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A Murder Is Announced: A Miss Marple Mystery
A Murder Is Announced: A Miss Marple Mystery
A Murder Is Announced: A Miss Marple Mystery
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A Murder Is Announced: A Miss Marple Mystery

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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A Murder is Announced in a small-town newspaper advertisement—and Miss Marple must unravel the fiendish puzzle when a crime does indeed occur.

The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn are agog with curiosity when the Gazette advertises “A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.”

A childish practical joke? Or a spiteful hoax? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, the locals arrive at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out and a gun is fired. When they come back on, a gruesome scene is revealed. An impossible crime? Only Miss Marple can unravel it.

 

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateMar 17, 2009
ISBN9780061750380
Author

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I’ve read this book since the late nineties, adding in a few splodges of listening on Audio and recently added it on Audible since my ipod bit the dust and I can’t afford a new one. It’s like a comfortable blanket that every now and then I pull out of the boiler closet and just wrap myself back into the story for the week it takes me to read/listen. I know the story nearly be heart by now, and I know exactly who did and –why-, but that never stops me from wanting to read/listen to it at least once a year. I don’t think there is any better praise I can make of it, other than the fact that I have it on Audible, in paperback and in Facsimile edition. The characters in it might fall into stereotypes, the background these characters live in may not be fully fleshed out and after two to three reads it may be easy enough to recall even after months between in reading it, but I still find the mystery, the actual writing style of Agatha Christie that grips me every time.Miss Marple remains one of my favourite detectives, outclassing Poirot who I find shines more on screen rather than any actual reading, as I love how the nosy, old woman can not only use occurrences that have happened in her own small village to figure out what people are really like, -and- take her pretence of just –another- gossipy old woman to piece it all together. It can be slightly annoying how she falls back into that fluffy woman by the end, attempting to give the police all the credit but it is understandable. Agatha Christie carefully weaves in Miss Marple’s mindset through the entire book, leaving little pieces of her background that explains what kind of life the main character had, how her views were formed by the yester-years and how that still colours the opinion and mannerisms of Miss Marple. And at the same time, it proves that if Miss Marple had been allowed, had chosen to, she could have been a great detective herself. I’d highly recommend this, if my review wasn’t praise enough to –why- it should be read and bought, and this is one of my favourite Agatha Christies, along with ‘The Caribbean Mystery’, ‘A Pocketfull of Rye’ and ‘The Body In the Library’.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Clipping Cleghorn, England, ca 1950I lokalavisen for Clipping Cleghorn, bekendtgøres at der vil ske et mord i "Little Paddocks" om aftenen kl halv syv. Alle tror at det blot er en invitation til en selskabsleg og mange dukker op.Men lyset går ud, en mand kommer ind og råber "hænderne op", værtinden Miss Blacklock bliver såret i øreflippen og "røveren", en ung mand, Rudi Scherz, ansat som receptionist ved et lokalt hotel, bliver skudt og dræbt.Kriminalkommisær Dermot Eric Craddock og politiassistent Legg bliver sat på sagen. I baggrunden finder vi forhenværende politidirektør for Scotland Yard, Sir Henry Clithering. Miss Jane Marple bor på hotel i nærheden og bliver involveret. Craddock borer lidt i sagen og finder ud af at en af dørene i huset er blevet smurt i forvejen. Mrs Letitia Blacklock står til at arve en masse penge, så måske er det dem, der ellers ville arve, der er på krigsstien. Siden bliver Letitias gamle og småbimse skoleveninde Dora Bunner forgiftet og dræbt og hushjælpen Miss Murgatroyd bliver kvalt. Jane Marple tager affære og det viser sig at Letitia er død af naturlige årsager, men begravet som Charlotte Blacklock og at Charlotte spiller rollen som Letitia for uretmæssigt at få fat i en stor arv.Udmærket Miss Marple mysterie.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Miss Marple's Wisdom A murder is announced in the local paper. When its actually happens, the Police, with the inestimable help of Miss Marple, gets to solve the matter. In a dynamic plot, with numerous characters and unexpected events, Agatha Christie guides the reader to the answer. One has to pay close attention in order to discover the murderer. This is an interesting plot with a surprising end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emilia Fox did an excellent narration despite the fact that her voice for Miss Marple was a tad too firm for my image of the character.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The residents of Chipping Cleghorn are utterly surprised when an announcement appears in the local paper announcing that a murder will occur at the local estate of Little Paddocks at precisely 6:30 that Friday evening. Assuming that Miss Blacklock or one of her family who reside at Little Paddocks are having some sort of murder mystery party, several residents of the village arrive that evening to see just what will happen. But as they gather in the drawing room, the lights go out at precisely 6:30 and then shots are fired. In the aftermath of the shooting, one question remains: what was the purpose of that night and just who was behind it?Miss Marple mysteries are always a reliable solid read and this one was no exception. For the first time while reading Christie, I did manage to figure out whodunit in advance of the big reveal but I had also watched the episode of Marple adapted from this novel several years ago so some memories may have stuck with me that helped me weed through the red herrings and actual clues. Although this is the fifth Miss Marple novel, it's an excellent novel to try as your first Marple or your first Christie if you haven't taken the plunge yet.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Read this for library book group. The was done to compare with "A Daughter In Time" by Josephine Tey, which was written the same year. Very different styles and themes between the two authors. We understood that had a discord between them, but we couldn't find out the reason. I've read many Christie in the past, but had not previously read this one. I really enjoyed it, even though Miss Marple did play as prominent role as I'm used to. The one downside was that Christie spent a fair amount of time at the conclusion, after the climax, explaining how all the clues tied together. She did a good job of providing the clues throughout the book, but their ties were not all apparent till the conclusion.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Here is the book that made me guess the murderer for the first time ever. It's a classic and not a dime novel, and I'm glad for that. Other people too have guessed correctly and in hindsight I must say that the finale, with Miss Marple hiding and using her voice, is slightly artificial, clumsy and forced. Nevertheless most of the book is vintage Christie, and this book pushed me to read more and all of the Marpel stories. P.S Miss Murgatroyd and Hinchcliffe are "the L word".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favorite Agatha Christie novels, and a treasure of misdirection. Not to be missed.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    A Murder is Announced was, as I'm finding usual with Agatha Christie, quite fun and reasonably absorbing. One could tire of it very easily, since the writing isn't anything special -- although I generally like the characters in the background quite a lot. When I like them a lot, it's a three-star read; when no one particularly caught my attention, only two-star. (The difference between "it was ok" and "liked it".)

