marple attends a wedding where one of the guests is apparently poisoned. The groom’s parents want to cover up that a death has occurred.

9. Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths. ** Probably the oddest story in the collection. A writer who is apparently planning a murder goes on a vacation to the Villa Rosa where he meets a strange collection of people including Miss Marple. Once the reveal comes it is a bit of a letdown.

10. The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus. *** Miss Marple is again on vacation in Cape Cod with her nephew Raymond’s grand-daughter(? This seems like a completely unrealistic jump in generations) Nicola. A friend of Nicola asks Miss Marple to investigate why her family’s patriarch is suspicious of his family trying to murder him.

11. The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse. *** Miss Marple meets a curate on a train and is asked to help find his missing girlfriend.

12. The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo. ***** Miss Marple is called back from a London trip by her old friend Mrs. Bantry who is living in the Lodge at her old residence Gossington Hall. The scion of the new owners has gone missing with the family jewels. Also, the body of a local girl has been found, a suicide or murder?

I could not properly utilize the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® for these mysteries. In short stories the reveal comes along so soon that you really have no time to analyze or ponder the clues. I would thus rate all of these at the high end of the scale as 8s to 10s (i.e. almost impossible to solve by the reader), even if the bad 'un may be somewhat obvious due to Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters.

Twelve writers have maintained their own unique style while capturing Christie's Miss Marple accurately, and without resorting to parody. These intriguing murderous puzzles are as delicious as Christie's own. Some even include Christie-like blinkered expression, suggesting prejudice. Just like any collection of short stories, including Dame Christie's own, some were better than others although I enjoyed all of them. My favourite was The Second Murder in the Vicarage by Val McDermid.½

Easy to read. Some of the stories were truly delightful. The first couple of offerings were weak. In truth, nobody does Agatha Christie novels like Agatha Christie which is unfortunate.½

My Rating : 3.7⭐

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries is an anthology that comprises twelve short stories, featuring Dame Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple, the much-loved detective, and written by contemporary crime-fiction writers. Varied in approach and setting (including the fictional village of St. Mary Mead, London, the Amalfi Coast, Asia and the United States), this is a mixed bag as is most anthologies. While I did enjoy the collection as a whole, a few of the stories were particularly noteworthy:

In Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware (4.5/5) the theft of a valuable string of pearls during a Christmas gathering at Gossington Hall puts a damper on the festivities. This story is truly reminiscent of Agatha Christie's signature style in terms of a closed room setting, multiple suspects, and a surprising revelation. A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell (4.5/5), has Miss Marple teaming up with her friend Miss Bella whose niece’s wedding becomes the scene of a murder. In The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok (4/5) we find Miss Marple on a cruise to Hong Kong during which two murders occur and the daughter of one of the victims is the accused. It is up to Miss Marple to figure out what truly happened. In The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus (4.5/5), Miss Marple and her great–grand-niece Nicola West work together to solve the mystery behind the murder of the grandfather of one of Nicola’s school friends. This story is set in the United States.

My ratings for the remaining stories are as follows:
• Evil In Small Places By Lucy Foley (3.5/5)
• The Second Murder At The Vicarage By Val McDermid (3.5/5)
• Miss Marple Takes Manhattan By Alyssa Cole (3/5)
• The Unravelling By Natalie Haynes (3.5/5)
• The Open Mind By Naomi Alderman (3/5)
• Murder At The Villa Rosa By Elly Griffiths (3.5/5)
• The Mystery Of The Acid Soil By Kate Mosse (3.5/5)
• The Disappearance By Leigh Bardugo (3/5)

I love everything Agatha Christie and while I have enjoyed her short stories in the past I prefer the novels because of the gradual unraveling of the mystery and the analysis of the characters involved, which is hard to do in a story that spans thirty-odd pages. Having said that, I do feel this collection is a fun read and must say that the authors have done a commendable job of crafting stories that are original yet reminiscent of Christie’s work (I loved the references to Miss Marple’s original stories), featuring characters and places both new and familiar. Overall, this is an enjoyable read that would appeal to fans of the original Queen of Mystery.

A collection of twelve short stories featuring Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple reimagined by various authors.

I’m not a huge fan of short stories as they are not usually ‘meaty’ enough for me but when I saw ‘Marple’ on the Pigeonhole app, I thought I’d give it a go! Some mysteries are definitely better than others. My favourites are Miss Marple’s Christmas by Ruth Ware and The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse. I prefer the mysteries set in a village location as these seem to have more of a feel and the essence of the Miss Marple I know and love. Miss Marple Takes Manhatten has too many Americanisms for my liking - Miss Marple would not use the word ‘panhandle’ as she is a typically English elderly lady who was born at the beginning of the 20thC. The Open Mind is set in a university and this also didn’t fit the Miss Marple mould for me. In some stories Miss Marple is almost peripheral to the plot, a background character where normally we are very aware of her. However, I do think the authors are brave to try to emulate such a well loved sleuth, so hats off to them.

