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Agatha Christie
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The Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries, 3) Paperback – April 12, 2011

by Agatha Christie (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,044 ratings
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In this exclusive authorized edition from the Queen of Mystery, the iconic Miss Marple must investigate the case of a girl found dead.

It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?

The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple into their home to investigate. Amid rumors of scandal, she baits a clever trap to catch a ruthless killer.

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Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 12
    Miss Marple Mysteries
  2. Print length
    224 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    April 12, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    0.58 x 7.78 x 5.38 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0062073613
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0062073617
  8. See all details
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  1. Her ears listened unconsciously for the chink of china, but there was no chink of china.
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  2. What I feel is that if one has got to have a murder actually happening in one’s house, one might as well enjoy it, if you know what I mean.
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  3. Here was a man who would never rail against fate but accept it and pass on to victory.
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From the Publisher

agatha christie official edition, authorized edition, Agatha christie books
And then there were none MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN Death on the Nile ABC Murders Murder on the Orient Express ordeal by innocence, mystery, suspense, murder
Murder on the Orient Express Mystery of the Blue Train Death on the Nile Murder at the Vicarage, The Body in the Library, The Ordeal by Innocence
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
32,074
4.5 out of 5 stars
9,443
4.5 out of 5 stars
14,084
4.5 out of 5 stars
8,967
4.4 out of 5 stars
6,044
4.4 out of 5 stars
43,392
Price $10.69 $11.99 $11.49 $8.99 $9.75 $10.49

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Agatha Christie has made it awfully hard for the rest of us, because whenever we think of a clever twist—she’s already done it.” -- Elizabeth Peters, New York Times bestselling author of the Amelia Peabody novels

“Genuine old-crusted Christie.” -- Time magazine

“Professional detectives are no match for elderly spinsters… it is hard not to be impressed.” -- Times Literary Supplement (London)

“One of the most ingeniously contrived of all her murder stories.” -- Birmingham Post

From the Back Cover

It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry? The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery . . . before tongues start to wag.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 12, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062073613
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062073617
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.58 x 7.78 x 5.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,044 ratings

About the author

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Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

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Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie began writing during the First World War and wrote over 100 novels, plays and short story collections. She was still writing to great acclaim until her death, and her books have now sold over a billion copies in English and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. Yet Agatha Christie was always a very private person, and though Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple became household names, the Queen of Crime was a complete enigma to all but her closest friends.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
6,044 global ratings
Coding
5 Stars
Coding
As always the story is great but in the kindle edition the coding was left in when transferred into digital format. I felt like I was back at work proofing and having to read around all of it.
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Top reviews from the United States

Robert Wetmore
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely mystery, perfectly written
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017
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I have read lots of mystery novels, but Agatha Christie always takes top prize. This is as delightful as so many others. The characters are enjoyable and solving the mystery is quite clever. I read through the book a second time, partially just to see if the clues were well planted and they are.
I will also say that her prose is always clean and perfectly chosen. Obviously many writers are masters/mistresses of the metaphor and delightful turn of phrase, something which Agatha Christie does not do. But that in no way takes away from how delightfully she lays out the story, characters, clues and solutions. I never feel that dialogue sounds forced or artificial and I never wince at any phrase or sentence.
And, I have no problem with a 10 year old reading her books, because they are clean and (excepting the fact of murder) wholesome.
As far as this book goes, it is as good as any other mystery I have read by Agatha Christie. You will enjoy every page, I am sure.
4 people found this helpful
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angela
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024
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A Miss Marple mystery, with Miss Marple actually involved in most of the book! Enjoyable read, even though it starts light hearted, but turns grim by the end.
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Sunflower
5.0 out of 5 stars ....Not one murder, but two
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2013
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The plot is well developed and the suspects are many with lots of action that keeps one turning the pages. Christie gives such wonderful descriptive characterizations that one can easily visualize each fictional being amidst their settings.

How terribly dreadful to wake up one morning and find a body in your library......the body of a rather young blonde woman. Such is the surprise for Colonel and Mrs. Bantry. Mrs. Bantry is excited.....a murder in her own home! As one might expect, the Colonel is somewhat depressed. They both realize what the implications for the Colonel might be. Well, what will they do? They don't even know the victim. The police are called, of course. Mrs. Bantry also calls in her sleuthing friend, Miss Marple, to help solve the murder. The Colonel goes off to the farm to watch the pigs while he mulls over the whys and wherefores of the body in his library. Oh my.