    The plot of this one is very torturous, and very... unlikely. Okay, okay, most of these books are, but the way that two imposters show up, but neither of them are actually doing anything wrong, although both keep their identity hidden, and then suddenly at the end a third imposter is revealed...

    Still, fun and easy, which is what I expect from these books.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Was this mystery so predictable or was it that I've became an expert in Christie's kind of mysteries & twists?...

    I guessed the murderer & guessed most reasons of the events be4 Miss Marple kindly reveal the truth in details @ the end .. I've always failed 2 guess the murderer except this time.. was so easy, predictable and typical.. and 'm officially an Agatha Christie expert :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of my favorite Miss Marple novels so far. She really is a sweet old dear, but amazingly shrewd. The plot was complex, suspenseful, and interesting. I had no idea who the murderer was until the end. The whole plot is attention grabbing and creepy - I like that.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is an interesting story and one in which Christie explores identity as quute a few characters turn out not to be who the reader thinks they are. The final revelation of the murderer is quite shocking, even by Christie's standards.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Miss Marple solves another murder in a small village. Not my favorite Miss Marple, but very good.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Guessed the culprit very early on in the novel but I really enjoyed this story nonetheless, which goes to show Christie could have been a delightful general fiction author too. Very interesting characters, some funny lines and some metatextual references to Christie's life as an author plus some an intertextual reference at the end to Elephants Can Remember which I thought was lovely. Really great atmosphere throughout - I could picture everything very easily. Just like the Poirot books at some point, Christie lingers on how society has changed and how little people follow expected patterns of behaviour now. It made me think about how the profession of policeman and detective has changed since 1950 and how little it relies on actual detection and psychology today. This is a nice book, with an interesting premise and a jolly good read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a good Jane Marple mystery with an interesting beginning that hooks the reader quickly.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Guests fill an English home when word spreads there will be a murder there. And there is…

    A gem amongst the Marple canon, "A Murder is Announced" takes a delightful premise – the announcement in a village newspaper that there will be a murder, at a specific time and place – and runs with it. From the opening scenes, as the entire village feigns disinterest while actually gearing up for the big event, to the slowly discombobulating aftermath in which her array of characters can’t quite fathom what is happening within the confines of their safe little hamlet, it’s solid Christie fun.

    The net of suspects is a little wider than usual, including some slightly “racy” characters in the lesbian pair, although their sexual nature is mentioned only in asides and implications, rather than made explicit. The novel is a perfectly contrived locked-room mystery, which we can’t put together but where every clue seems to expose one person and exonerate another. While the solution is (as usual) a bit far-fetched, there is a strong emotional resonance from both the murderer’s actions, and the unwittingly tragic actions of the other characters.

    Not everything is perfect. The multiple mistaken identities are excessive for any situation, let alone a quaint village, but I’ll forgive it on this occasion as the stakes are high. And one element at the climax - namely a sudden skill of legerdemain developed by Miss Marple – is pointedly silly. But in spite of this, Christie clearly enjoyed this novel, and that enjoyment comes across to the reader, making this Christie’s best novel of the 1950s, and a source of solid adaptations for both Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan.

    Along with the characterisations, clever plotting, and delightful premise, one of the reasons that "A Murder is Announced" ranks so high is because it exemplifies a classic Christie formula, a formula which – sadly – is often altered in the ’90s and ’00s TV films to accommodate deeper portrayals of the characters. Now, I’m one of the biggest supporters of these deeper, slightly more tragic adaptations, but it can prove very frustrating. In a 90-minute film, you get 20 minutes of exposition and 20 minutes of increasing character tensions before the murder even happens. This is followed by each suspect getting one short scene (except the biggest star, who might get two), a second murder, a few scenes to tie up loose ends, and then a denouement. In short, the screenwriter gives us the same information, just that much of it comes before the murder. Not inherently a problem, no, but I often yearn for the ‘classic’ formula in which the murder occurs very, very early on. Seeing the process of Poirot or Marple putting together the clues through extensive interviews and twists is much more interesting, but perhaps it comes across stronger in a novel than on film. Either way, it’s the standard for many of my utter favourites, such as "Hercule Poirot’s Christmas", "Death in the Clouds", "Cards on the Table" and this.

