A Murder is Announced

Starred review from June 28, 2010
After a curious newspaper notice announces an upcoming murder in the quiet village of Chipping Cleghorn, a host of nosy neighbors turn up at Little Paddocks just as shots ring out and a dead body is discovered. When the police arrive and call the death a suicide, the incredulous Inspector Craddock quickly enlists elderly sleuth Miss Marple to help him crack the case. Capturing the spirit of this cozy murder mystery, Rosemary Leach's crisp, well-paced narration transports listeners to the sleepy English countryside and delivers requisite doses of suspense at all the right moments. Her rendition of Miss Marple is spot-on, and the voices she lends to an array of elderly villagers are varied, true, and utterly delightful. A must for Christie fans and anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

When an ad appears in the gazette announcing a murder to take place on Friday at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m., the locals show up, assuming it's a murder mystery party, only to get shot at and then become witnesses to the real murder of a boy no one knows. Rosemary Leach is a perfect match for this book. She has a beautiful, sweet voice perfectly suited to do justice to the overly civilized denizens of Christie's English countryside. With perfect timing and impeccable delivery, she conjures up the villagers and makes them live and breathe. Fortunately, before too many of them get bumped off, Miss Marple arrives and unravels this tangled skein. Most satisfying all the way around. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine