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I Wish There Had Been a Nymphomaniac

By Alice | Posted Under Book Reviews | Comments (14)

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Agatha Christie novels are the standard against which all other detective novels I read are measured. Within her vast collection, I prefer the stories featuring Hercule Poirot, with his mustaches, love of hot chocolate and omelets, and his “little gray cells,” but in a pinch I will pick up a Miss Marple. I always find Miss Marple novels to be a little bit sillier, but they are generally still rather clever and I get a huge kick out of Miss Marple’s calling female characters who tend to date/marry often “nymphomaniacs.” (Seriously, nymphomaniacs are brought up in almost every Miss Marple novel. It kind of makes me wonder what was going on with Dame Christie.) Sadly, no nymphomaniacs appear in The Body in the Library, but it still managed to be a highly entertaining read.

The Body in the Library begins with the corpse of a mysterious and unknown woman being discovered one morning in the library of a country manor near the English village of St. Mary Mead. The woman is dressed for an evening out in an evening gown and garish make-up, and has been strangled. The proprietor of the estate, Col. Bantry immediately falls under suspicion for the murder, but his wife, convinced of his innocence enlists the help of local spinster and amateur detective, Miss Marple, to help solve the case and clear his name and reputation.

This book was classic Christie fare. There are numerous suspects, both glamorous and crooked, all with motives and opportunities. The location shifts between an English country estate, a quaint village, and an expensive resort. The police bumble things up, and it comes down to Miss Marple to place all the pieces together and solve the mystery. It is comforting in its familiarity, though not entirely predictable. It is all things one expects from the queen of detective tales. Though I wish there had been a nymphomaniac.

This review is part of the Cannonball Read series. For more of Alice’s reviews, check out her blog, Wonderland Books, Birds, and Baking.









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Comments

I still have yet to read an Agatha Christie novel.

*sigh* So many books, so little time.

*adds book to Goodreads*

Posted by: Jelinas at April 7, 2010 8:23 AM

Fun review! I've been meaning to read Agatha Christie since seeing a Doctor Who episode where she appeared with giant alien bees.

Posted by: Sbrown at April 7, 2010 8:37 AM

I tried to read "Murder on the Orient Express" once and couldn't really get into it.

The only Agatha Christie book I read was "Ten Little Indians" (or "And then there were none").

I will admit that was an entertaining read, but for some reason I have a block against actually reading her work.

And I agree w/ Sbrown on the Dr. Who ep. Loved that one.

Posted by: UncleJR at April 7, 2010 9:04 AM

UncleJR - "Murder on the Orient Express" is probably the least satisfying of her books because of the 'whodunnit' ending. REALLY silly. Try one of her others, or maybe go for one of the collected short stories - Thirteen Problems ?

Posted by: Ponytail at April 7, 2010 9:16 AM

great review--i like that you skimmed the plot without giving anything away.
i don't think i've read this one from her yet.
i'm in the middle of 'the california roll' by john vorhaus.
really fun, quick read about a grifter.

Posted by: gem at April 7, 2010 9:25 AM

Odd, Murder on the Orient Express is my favorite. It really highlights how good Christie was at creating interesting, engaging characters.

Posted by: Claire at April 7, 2010 10:08 AM

I wish there had been a nymphomaniac.
---
Yeah. Story of my life.

Posted by: , at April 7, 2010 10:19 AM

I recently saw a Ms Marple Mystery on PBS and was thinking how delightful Ms Marple was as a character. But, as has been mentioned before, my heart lies with Tommy and Tuppence as my favorite Christie sleuths.

Posted by: Stella at April 7, 2010 10:37 AM

Nice to see some love for Christie on this site. Last time she was reviewed the reviewer felt it was all too predictable (not realizing that no, it wasn't when it was written, but now everyone who writes mysteries has copied her plots ten ways to Friday). I disagree with the "queen" of the genre title though. In my mind that belongs to Dorothy Sayers.

Posted by: PaddyDog at April 7, 2010 11:03 AM

Agatha Christie books are like soul food to me. If I'm home sick and there's nothing on TV but repeated showings of ConAir or a Matlock marathon, I'll curl up with an Agatha and a cup of hot chocolate.

Posted by: Quorren at April 7, 2010 11:27 AM

I got into Agatha Christie's books in a big way in junior high. She paints such a vivid picture of post-WWI Great Britain that you can almost smell the cricket lawn. That Doctor Who episode was a perfect homage to her stories and characters.

I recommend The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. If you solve the mystery before Hercule Poirot does, my bowler hat is off to you.

Posted by: Craig at April 7, 2010 1:21 PM

I keep meaning to read more Christie, I've only read And Then There Were None and loved it, so I really have no idea why I haven't read more of her stories.

Oh and Jelinas, Goodreads looks like a fun little site I may need to get into.

Posted by: Even Stevens at April 7, 2010 1:53 PM

Thanks for reminding me I have four Cannonball reviews I need to get written!

Love your review.

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