Rating: 
Summary: Another good Christie reading from Audio Partners
Review: Many readers and critics have commented that the opening of Agatha Christie's "The Body in the Library" is not merely lighthearted but really funny. A sleeping couple is informed by an hysterical maid that there is a body in the library, a fact first the wife's and then her spouse's sleepy brain refuses to accept. Since neither of them have a clue who she is, we know we are off on a typically atypical Christie jaunt. The tongue-in-cheek feeling you will detect in the first chapters is utterly proven when a young lad includes Christie's own name in a list of mystery writers who sent him their autograph. Even the detective's inappropriate name, Inspector Slack, adds to the humor of this lovely little mystery. I notice that while the David Suchet television versions of the Poirot mysteries stray from the details of their sources, the Joan Hickson Miss Marple ones are fairly faithful. Therefore if you can get your hand on the HBO recording of this episode, you would probably enjoy reading the book first and then watching the video. Or perhaps better still, you can now hear the entire novel read on Audio Partner tapes or CDs by that stalwart British actress, Stephanie Cole, who is best known as the crusty Diana Trent in "Waiting For God." Her deep voice can capture those of the male and female characters quite nicely; and while she does not go in for any grand displays of voice characterization (a problem when Christie does not identify the speaker during long exchanges), she is never less than arresting and a good choice for this sort of reading. The playing clocks in at 5 hours, 23 minutes.
Rating: 
Summary: Miss Marple helps a friend
Review: Miss Marple is called to the home of her friend Dolly Bantry when a dead body is discovered in the library. The body is that of a young girl and Dolly is afraid that her husband will be accused of the crime. Miss Marple does some sleuthing, along with some professional investigators, and of course she comes up with the solution to the crime before they do. All of the usual motives of love and money are involved and the solution is a typical complex web which is common to Agatha Christie's mysteries. This book is not quite as ingenious as others in the series and moves at a somewhat slow pace, so it doesn't rate 5 stars, but it is a good read nevertheless.
Rating:
Summary: Another great book by Christie
Review: The Body in the Library, featuring Miss Marple, is a first-rate mystery and one of Christie's best. The plot is well conceived, the characters believable and interesting, the writing is entertaining and witty, the clues well-placed and the solution to the mystery is fair and satisfying. What more could you ask for in a good mystery? Highly recommended for any mystery fan.
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