    Marple ranking: 1st of 14
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the second Miss Marple book I have read, but it won't be the last. I loved it! Everyone in Chipping Cleghorn is stunned when "a murder is announced" in the local gazette. Naturally, they all assume it will be a dinner party with a dramatized crime, but it's still odd that no one knew anything about it beforehand - least of all Ms. Blacklock, at whose house it is supposed to occur! Knowing her neighbors as she does, she expects them all to drop by at the appointed time. Once everyone is gathered, the lights go out and a gun goes off. The body of a young mane is very real, as is the bullet graze on Ms. Blacklock. Who could have orchestrated this and why would anyone want to harm Ms. Blacklock?This is a Miss Marple mystery, but like her first case Murder at the Vicarage, it is not told from her point of view. This time, the Constable tells the story as he tries to sort through all the witnesses, make sense of small town life, and track the killer. Miss Marple appears about a third of the way through, visiting friends. Her keen observations, and familiarity with small town life, help point the way for the constable. She isn't the only one who connects some of the dots, and there will be more victims before she solves the mystery.It's rare for a book to surprise me, even a mystery, but the conclusion here was nearly as brilliant as the one in "And Then There Were None." Further, it was completely earned. Sometimes, I feel like the deduction of super sleuths is contrived, the arrive at the last to put the puzzle together with information only they have. Here, Christie laid out all the clues Miss Marple pieces together so the solution works. A great read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Years ago I watched Joan Hickson play Miss Marple in this story and had completely forgotten who the murder was. As I finished reading the book I realized I followed the same though process of suspecting some characters as I did with the movie. This is an exceptionally good and intricate plot. Mrs. Christie was an extremely good writer, as generally were the writers of hers and the prior generations. (And that is the main reason why I can't stand modern authors, who are mostly poor, sloppy writers.) This repartee from "Julia" is fantastic: "I needn't have had a job then. I could have just stayed at home and done the flowers, and written notes... why did one write notes and who were they to?" It contains the author's subtle sense of humor and her frequent comments about days gone by--that she clearly missed. This book was a pleasure to read and I had to tear myself away from it every time I needed to stop reading. I love Agatha Christie's books and always look forward to reading her stories. I must stress the fact that I never enjoyed reading mystery books until I read hers. Highly recommend this one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Everyone in the village is surprised to read an announcement of murder in the newspaper's local ads. The villagers assume it's an invitation to a murder game at Letitia Blacklock's home, Little Paddocks. Letitia has two young cousins living with her, and surely one of them is to blame. But the residents of Little Paddocks are as much surprised as anyone. The villagers gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time. Suddenly the lights go out, shots ring, and when the lights go up, someone lies dead...In earlier Miss Marple novels, Miss Marple's appearances are short and sweet. She has much more “face time” in this novel. She is gaining a reputation within law enforcement circles as a reliable witness and a shrewd judge of character and motive. Perhaps a younger Christie didn't quite know what to do with her elderly sleuth. As the age gap closed between Christie and her fictional creation, it seems Christie saw more possibilities for Miss Marple as a central actor rather than a sideline observer.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In the newspaper an announcement is made to the townspeople, that they are invited to a murder on a particular evening, at a particular time, at a particular home....No one knows what to make of it, but seems as if it is an invitation to a "who-done-it" party.... The residents of the house, are as surprised as everyone else, but they prepare for guests....A little past the time the lights go off, a per son w/ a gun enters and shoots.... but then when the lights go back on, the shooter is found dead, murdered.The premise was interesting, but (at the beginning) the characters were insipid & uninspiring. I didn't like them, nor did I like the endless mindless chatter that was their conversations..... so the book began as ONE StarAs the book moves on & Miss Marple sticks her nose in, the book definitely picks up, and I ended up liking it after all!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Miss Marple pays a visit to her niece, a vicar's wife in a neighboring village. Of course, she arrives just in time to help the local police investigate murder and mystery. A great read as usual.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Believe it or not, this is the first book by Agatha Christie I have read. She is a much-beloved mystery writer, and was extremely prolific. Perhaps you can divide the reading world into those who are Agatha Christie fans, and those who are not. I, unfortunately, fall into the Not-a-Fan crowd. I didn't like the dated characters or the contrived way in which the crime occurred and was solved. However, for those who haven't read this one, which belongs to the Miss Marple series (of which my only knowledge is the Angela Lansbury reruns my mother watches), here is a brief description:One Friday morning an announcement appears in the local newspaper: "A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation." Based on this notice, the owner of Little Paddocks prepares refreshments for a gathering that evening, and various residents of the town who read the announcement drop 'round Little Paddocks for drinks. All are mystified by the announcement. Promptly at 6:30, the lights go out, and all are in darkness, until the door is opened and a dark figure holding a flashlight stands in the doorway. Shots ring out. When the lights go back on, a stranger lies in the doorway, dead, and the hostess has been wounded. Police begin an investigation, and Miss Marple arrives in town to gently guide them on their way.I think Agatha Christie fans would like this, and technically there's nothing wrong with it. As I said, however, this type of book isn't my thing.2 1/2 stars
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Although this novel didn’t have me on tenterhooks, I appreciate the author’s plotting skills and characterisation. It’s a book I liked in parts rather than on the whole. At times it bored me a little, but certain scenes proved highly engaging.Bunny is my favourite character. Without giving anything away, there’s a scene where guests arrive at a house, speaking with tact, trying to learn something with a series of subtle hints, then Bunny arrives and asks outright the question that the others have been hinting at. Classic comedy timing!Read this in January 2012, so can't remember much more at nearly six years on.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Classic Ms. Marple -- what's not to love?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Just as I've changed over the years, my tastes have changed as well. When my children were little, I used to while away nap time reading and Agatha was one of my first choices. I even gave the librarian a bad time because they didn't carry more of her books. Agatha's books aren't usually my first choice now, I read this one because it was the July book choice for my local Sisters in Crime group. The beginning reminded me of old black and white movies where everyone was all a flutter because of the announcement in the paper. All were under the impression it was to be a murder mystery game. When a burglar stumbles in upon the party to hold them up and gets shot someone has to determine who he was, why he was killed, and who did it. Inspector Craddock is obviously incapable of handling it without help from Miss Marple. The story is filled with quirky characters who may or may not be who they say they are. The hostess soon becomes the obvious true target but with lots of red herrings it becomes difficult to decide what is really going on. I would recommend this book to all cozy lovers. This was Agatha's 50th book published in 1950 in a simpler time set in a more picturesque setting and if you are looking for something that doesn't make you cringe or keep you up at night, this would be a good choice. Happy reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Everybody in Chipping Cleghorn reads the personal column in "the Gazette." One day a strange listing appears declaring a murder will take place at Little Paddocks on Friday, October 29th at 6:30 p.m. Everyone who knows Miss Blacklock thinks it's a murder party so they all show up. Miss Blacklock didn't put the announcement in the paper and she doesn't know what will happen. Then a youngman appears in the doorway, the lights go out, a flashlight blinds the group, and three shots ring out. Miss Blacklock is wounded and the only casualty is the youngman. Who is he? Why would he want to rob or kill Miss Blacklock?This is the first Miss Marple story I have read and I found her to be a lovely character. She is an expert on human nature because of all the people she has known in the small town she lives in. When puzzling out a murder case she simply relates the incidents to simular situations from her past. The novel is an interesting look at English life right after World War II. It was originally published in 1950. Miss Marple talks about how you don't know yours neighbors as well as you used to because so many people have been displaced because of the war and have moved to smaller towns. There is an interesting barter system in Chipping Cleghorn where people trade meat, milk, honey etc. One of the characters is a young war widow with a small son who works as a gardener.A friend of mine had told me that she finds reading Agatha Christie mysterys very soothing. I didn't know what she ment until I started this novel. It was if my mind sighed and relaxed. I'm not British, yet I found the characters way of speaking very familiar and enjoyable. Maybe that is why the genre is called "cozy."
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I read this Agatha Christie novel to "cleanse my literary palate" after spending that rather dull time with Renoir in LUNCHEON OF THE BOATING PARTY. Alas, this mystery featuring Miss Jane Marple was rather slow, too. Clever solution of the murders, but the summing up between Miss Marple and Inspector Craddock was 26 pages long. Christie's wit shows through in the story. The first time I read it in the late 60's I'm sure I didn't appreciate that wit. And the characters were entertaining, if a bit stereotyped. Unfortunately, I won't be re-visiting Miss Marple for a long while. Sigh!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A very long time ago. when I was in my twenties, I discovered Agatha Christie and immediately read many of her books, one after another. At that time and age, I was completely taken with Hercule Pirot. I considered him to be her superior sleuth.Now many years later I am reading Agatha again, with a mind to savour each book and enjoy the wonderful way she has with conversation, her exact pin-pointing of an era in time, and of course, her highly entertaining murders. Much to my surprise I am finding Jane Marple to be my new favourite. Perhaps because I am older myself, I can appreciate her art of being a good listener, her gentle, yet probing questions and her way of fitting into the background and observing all. I still love Hercule, but Jane Marple is winning a special place in my heart.A Murder Is Announced is a Jane Marple story, and what a story indeed. Filled with wonderful characters and having a lovely English village atmosphere, I suspect this one is destined to be one of my all time favourites, it even had the delightful ending of inviting all the witnesses to the scene of the crime for accusations and the final solving. I am so glad that I discovered Agatha Christe in my youth, yet I am equally glad to be able to enjoy her books at this age too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well, I'll be! Miss Marple deigns to make an appearance before three-quarters of the book is up. How kind of her to come. One of Christie's better stories, though I still prefer Poirot.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks, at 6:30 p.m. Friends accept this, the only intimation."

