The Murder at the Vicarage: A Miss Marple Mystery

Name: The Murder at the Vicarage: A Miss Marple Mystery
Availability: InStock
Author: Agatha Christie
ISBN: B000FC12XW

by Agatha Christie

Book 1 in the Miss Marple Mysteries series

Historical Women Sleuths Amateur Sleuths

british 1930s

🛒 View on Amazon

About The Murder at the Vicarage: A Miss Marple Mystery

The Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie’s first mystery to feature the beloved investigator Miss Marple—as a dead body in a clergyman’s study proves to the indomitable sleuth that no place, holy or otherwise, is a sanctuary from homicide. Miss Marple encounters a compelling murder mystery in the sleepy little village of St. Mary Mead, where under the seemingly peaceful exterior of an English country village lurks intrigue, guilt, deception and death. Colonel Protheroe, local magistrate and overbearing land-owner is the most detested man in the village. Everyone--even in the vicar--wishes he were dead. And very soon he is--shot in the head in the vicar's own study. Faced with a surfeit of suspects, only the inscrutable Miss Marple can unravel the tangled web of clues that will lead to the unmasking of the killer

What readers say

Miss Marple's first full-length case, narrated by the local vicar, and readers enjoy the village gossip, gentle humor, red herrings and Miss Marple quietly noticing everything. Critics say the middle drags, Miss Marple appears less than they'd like, the cast is large and the ending relies on a lot of explanation, and some guessed the killer. Recent reviews are mostly positive and call it a charming introduction to the series.

Best for: Readers new to Miss Marple who enjoy slow-burn village whodunits.

Summary of public reader reviews, updated October 2026.