A village vicar may be privy to some of the community's juiciest secrets. In this case, Reverend Leonard Clement at least seems to know everyone in town. He is a little bit older and believes himself to have a good grasp on humanity (at least better than his wife, Griselda, who is younger than him). He describes the goings on in St. Mary Mead which is generally a quiet village, still regrouping after the war. Into town has come a new artist, Lawrence Redding. He is very handsome and is painting several of the women in town which causes some of the gossip mongers to be all atwitter. One of those women is Lettice Protheroe, the daughter of the local Magistrate, Colonel Protheroe. He practically explodes. But that is no surprise as the Colonel is known to have quite the nasty temper. He has sentenced many men to jail and is currently on the hunt to find out why the church's offering plate is short. It is a surprise that the man is killed in the vicar's study, shot with Lawrence Redding's gun. Redding immediately admits to the murder. So does the Colonel's wife, Anne, who the vicar found in a torrid embrace with Redding.
But Miss Marple, a spinster in town doesn't quite believe that that can be true and she sets out to find out what really happened.
The first Marple story and it's a humdinger. It sets up Jane Marple as a student of human nature who is able to take her observations of living in a small village and extrapolate the information to the world at large.
Four stars
This book came out in October 1930
Followed by The Thirteen Problems
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own
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