    Little Paddocks is set in a typical village in the English countryside, where people enjoy the quiet life, away from the hustle and bustle of bigger towns, and where everyone knows everything that is going on in the lives of their neighbours. Or do they?

    “In an English village, you turn over a stone and have no idea what will crawl out.”

    I have read A Murder is Announced three times now and I still count this as one of my favourite Christie novel - and, yes, even that sanctimonious old busy-body that is Miss Marple does not spoil the book for me.
    The reasons I like the story so much are quite simple: It's essentially a locked-room mystery, but in this one the motives for the murder are different from some of the other mysteries and caused me to think a lot about the effect that the one simple lie (I won't spoil which one) had on the lives of all the people involved - including on the perpetrator, who is very conflicted over the course of actions taken, when that lie is at risk of being discovered.

    “It's what's in yourself that makes you happy or unhappy.”


    Unlike in some other Christie mysteries, the portrayal of characters is also much more sympathetic to the more ordinary characters who usually seem to be somewhat patronised or ridiculed - quite often by Marple, which is why I don't like her much. For some reason, she's not as quick to pass judgement in this book and the villagers are allowed to contribute to the story and to the solution.

    “It’s a fine murdering day, (sang Bunch) And as balmy as May And the sleuths from the village are gone.” A rattle of crockery being dumped in the sink drowned the next lines, but as the Rev. Julian Harmon left the house, he heard the final triumphant assertion: “And we’ll all go a’murdering today!”

Book preview

A Murder Is Announced - Agatha Christie

One

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED

I

Between 7:30 and 8:30 every morning except Sundays, Johnnie Butt made the round of the village of Chipping Cleghorn on his bicycle, whistling vociferously through his teeth, and alighting at each house or cottage to shove through the letterbox such morning papers as had been ordered by the occupants of the house in question from Mr. Totman, stationer, of the High Street. Thus, at Colonel and Mrs. Easterbrook’s he delivered The Times and the Daily Graphic; at Mrs. Swettenham’s he left The Times and the Daily Worker; at Miss Hinchcliffe and Miss Murgatroyd’s he left the Daily Telegraph and the New Chronicle; at Miss Blacklock’s he left the Telegraph, The Times and the Daily Mail.

At all these houses, and indeed at practically every house in Chipping Cleghorn, he delivered every Friday a copy of the North Benham News and Chipping Cleghorn Gazette, known locally simply as "the Gazette."

Thus, on Friday mornings, after a hurried glance at the headlines in the daily paper

(International situation critical! U.N.O. meets today! Bloodhounds seek blonde typist’s killer! Three collieries idle. Twenty-three die of food poisoning in Seaside Hotel, etc.)

most of the inhabitants of Chipping Cleghorn eagerly opened the Gazette and plunged into the local news. After a cursory glance at Correspondence (in which the passionate hates and feuds of rural life found full play) nine out of ten subscribers then turned to the PERSONAL column. Here were grouped together higgledy-piggledy articles for Sale or Wanted, frenzied appeals for Domestic Help, innumerable insertions regarding dogs, announcements concerning poultry and garden equipment; and various other items of an interesting nature to those living in the small community of Chipping Cleghorn.

This particular Friday, October 29th—was no exception to the rule—

II

Mrs. Swettenham, pushing back the pretty little grey curls from her forehead, opened The Times, looked with a lacklustre eye at the left-hand centre page, decided that, as usual, if there was any exciting news The Times had succeeded in camouflaging it in an impeccable manner; took a look at the Births, Marriages and Deaths, particularly the latter; then, her duty done, she put aside The Times and eagerly seized the Chipping Cleghorn Gazette.

When her son Edmund entered the room a moment later, she was already deep in the Personal Column.

Good morning, dear, said Mrs. Swettenham. The Smedleys are selling their Daimler. 1935—that’s rather a long time ago, isn’t it?

Her son grunted, poured himself out a cup of coffee, helped himself to a couple of kippers, sat down at the table and opened the Daily Worker which he propped up against the toast rack.

"Bull mastiff puppies, read out Mrs. Swettenham. I really don’t know how people manage to feed big dogs nowadays—I really don’t … H’m, Selina Lawrence is advertising for a cook again. I could tell her it’s just a waste of time advertising in these days. She hasn’t put her address, only a box number—that’s quite fatal—I could have told her so—servants simply insist on knowing where they are going. They like a good address … False teeth—I can’t think why false teeth are so popular. Best prices paid … Beautiful bulbs. Our special selection. They sound rather cheap … Here’s a girl wants an ‘Interesting post—Would travel.’ I dare say! Who wouldn’t?… Dachshunds… I’ve never really cared for dachshunds myself—I don’t mean because they’re German, because we’ve got over all that—I just don’t care for them, that’s all.—Yes, Mrs. Finch?"

The door had opened to admit the head and torso of a grim-looking female in an aged velvet beret.

Good morning, Mum, said Mrs. Finch. Can I clear?

Not yet. We haven’t finished, said Mrs. Swettenham. Not quite finished, she added ingratiatingly.

Casting a look at Edmund and his paper, Mrs. Finch sniffed, and withdrew.

I’ve only just begun, said Edmund, just as his mother remarked:

"I do wish you wouldn’t read that horrid paper, Edmund. Mrs. Finch doesn’t like it at all."

I don’t see what my political views have to do with Mrs. Finch.

