Books › A Murder Is Announced
A Murder Is Announced
448 pages
A delightfully intricate puzzle box wrapped in the polite, gossipy veneer of an English country village.
What it feels like
Reading this classic mystery feels like settling into a comfortable armchair with a cup of tea, only to realize the tea might be poisoned. The pace is steady and methodical, driven by sharp, gossipy dialogue and the quiet, piercing observations of its unassuming sleuth. It captures a distinct mood of post-war English village life, where polite manners mask deep-seated secrets and shifting social dynamics. The prose is crisp and unadorned, serving as a perfect, transparent vessel for the intricate puzzle box of the plot. It delights readers who crave a purely intellectual puzzle wrapped in a cozy, nostalgic atmosphere, offering the deep satisfaction of watching a chaotic web of deception be neatly, brilliantly untangled.
- Mood
- cozy
- suspenseful
- nostalgic
- deceptively tranquil
- Tone
- wry
- observant
- polite
- gently satirical
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- post-war social upheaval · hidden identities · deceptive appearances · village gossip
- The writing
- Crisp, dialogue-heavy, and deceptively simple, the writing serves as a transparent vessel for intricate psychological observation.
- The arc
- The journey shifts from delightful, gossipy curiosity to a tense unraveling of secrets, culminating in a deeply satisfying intellectual resolution.
- Who it's for
- Fans of puzzle-box mysteries who appreciate sharp social commentary hidden beneath a comforting, tea-time atmosphere.
Content notes
- murder
- gun violence
- deceit
About the book
The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which read: 'A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6:30 p.m.' Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the ppointed time when, without warning, the lights go out...
Description from Open Library.
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