The Body in the Library

Christie said she wanted to take the most familiar cliché of the detective story, the body in the library, and give it a fresh twist, and she does. The dead woman turns out to be a dance hostess from a smart hotel on the coast, where she had become a favourite of a wealthy, tragic older guest who planned to leave her his fortune. The investigation moves between the village and the hotel, with its dancers, tennis players and resentful relatives.

Miss Marple, knitting and quietly observing, draws on her knowledge of village life to notice details the police overlook, and her comparisons between the suspects and people she has known are a delight. Dolly Bantry, who rather enjoys having a murder in her house, provides much of the comedy. The plot is short and tightly built, with an ingenious solution that rests on small, fair clues. There is little violence on the page.

An ideal introduction to Miss Marple, and a perfect book for a rainy afternoon. Read it with Murder at the Vicarage for the full picture of St. Mary Mead. About 224 pages in the HarperCollins paperback.