All in all, quite an enjoyable read but with some hits and some misses along the way.

Probably more like 3.5. These were mostly enjoyable, with a few head scratchers. I'd love to know what information the authors were given before writing. The story involving a great-great-niece was confusing when it was meant to be in a similar timeline to the story where the nephew was just announcing a first pregnancy. The Murder at the Villa wasn't even a mystery? I liked the story right away but then was disappointed when it went absolutely nowhere.
I liked that there was diversity in the authors chosen, and that each author tried to adapt Marple to fit their culture or background to some extent. Classic Marple certainly had some questionable racial moments, so updating her to be more inclusive was a good move. On the other hand, I'm not sure updating her to be chill with a murder was...

Miss Jane Marple solves mysteries in the 1960’s during visits and trips with her nephew, Raymond West. Twelve mystery writers create adventures for Miss Jane Marple in England, America, Hong Kong, and other locations. Not all the short stories contain a murder, but the majority of deaths fall under poisoning. Miss Marple complains constantly of her age and being tired, I guess so as she must be close to ninety years old. For that age, Miss Marple remains very active and nosy. Each writer brings in different stories concerning greed over an inheritance, mistaken identity, hiding benefactors, stealing pearls, and snubbed children. None of the stories remain in my mind as outstanding, but each attempted to show Miss Marple as a brilliant detective.

For the first time in forty-five years, one of the best sleuths in all of crime fiction returns to investigate twelve new cases in Marple. Twelve authors put their own personal spin on beloved elderly spinster Jane Marple, making this quite enjoyable to read.

Readers get to revisit the vicarage, Gossington Hall, and other places in England, but they also get to see Jane solve crimes on Broadway in New York City, on Cape Cod, in Hong Kong, and on the Amalfi Coast in Italy-- mostly thanks to her nephew the novelist.

All the stories are winners, and I have to admit that I do like how Miss Marple was "updated" by showing her help a young Chinese woman and an interracial couple. Even faces familiar to Marple fans are seen in a different light.

It was obvious to me that all the authors had fun writing their stories, but some seemed to have a bit more fun than others, and their stories really shone. Which ones? Val McDermid with her "The Second Murder at the Vicarage"; Elly Griffiths' "Murder at the Villa Rosa"; Karen M. McManus' "The Murdering Sort"; and Leigh Berdugo's "The Disappearance". These were my particular favorites although-- as I said-- all the stories are good.

This anthology breathes some life into Miss Jane Marple. Her deductive capabilities shine, and the authors made me laugh several times, especially when one mentioned the fact that all of Miss Marple's relatives could be assured of receiving one of her knitted blankets at one time or another.

Fans of Miss Marple should enjoy this anthology, and I wouldn't be surprised if she gains new devotees who experience her talents for the first time.

Only read two stories. Not a patch on Agatha.

These short stories are so fun! With Agatha Christie‘s Miss Marple mysteries, you’re never wondering if the mystery will be solved or who will figure it out. You know Miss Marple’s gonna remember what the butcher’s delivery boy said to her housemaid last Thursday before choir practice, and that will save the day. The fun is in figuring out which details are clues… and in laughing at the characters who underestimate Aunt Jane. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough time to really get a mystery going in these short ones, it this works perfectly, they’re all solid mysteries. Maybe because we already know Miss Marple, and her nephew Raymond, and St Mary Mead and all, so the story can focus on the mystery.

full reaction, contains mild spoilers (if you've not familiar with the Marple books)

This was an entertaining collection of short stories by different authors, all taking on their own spin of Agatha Christie’s amateur elderly sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. As with any type of collection like this, there will be some hits and misses, but for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised on the quality of most of these. A nice addition to any mystery collection.

Nicely put together - assortment of skilled and inventive writers - lots of fun

If the intent for this book really is to "introduce [Miss Marple] to a whole new generation" rather than pull in existing fans, then I guess I am the intended audience. I've not read any of Agatha Christie's stories involving Miss Marple and this short story collection didn't make me want to pick one up. Perhaps I just don't like short form mysteries, but none of the stories seemed especially engaging or clever to me. For the most part they were mediocre and felt I could be reading any number of better written and more compelling mysteries instead.
Reading the various takes on Miss Marple back to back was also odd. The character was different enough from author to author that it was hard to think of her as one character despite the commonalities. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was an unusual way to be introduced to the character.½

On the whole, I was fairly satisfied with these. They are not great, but, then, neither were Christie's Miss Marple short stories—if anything, these were rather better, often bearing comparison with the novels.