Then the body of another young girl is found in a burned vehicle. Yes, both victims were murdered. Two murders in and around the quiet little village of St. Mary Mead is a bit unnerving; however, they must be solved. Suspects and motives are plentiful........ a dancer, a widow, a widower, a tennis pro, a film maker and more. Miss Marple, the aging amateur (or is she) super sleuth and her friend Mrs. Bantry could get themselves into a heap of trouble with snooping around and making really nosy inquiries. Miss Marple annoys just a few people with her fabricated missions. She is so clever at baiting and trapping ruthless villians. Clues, seemingly unnoticed by the police, such as clipped fingernails, an old dress, and a young girls so called solo shopping trip. Hmmm. Miss Marple may seem like just another lonely aging busybody; however, she can be dynamite when it comes to putting the puzzle pieces together. She lives up to her reputation as a pretty good detective and helps the police solve both murders. Surprises are always around the corner when Miss Marple is involved. One can count on the works of Dame Christie when in the mood for an exciting murder and whodunit.
2 people found this helpful
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PeriwinkleHippo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great ending!
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024
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Even reading this for the second time, I enjoyed the build up to the ending very much. The pace leading up to the ending was perfect, and the surprise ending very satisfying.
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C Orr
3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable mystery
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2020
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This is the second Agatha Christie novel I have read, and the first Miss Marple. I love mysteries, and this one was pretty good. I was surprised by the ending, and that’s always a good thing when it comes to mysteries. However, it was difficult to get into the story at first. There were too many characters that were not developed enough for me to have a clear picture of who they were. Obviously, a lot of characters are needed, but it’s hard to develop them all in such a short book. Finally, the evidence Miss Marple used to solve the mystery seemed a little incredible. However, I did enjoy the story.
4 people found this helpful
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James J. Cudney IV (Jay)
4.0 out of 5 stars Marple strikes again with identity resolutions!
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2018
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This review is for The Body in the Library, the third cozy mystery book in the Miss Marple series, written by Agatha Christie in 1942. I read this book at least once in the past, and even wrote a very brief review on Goodreads in 2017 when I was on a quest to write something for every book I'd previously read. Now I'm on a different quest: the April 2018 Agatha Christie Readathon where this book was selected as my "re-read" book in the challenge. I'll also say what I wrote the first time around was so laughable, I'm shocked at myself. It was useless, but that won't be the case today!

If push came to shove, I think I'm more of a fan of Miss Marple's detection style yet I prefer Hercule Poirot as a character. Marple is wonderful and I enjoy everything I've read with her as the main detective, but she lacks a little pizzazz to jolt you along the path. In this caper, a good friend of hers wakes up to find a dead body in her library. Neither her husband, guests, or servants recognize the young girl. It appears like her husband is the guilty party and when news spreads around town, the investigation begins. Suspects ran the gamut of an older gentlemen that the dead girl was growing close to, especially when he is ~50 years her senior. He thought of her as his adopted daughter, even choosing to leave her some money. Everyone believed him to be a fool and her to be a gold-digger. Maybe it was his son-in-law and daughter-in-law who stood to inherit less once he had passed away. Or was it the playboy filmmaker known for dabbling with slightly younger women. Throw in a complicated dance arrangement, a secret marriage, and a few more potential leads, including a side-plot where a car goes missing and another young girl turns up dead, then you've got quite a forehead-squisher of a story.

Christie never fails to astound me with the ingenuity behind each of the plots. You think you know everything, and one or two details don't exactly line up, but you just can't solve the puzzle. The clues are generally all out there, just masked in such a way that you have to work hard to guess what's slightly off. Marple always picks up on it, much to the dismay of the police investigation team. 'Marple's just a doddering old fool who gets lucky sometimes. She's a biddy putting her nose in places where it doesn't belong.' But you see, dear investigators... it does belong because she always finds her criminals before you do.

Exploration of fraud, loss, money problems, and guilt are the top of the suspect list this time. Someone's lying, and while it may see obvious at first, suspicion is cast in every direction. The story flows easily, even if you feel sometimes you're being taking on a tour of the unknown. It's that very path that winds you up while you're learning all the facts, then drops you off a swirling abyss of options. One by one, the alibis are proven fake or real... the past secrets come to light... and the true notions of an evil mind begin to materialize. That's why I love the cozy mystery but in particular the Grand Dame's approach to delivering the story. Little by little, not in any massive way, but enough the needle moves ever so slightly until it begins to dance in front of you upon landing at the final solution. I'm so excited to read another Marple next week: Murder at the Vicarage!
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lori
5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery!
Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2022
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Great book!
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James Mulligan
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2024
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Classic Christie!
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T.P.GOVIND
5.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
Reviewed in India on August 11, 2023
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Enjoyed reading
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LemmyCaution66
5.0 out of 5 stars A Miss Marple Classic.
Reviewed in the Netherlands on June 2, 2023
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Where did the body in the library come from and who killed the victim.

An excellent “who done it” book from Agatha Christie!

I enjoyed it very much while sipping my cups of coffee as I’m not a Brit nor a tea drinker.
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Johannes
5.0 out of 5 stars klassischer Agatha Christie
Reviewed in Germany on July 20, 2021
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Gewohnt sympathisch geschrieben und was man in den heutigen Krimis nicht mehr findet:
spannend und unterhaltsam ohne dabei Unmengen an Blut und Gewalt einfließen zu lassen.

Auch für Junge Leser unbedingt empfehlenswert.
2 people found this helpful
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