REVIEW: Marple - Twelve New Mysteries

 Marple: Twelve New Mysteries
Authors: Various

Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I purchased a set of 5 Hercule Poirot paperbacks at a garage sale when I was 9. I spent all summer reading those books - the first adult paperbacks with small print I ever read. And I have loved her mysteries ever since.

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries isn't Agatha Christie. But, almost 50 years after her death, this anthology from 12 very talented authors is as close as we can get to new stories. Jane Marple. The quiet elderly small village dweller, sitting in a corner quietly knitting or sipping tea.....all the while overserving and putting 2 and 2 together to catch the evildoers. A classic character for almost 100 years now. These authors did a wonderful job of bringing the character back to life in 12 new short stories. Lovely!

The stories:

Evil in Small Places - Lucy Foley: Miss Marple believes that bad things can happen in small villages because everybody is in everyone else's business -- then goes about solving a case that proves her right. Lucy Foley writes mystery/thriller/suspense novels. Her story is spot on when it comes to Jane Marple and the Christie short story vibe. I enjoyed this story, and added two novels by Foley that I haven't read yet to my wait list at my local library. I've previously read her book The Hunting Party and enjoyed it. Now I'm going to read The Guest List, followed by The Paris Apartment.

The Second Murder in the Vicarage  - Val McDermid: A second murder occurs at the vicarage in St. Mary Mead. Luckily, Jane Marple lives right next door. Great story -- and lovely to hear about characters from Murder at the Vicarage again! Val McDermid writes crime/suspense fiction. The television series Wire in the Blood is adapted from her Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series (I've added book 1 in this series to my list at the library). I haven't read any of her novels yet, but I did watch a season of the television show and enjoyed it.

Miss Marple Takes Manhattan - Alyssa Cole: Miss Marple visits Manhattan and gets caught up in sleuthing. I have to admit that I didn't finish this story. Although Miss Marple did travel at times in Christie's stories, I just couldn't picture the character doing these things or being in this situation. So, I DNFd this one. Great writing.....just not Marple-ish enough for me. One great thing about anthologies, even themed ones, is the fact that there is something for every reader. This one was just not for me. Alyssa Cole is an award-winning romance writer.

The Unravelling - Natalie Haynes: Knitting helps Miss Marple solve a murder.I loved the small village feel of this story. The story definitely highlights Miss Marple's talent for sitting in the background knitting and observing, coming up with the solution to a mystery through quiet contempation. Natalie Haynes is an award winning women's fiction author. I'm intrigued by her book Pandora's Jar, a re-telling of Greek mythology with the female characters taking  the lead. I definitely added Pandora's Jar to my TBR!

Miss Marple's Christmas - Ruth Ware. A traditional Christmas with Miss Marple will, of course, include a crime to solve. This story is what first drew my attention to this collection of Marple tales. I enjoy Ruth Ware's books and just had a feeling she would completely knock it out of the park with her story. And she did! This is, by far, my favorite story in the anthology! Ruth Ware writes suspense/thrillers.

The Open Mind - Naomi Alderman. Bad behavior at a stuffy academic dinner turns into something much more sinister. I absolutely love how Miss Marple's character shines out in this story. She's surrounded by people she doesn't really know or particularly like, but spends the entire evening noticing things and listening to conversations (which comes in handy later, of course). In Christie's early Marple stories the character was very much like this, and it made me love this story! Naomi Alderman is an award winning fiction writer and game writer (Run, Zombies!). I added her newest novel The Power to my TBR -- I can't wait to read it! I loved the style of Alderman's story in this anthology and look forward to more of the same!

The Jade Empress - Jean Kwok. Jane Marple travels by ship to visit her nephew in Hong Kong. Of course, a murder occurs on-board during the voyage. Although this story does push the character to the limits a bit, I could absolutely see the independent, shrewd and feisty Miss Marple doing all the things she does in this lovely story. I really enjoyed this one! Jean Kwok writes fiction with Chinese cultural themes.

A Deadly Wedding Day - Dreda Say Mitchell. A wedding reception turns deadly. Although this was a great murder mystery story, it just didn't have that Christie/Marple feel to me. Definitely not one of my favorites from this collection. Dreda Say Mitchell is an award winning British crime novelist. I'd love to read some of her crime novels!

Murder at the Villa Rosa - Elly Griffiths. A villa in Italy. A perfect get-away for a tired author....or is it? This story was enjoyable, but not really a Miss Marple sort of tale. Elly Griffiths writes mystery thrillers. I added several to my TBR. Although I didn't really care for her Marple tale, I like her writing style and enjoy suspense stories. So I'm definitely going to try a couple of her books!

The Murdering Sort - Karen McManus. While vacationing, Miss Marple is called in to investigate a murder....before it happens. Ahhh, family intrigue. Very Christie-esque. I liked the fact this story was told from the perspective of Jane's niece. Karen McManus writes YA novels. I enjoyed her Marple story with a YA flavor. Nicely done!

The Mystery of the Acid Soil  - Kate Mosse. A chance meeting on a train involves Miss Marple in an investigation. I enjoyed this story. The characters, plot and setting all had a nice Marple-y feel to them. Kate Mosse is an award winning fiction writer. Years ago I read her novel Labyrinth and loved it, but I never finished the series. I have added it to my TBR and will right this wrong! Great story in this collection. I could see Miss Marple in my head, knitting on the train, and being her usual inquisitive self. :) Lovely!

The Disappearance - Leigh Bardugo. Miss Marple is called in to investigate a disappearance in St. Mary Mead. This one didn't work for me. The ending is not, in my opinion, what Jane Marple would have done in the circumstances. But, others may feel differently. Leigh Bardugo is a bestselling YA author. I added her Six of Crows series to my TBR. I've been wanting to read it -- time to get it done!

I love how this anthology includes stories from authors that are all so different. Everything from YA fantasy to romance writers. Some of the stories were completely in line with the Christie character for me...and others were off a bit. But there's something for every reader in this lovely book.

So happy that they brought Jane back for a few more investigations! Poirot next? Please?