Stonygates had been built originally as a kind of Temple to Victorian Plutocracy - Philanthropy had made of it a home for Juvenile Deliquents. Over the entrance were inscribed the words "Recover Hope All Ye Who Enter Here". But Miss Jane Marple came to Stonygates in fulfilment of a promise to an old school friend to find out what was wrong at this most unusual college, now being run by the friend's third husband and housing, besides two hundred juvenile deliquents, the stepchildren of her previous marriages. As soon as she arrived Jane Marple knew thet her friend was right: something was wrong at Stonygates. What she saw around her was illusion, not reality. In the words of the conjuror "They do it with mirrors" But who? And why?

In Utter Disbelief Miss Marple Read The Letter Addressed To Her From The Recently Deceased Mr Rafiel An Acquaintance She Had Met Briefly On Her Travels. Recognising In Miss Marple A Natural Flair For Justice, Mr Rafiel Had Left Instructions For Her To Investigate A Crime After His Death. The Only Problem Was, He Had Failed To Tell Her Who Was Involved Or Where And When The Crime Had Been Committed. It Was Most Intriguing.

Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories gathers together in one magnificent volume all of Agatha Christie’s short stories featuring her beloved intrepid investigator, Miss Marple. It’s an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that represents some of the finest short form fiction in the crime fiction field, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans. Described by her friend Dolly Bantry as “the typical old maid of fiction,” Miss Marple has lived almost her entire life in the sleepy hamlet of St. Mary Mead. Yet, by observing village life she has gained an unparalleled insight into human nature—and used it to devastating effect. As her friend Sir Henry Clithering, the ex-Commissioner of Scotland Yard, has been heard to say: “She’s just the finest detective God ever made”—and many Agatha Christie fans would agree.

Four of Agatha Christieâe(tm)s twelve, celebrated Miss Marple novels in a single volume, bound in the stylish livery of the new series. The Body in the Library Itâe(tm)s seven in the morning, and the body of a young woman is found in the Bantryâe(tm)s library. And whatâe(tm)s the connection with another dead girl, found in a deserted quarry? Miss Marple is invited to investigate the mystery before tongues start to wagâe¦ and another innocent victim is murdered in cold blood. The Moving Finger The quiet inhabitants of Lymstock are unsettled by a sudden outbreak of hate-mail. But when one of the recipients commits suicide, only Miss Marple questions the coronerâe(tm)s verdict. Is this the work of a poison penâe¦or a poisoner? A Murder is Announced An advertisement in the Chipping Cleghorn Gazette announces the time and place of a forthcoming murder. Many think itâe(tm)s a hoax âe" but the owner of the house named as the murder site is less than impressed. Especially when half the village turn up at the allotted time and then the lights go outâe¦ and the screaming starts. 4.50 from Paddington As two trains run together, side by side, Mrs McGillicuddy watches a murder. Then the other train draws away. With no other witnesses, and not even a body, who will take her story seriously. The she remembers her old friend Miss Marpleâe¦

The first three full-length Miss Marple novels, set before and during the Second World War, see the world's most accomplished amateur sleuth unravelling the dark side of human nature to uncover three cases of Murder Most Foul!

A shocking crime A mansion filled with suspects

Both detective and reader attempt to solve the crimes in detective novels, relying on the same motifs but employing different narrative interpretations to do so. A unique and lucid examination of a complex genre.