And it isn’t, pursued Mrs. Swettenham, "as though you were a worker. You don’t do any work at all."

That’s not in the least true, said Edmund indignantly. I’m writing a book.

"I meant real work, said Mrs. Swettenham. And Mrs. Finch does matter. If she takes a dislike to us and won’t come, who else could we get?"

"Advertise in the Gazette," said Edmund, grinning.

"I’ve just told you that’s no use. Oh dear me, nowadays unless one has an old Nannie in the family, who will go into the kitchen and do everything, one is simply sunk."

Well, why haven’t we an old Nannie? How remiss of you not to have provided me with one. What were you thinking about?

"You had an ayah, dear."

No foresight, murmured Edmund.

Mrs. Swettenham was once more deep in the Personal Column.

"Second hand Motor Mower for sale. Now I wonder … Goodness, what a price!… More dachshunds … ‘Do write or communicate desperate Woggles.’ What silly nicknames people have … Cocker Spaniels… Do you remember darling Susie, Edmund? She really was human. Understood every word you said to her … Sheraton sideboard for sale. Genuine family antique. Mrs. Lucas, Dayas Hall … What a liar that woman is! Sheraton indeed …!"

Mrs. Swettenham sniffed and then continued her reading:

"All a mistake, darling. Undying love. Friday as usual.—J … I suppose they’ve had a lovers’ quarrel—or do you think it’s a code for burglars?… More dachshunds! Really, I do think people have gone a little crazy about breeding dachshunds. I mean, there are other dogs. Your Uncle Simon used to breed Manchester Terriers. Such graceful little things. I do like dogs with legs Lady going abroad will sell her navy two piece suiting … no measurements or price given … A marriage is announced—no, a murder. What? Well, I never! Edmund, Edmund, listen to this….

A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation.

What an extraordinary thing! Edmund!"

What’s that? Edmund looked up from his newspaper.

"Friday, October 29th … Why, that’s today."

Let me see. Her son took the paper from her.

But what does it mean? Mrs. Swettenham asked with lively curiosity.

Edmund Swettenham rubbed his nose doubtfully.

Some sort of party, I suppose. The Murder Game—That kind of thing.

Oh, said Mrs. Swettenham doubtfully. It seems a very odd way of doing it. Just sticking it in the advertisements like that. Not at all like Letitia Blacklock who always seems to me such a sensible woman.

Probably got up by the bright young things she has in the house.

It’s very short notice. Today. Do you think we’re just supposed to go?

It says ‘Friends, please accept this, the only intimation,’ her son pointed out.

Well, I think these newfangled ways of giving invitations are very tiresome, said Mrs. Swettenham decidedly.

All right, Mother, you needn’t go.

No, agreed Mrs. Swettenham.

There was a pause.

"Do you really want that last piece of toast, Edmund?"

I should have thought my being properly nourished mattered more than letting that old hag clear the table.

"Sh, dear, she’ll hear you … Edmund, what happens at a Murder Game?"

I don’t know, exactly … They pin pieces of paper upon you, or something … No, I think you draw them out of a hat. And somebody’s the victim and somebody else is a detective—and then they turn the lights out and somebody taps you on the shoulder and then you scream and lie down and sham dead.

It sounds quite exciting.

Probably a beastly bore. I’m not going.

Nonsense, Edmund, said Mrs. Swettenham resolutely. "I’m going and you’re coming with me. That’s settled!"

III

Archie, said Mrs. Easterbrook to her husband, "listen to this."

Colonel Easterbrook paid no attention, because he was already snorting with impatience over an article in The Times.

Trouble with these fellows is, he said, that none of them knows the first thing about India! Not the first thing!

I know, dear, I know.

If they did, they wouldn’t write such piffle.

"Yes, I know. Archie, do listen.

A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th (that’s today), at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation."

She paused triumphantly. Colonel Easterbrook looked at her indulgently but without much interest.

Murder Game, he said.

Oh.

That’s all it is. Mind you, he unbent a little, it can be very good fun if it’s well done. But it needs good organizing by someone who knows the ropes. You draw lots. One person’s the murderer, nobody knows who. Lights out. Murderer chooses his victim. The victim has to count twenty before he screams. Then the person who’s chosen to be the detective takes charge. Questions everybody. Where they were, what they were doing, tries to trip the real fellow up. Yes, it’s a good game—if the detective—er—knows something about police work.

Like you, Archie. You had all those interesting cases to try in your district.

Colonel Easterbrook smiled indulgently and gave his moustache a complacent twirl.

Yes, Laura, he said. I dare say I could give them a hint or two.

And he straightened his shoulders.

Miss Blacklock ought to have asked you to help her in getting the thing up.

The Colonel snorted.

Oh, well, she’s got that young cub staying with her. Expect this is his idea. Nephew or something. Funny idea, though, sticking it in the paper.

"It was in the Personal Column. We might never have seen it. I suppose it is an invitation, Archie?"

"Funny kind of invitation. I can tell you one thing. They can count me out."

Oh, Archie, Mrs. Easterbrook’s voice rose in a shrill wail.

Short notice. For all they know I might be busy.