With one exception, I never felt that the lead character wasn't Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. The one exception was the very last story, 'The Disappearance'by Leigh Bardugo. Sorry, but I couldn't believe in this character's behaviour as Miss Marple. Rather spoilt the set.

I've given them three and a half stars—nothing special, but entertaining enough to while away a few hours.½

These twelve short stories have captured the essence of Jane Marple. In this collection, she is not only home, but travels away from St. Mary Mead to various locals, including New York City in the United States. Her reputation as a sleuth precedes her, and her talents are called upon when the local police are too slow in solving the crime. All these tales were entertaining, and I would be hard pressed to say which I liked best. They were all different, yet Miss Marple remained constant, and subtly in control. I think Agatha would approve!

Warning Flag #1: There is no listed editor for this anthology. Warning Flag #2: The “copyright page” consists of citing Agatha Christie Ltd., with no indication of copyright for the actual authors of the stories in this volume. Warning Flag #3: While less indicative of warning, although the “about the authors” section describes each of these 12 writers as best-selling writers, I’ve only heard of a handful of them. This doesn’t mean the descriptions are inaccurate, of course, but I read a lot of mysteries, and a lot of British mysteries, and to have such a high percentage of unknown-to-me writers claiming to be best-sellers is a little odd. All of that out of the way, what about the stories? Well, some were quite good; I liked Ruth Ware’s “Miss Marple’s Christmas,” Naomi Alderman’s “The Open Mind,” Dreda Say Mitchell’s “A Deadly Wedding Day,” and Elly Griffiths’ “Murder At the Villa Rosa.” In most of the other stories, though, the sleuth could have been anybody - they’re just not Miss Marple specific, so to speak. And in one, not only does Miss Marple travel to NYC, but she travels to an NYC where HUAC (early 1950s), Jackie Kennedy (early 1960s) and the title “Ms.” (mid-1970s) are all contemporaneous, which is pure sloppiness.. For Miss M completists only, and then only for the few I mentioned.

95 years after Miss Marple made her first appearance in 1927 in a short story called The Tuesday Night Club, here she comes to life again. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of new Miss Marple short stories. The writers were committed to producing authentic and believable stories. Readers who know their Marple mysteries will recognise characters and settings that appeared in the original novels and short stories, as well as appreciating what each of these writers has tried to do.

Not all stories are even but they all blend remarkably well, picking up on all the little idiosyncrasies of Miss Marple and her entourage. Some are delightfully funny, others have a real mystery at their heart, and others yet are almost more like Christie than the esteemed author herself. I definitely enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend this volume to fans who will recognize the little allusions to the original series.

This is my first time reading Miss Marple by Agatha Christie. I had my fingers crossed right from the day I requested the book. Each story is written by a renowned author. All the stories are short and simple. Not entirely tricky ones in comparison to Agatha Christie. All the authors have justified with the plot and given Miss Marple an interesting characterization. I really enjoyed all the stories. A perfect for readers who want to start reading Agatha Christie. The only thing you cannot expect from the book is action and adventure.

Definitely 5 stars to the book. Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

I am not a lover of short stories and haven't read Christie for many a year but I was intrigued by the idea of this book. The stories are very much a mixed bag. The best are true to the original in terms of setting or are ones in which Miss Marple is a very tangential figure. The less successful are the stories which try to bring us too far into the future or which focus more on 'woke' themes in order to be politically correct. As with all anthologies the reader can skip through the less satisfying episodes without a shred of remorse and I'm afraid I did that. Funnily enough, my favourites were written by authors I am already familiar with and whose work I enjoy!

New Miss Marple stories?! All written by some of my favorite authors?! Yes please!!
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries has just released and features fresh Marple tales from some of the best mystery authors around - 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. This collection has the seal of approval from Christie's estate.

The details of this iconic character are used in all of these stories - her knitting, her prim and unassuming manner, her cozy village of St. Mary Mead, her nephew, author Raymond West and his wife, the respect Miss Marple has earned from her amateur sleuthing and more.

Some of the tales take us from St. Mary Mead to far off locations and some are closer to home. But what hasn't changed are her keen observational skills. I always enjoy the seemingly effortless way Miss Marple deduces who the culprit is. I'm with the supporting cast in each tale - just waiting for the final word on 'whodunit'.

I really enjoy short story collections. It's nice to stop and take a break with a cuppa to read a story or two and have the closure of a solved case. I can honestly say I enjoyed each and every story. I've read most of the contributors works and it was fun to see bits of their own styles in the Miss Marple stories.