The Murder at the Vicarage: Original Classic 1930 Edition

A murder occurs in the vicarage of St. Mary Mead, an English village, leaving local authorities puzzled. The victim is Colonel Protheroe, a widely disliked man. The vicar, in whose study the colonel is found dead, remarks that whoever killed him would be doing the world a favor. Several villagers had expressed a desire to see the colonel dead, but some have stronger motives: his young wife Anne and her lover, artist Lawrence Redding; Archer, a local man given a harsh sentence by the colonel for poaching; and the colonel's daughter Lettice, who needs money. These circumstances create numerous false leads for investigators. Miss Marple, an elderly but perceptive spinster, proves able to unravel the mystery where others cannot. This is the first of sixteen Miss Marple novels. Miss Marple was previously introduced in short stories that began publication in December 1927 and were collected as The Thirteen Problems. First published in 1930, The Murder at the Vicarage is one of Christie's most popular works. Agatha Christie's books have sold a billion copies in English and another billion in translations, making her the most translated individual author. Her play The Mousetrap has been performed continuously in London's West End since 1952. Christie was born in Devonshire, England, in 1890, and was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1971. She died in 1976.