But you’re not, are you, darling? Mrs. Easterbrook lowered her voice persuasively. "And I do think, Archie, that you really ought to go—just to help poor Miss Blacklock out. I’m sure she’s counting on you to make the thing a success. I mean, you know so much about police work and procedure. The whole thing will fall flat if you don’t go and help to make it a success. After all, one must be neighbourly."

Mrs. Easterbrook put her synthetic blonde head on one side and opened her blue eyes very wide.

Of course, if you put it like that, Laura … Colonel Easterbrook twirled his grey moustache again, importantly, and looked with indulgence on his fluffy little wife. Mrs. Easterbrook was at least thirty years younger than her husband.

"If you put it like that, Laura," he said.

"I really do think it’s your duty, Archie," said Mrs. Easterbrook solemnly.

IV

The Chipping Cleghorn Gazette had also been delivered at Boulders, the picturesque three cottages knocked into one inhabited by Miss Hinchcliffe and Miss Murgatroyd.

Hinch?

What is it, Murgatroyd?

Where are you?

Henhouse.

Oh.

Padding gingerly through the long wet grass, Miss Amy Murgatroyd approached her friend. The latter, attired in corduroy slacks and battledress tunic, was conscientiously stirring in handfuls of balancer meal to a repellently steaming basin full of cooked potato peelings and cabbage stumps.

She turned her head with its short man-like crop and weather-beaten countenance toward her friend.

Miss Murgatroyd, who was fat and amiable, wore a checked tweed skirt and a shapeless pullover of brilliant royal blue. Her curly bird’s nest of grey hair was in a good deal of disorder and she was slightly out of breath.

"In the Gazette, she panted. Just listen—what can it mean?

A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation."

She paused, breathless, as she finished reading, and awaited some authoritative pronouncement.

Daft, said Miss Hinchcliffe.

"Yes, but what do you think it means?"

Means a drink, anyway, said Miss Hinchcliffe.

You think it’s a sort of invitation?

We’ll find out what it means when we get there, said Miss Hinchcliffe. Bad sherry, I expect. You’d better get off the grass, Murgatroyd. You’ve got your bedroom slippers on still. They’re soaked.

Oh, dear. Miss Murgatroyd looked down ruefully at her feet. How many eggs today?

Seven. That damned hen’s still broody. I must get her into the coop.

It’s a funny way of putting it, don’t you think? Amy Murgatroyd asked, reverting to the notice in the Gazette. Her voice was slightly wistful.

But her friend was made of sterner and more single-minded stuff. She was intent on dealing with recalcitrant poultry and no announcement in a paper, however enigmatic, could deflect her.

She squelched heavily through the mud and pounced upon a speckled hen. There was a loud and indignant squawking.

Give me ducks every time, said Miss Hinchcliffe. "Far less trouble…."

V

Oo, scrumptious! said Mrs. Harmon across the breakfast table to her husband, the Rev. Julian Harmon, there’s going to be a murder at Miss Blacklock’s.

A murder? said her husband, slightly surprised. When?

"This afternoon … at least, this evening. 6:30. Oh, bad luck, darling, you’ve got your preparations for confirmation then. It is a shame. And you do so love murders!"

I don’t really know what you’re talking about, Bunch.

Mrs. Harmon, the roundness of whose form and face had early led to the soubriquet of Bunch being substituted for her baptismal name of Diana, handed the Gazette across the table.

There. All among the second-hand pianos, and the old teeth.

What a very extraordinary announcement.

Isn’t it? said Bunch happily. "You wouldn’t think that Miss Blacklock cared about murders and games and things, would you? I suppose it’s the young Simmonses put her up to it—though I should have thought Julia Simmons would find murders rather crude. Still, there it is, and I do think, darling, it’s a shame you can’t be there. Anyway, I’ll go and tell you all about it, though it’s rather wasted on me, because I don’t really like games that happen in the dark. They frighten me, and I do hope I shan’t have to be the one who’s murdered. If someone suddenly puts a hand on my shoulder and whispers, ‘You’re dead,’ I know my heart will give such a big bump that perhaps it really might kill me! Do you think that’s likely?"

No, Bunch. I think you’re going to live to be an old, old woman—with me.

And die on the same day and be buried in the same grave. That would be lovely.

Bunch beamed from ear to ear at this agreeable prospect.

You seem very happy, Bunch? said her husband, smiling.

"Who’d not be happy if they were me? demanded Bunch, rather confusedly. With you and Susan and Edward, and all of you fond of me and not caring if I’m stupid … And the sun shining! And this lovely big house to live in!"

The Rev. Julian Harmon looked round the big bare dining room and assented doubtfully.

Some people would think it was the last straw to have to live in this great rambling draughty place.

Well, I like big rooms. All the nice smells from outside can get in and stay there. And you can be untidy and leave things about and they don’t clutter you.

No labour-saving devices or central heating? It means a lot of work for you, Bunch.

