Saturday 9 April 2011

The Body In The Library - Agatha Christie

Colonel and Mrs Bantray wake up to their made crying that there is a body in the library. Thinking his maid has gone quite mad the Colonel goes (is sent) to investigate. Sure enough a young blond women is dead in their library. Mrs Bantray is excited as this sort of thing only happens in books and so calls up her friend Mrs Marple straight after the police are called. Turns out the girl is Ruby Keene, a dancer from nearby hotel. Mrs Bantray and Mrs Marple head out to investigate and discover that lots of people might want this girl dead but no one seems to have had the time to do it.

I was highly amused by just how excited Mrs Bantray was. Sure her husband is suspected of murder but she decides take advantage of it and have some good fun with her friend MissMarple. Not the sort of reaction you would expect. Sadly for a good chunk of the book after that it's mainly police investigation and not a lot of Miss Marple. Oh and by the way if I was Miss Marple I would be offended by the number of times she is described as a spinster. She has a spinster face and spinster clothes and I am sure there were other similar descriptions.

I don't know if it was down to being so tired but I quickly became bored of the story. There just wasn't enough of Miss Marple. And there certainly should have been more of Mrs Bantray whom I found very entertaining. I think what also spoiled it is that for the last half of the book I was sure I had seen the tv adaptation of it but could only remember blond hair and clipped nails. Wasn't until the end was revealed that I remembered I had seen it. Meant instead of trying to work out who the murderer was I was trying to rack my brains as to what else I could remember.

3 comments:

  1. I've liked Dame Agatha for as long as I can remember, but honestly have to say that I haven't read very many of her books, how embarrassing! I always liked Hercule Poirot!

    You’re doing great! Keep it up! So glad you could join us today and hope you’re having fun!

    Cover to Cover
    And Coast to Coast
    Across the Oceans
    We’ve been brought together
    By what we love the most!
    Let’s hear it for the readers!

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  2. Awww, thank you. I am ashamed to say I did fall asleep. But I am up now and ready for the las three hours.

    Poirot is my favourite too.

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  3. Do you have recommendations for other (better) places to start reading Christie's work? One of my blog-style friends (there's gotta be a name for that) has been recommending her to me. I don't know why I've been reluctant, but I have been...and it sounds like this definitely isn't the book to start with.

    I do think that the "spinster" descriptions would start grating on me. I'm reading an Elizabeth George mystery now, and after a few books I can hardly stand hearing Inspector Havers described mostly for the size of her thighs or the frumpiness of her clothes. Can a woman not be a policewoman or a detective if she's a normal, non-frumpy, well-adjusted person? siiigh....

    -- Ellen

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