Oh, Julian, it doesn’t. I get up at half past six and light the boiler and rush around like a steam engine, and by eight it’s all done. And I keep it nice, don’t I? With beeswax and polish and big jars of Autumn leaves. It’s not really harder to keep a big house clean than a small one. You go round with mops and things much quicker, because your behind isn’t always bumping into things like it is in a small room. And I like sleeping in a big cold room—it’s so cosy to snuggle down with just the tip of your nose telling you what it’s like up above. And whatever size of house you live in, you peel the same amount of potatoes and wash up the same amount of plates and all that. Think how nice it is for Edward and Susan to have a big empty room to play in where they can have railways and dolls’ tea-parties all over the floor and never have to put them away? And then it’s nice to have extra bits of the house that you can let people have to live in. Jimmy Symes and Johnnie Finch—they’d have had to live with their in-laws otherwise. And you know, Julian, it isn’t nice living with your in-laws. You’re devoted to Mother, but you wouldn’t really have liked to start our married life living with her and Father. And I shouldn’t have liked it, either. I’d have gone on feeling like a little girl.

Julian smiled at her.

You’re rather like a little girl still, Bunch.

Julian Harmon himself had clearly been a model designed by Nature for the age of sixty. He was still about twenty-five years short of achieving Nature’s purpose.

I know I’m stupid—

You’re not stupid, Bunch. You’re very clever.

No, I’m not. I’m not a bit intellectual. Though I do try … And I really love it when you talk to me about books and history and things. I think perhaps it wasn’t an awfully good idea to read aloud Gibbon to me in the evenings, because if it’s been a cold wind out, and it’s nice and hot by the fire, there’s something about Gibbon that does, rather, make you go to sleep.

Julian laughed.

But I do love listening to you, Julian. Tell me the story again about the old vicar who preached about Ahasuerus.

You know that by heart, Bunch.

"Just tell it me again. Please."

Her husband complied.

"It was old Scrymgour. Somebody looked into his church one day. He was leaning out of the pulpit and preaching fervently to a couple of old charwomen. He was shaking his finger at them and saying, ‘Aha! I know what you are thinking. You think that the Great Ahasuerus of the First Lesson was Artaxerxes the Second. But he wasn’t!’ And then with enormous triumph, ‘He was Artaxerxes the Third.’"

It had never struck Julian Hermon as a particularly funny story himself, but it never failed to amuse Bunch.

Her clear laugh floated out.

The old pet! she exclaimed. I think you’ll be exactly like that some day, Julian.

Julian looked rather uneasy.

I know, he said with humility. I do feel very strongly that I can’t always get the proper simple approach.

I shouldn’t worry, said Bunch, rising and beginning to pile the breakfast plates on a tray. Mrs. Butt told me yesterday that Butt, who never went to church and used to be practically the local atheist, comes every Sunday now on purpose to hear you preach.

She went on, with a very fair imitation of Mrs. Butt’s super-refined voice:

"‘And Butt was saying only the other day, Madam, to Mr. Timkins from Little Worsdale, that we’d got real culture here in Chipping Cleghorn. Not like Mr. Goss, at Little Worsdale, who talks to the congregation as though they were children who hadn’t had any education. Real culture, Butt said, that’s what we’ve got. Our Vicar’s a highly educated gentleman—Oxford, not Milchester, and he gives us the full benefit of his education. All about the Romans and the Greeks he knows, and the Babylonians and the Assyrians, too. And even the Vicarage cat, Butt says, is called after an Assyrian king!’ So there’s glory for you, finished Bunch triumphantly. Goodness, I must get on with things or I shall never get done. Come along, Tiglath Pileser, you shall have the herring bones."

Opening the door and holding it dexterously ajar with her foot, she shot through with the loaded tray, singing in a loud and not particularly tuneful voice, her own version of a sporting song.

"It’s a fine murdering day, (sang Bunch)

And as balmy as May

And the sleuths from the village are gone."

A rattle of crockery being dumped in the sink drowned the next lines, but as the Rev. Julian Harmon left the house, he heard the final triumphant assertion:

And we’ll all go a’murdering today!

Two

BREAKFAST AT LITTLE PADDOCKS

I

At Little Paddocks also, breakfast was in progress.

Miss Blacklock, a woman of sixty odd, the owner of the house, sat at the head of the table. She wore country tweeds—and with them, rather incongruously, a choker necklace of large false pearls. She was reading Lane Norcott in the Daily Mail. Julia Simmons was languidly glancing through the Telegraph. Patrick Simmons was checking up on the crossword in The Times. Miss Dora Bunner was giving her attention wholeheartedly to the local weekly paper.

Miss Blacklock gave a subdued chuckle, Patrick muttered: "Adherent—not adhesive—that’s where I went wrong."

Suddenly a loud cluck, like a startled hen, came from Miss Bunner.

"Letty—Letty—have you seen this? Whatever can it mean?"

What’s the matter, Dora?

"The most extraordinary advertisement. It says Little Paddocks quite distinctly. But whatever can it mean?"

If you’d let me see, Dora dear—

Miss Bunner obediently surrendered the paper into Miss Blacklock’s outstretched hand, pointing to the item with a tremulous forefinger.

Just look, Letty.

Miss Blacklock looked. Her eyebrows went up. She threw a quick scrutinizing glance round the table. Then she read the advertisement out loud.

A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation.

Then she said sharply: Patrick, is this your idea?

Her eyes rested searchingly on the handsome devil-may-care face of the young man at the other end of the table.

Patrick Simmons’ disclaimer came quickly.

"No, indeed, Aunt Letty.

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