⇒ PDF They Do It With Mirrors Miss Marple Mysteries Agatha Christie 9780451199904 Books

They Do It With Mirrors Miss Marple Mysteries Agatha Christie 9780451199904 Books

Download As PDF : They Do It With Mirrors Miss Marple Mysteries Agatha Christie 9780451199904 Books

They Do It With Mirrors Miss Marple Mysteries Agatha Christie 9780451199904 Books

Agatha Christie's 1952 "Miss Marple" novel (the 5th novel in that series (I don't know why Amazon says it's the 6th)), "They Do It With Mirrors: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries Book 6)," suffers from some serious problems. First, the setting is so contrived that you can feel Christie trying to cram the situation into the book. Worse, she's apparently aware of how contrived it is since she has a character come right out and complain about it. Second, and most seriously, what's going on is so obvious that by the time the murder actually occurs, I knew what was happening (and just as importantly, what was NOT happening). And finally, some of her characterizations are getting stale. For instance, her American character in this book is pretty much the same shallow caricature of Americans that she included in her books from the 1920s. The same holds for just about all the nationalities she uses. Thirty years of such bad characterizations is just too much. So, I'm rating the book at a Pretty Bad 2 stars out of 5.


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They Do It With Mirrors Miss Marple Mysteries Agatha Christie 9780451199904 Books Reviews

What "improvements" have been made for the Bantam edition? There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins (THEY DO IT WITH MIRRORS) and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket. There are further additions still in the Signet, Berkley, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions. For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice. What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them. Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.
Sometimes I hate this story. And the. I read it again and love it. Miss Marple comes through again and the ending is always a surprise—even when you already know how it ends.
not her best Marple - I really only got it so I'd have all the Marple books. One thing I like about these books is the continuing elegy on pre-WWII village life, as Ms. Christie develops the history of St Mary Mead and the things that change life for the old-timers the airfield, the nearby development, people moving in and out, the changes Miss Marple finds to life and to London, people and relationships. This particular story just never really sparked with me, however.
Sisters Carrie and Ruth are two of Miss Marple's oldest friends - and it's at the behest of Ruth that Jane accepts an invitation to visit Carrie, because of Ruth's worries that something is not quite right in that household. When she arrives, she discovers any number of potential reasons for Ruth's unease - the delinquents Carrie and and her husband Lewis are attempting to rehabilitate, the flirtatious granddaughter and her sullen husband, and the controlling housekeeper who may or may not have Carrie's best interest at heart - just to name a few of the potential suspects. When Carrie's stepson is murdered with little apparent reason, it becomes frighteningly apparent that the universally loved Carrie's life might be threatened. The entire situation is a shell game, and Miss Marple and the local Inspector must work to unravel the truth from the lies before Carrie becomes a victim of her own benevolent, trusting nature.

They Do It With Mirrors has many of the elements of a classic Christie mystery. The setting is tightly contained to a well-off family home - a family where everything *should* be perfect, but everyone has their secrets. Everything's very genteel, but that veneer of proper English respectability masks some pretty passionate familial discord. In the best Dame Agatha Christie fashion, this cast of characters gives her plenty of opportunity to pack the story with red herrings and misdirection. As far as the actual mystery goes - this story falls a bit short when compared to some of Christie's other gems. The culprit becomes apparent rather early on, which is kind of surprising, but it allows Christie to take a look at their motivations and how exactly this "conjuring trick" of a murder was seemingly so flawlessly executed. What's more interesting for me than the actual case is the analysis of Carrie's character, and how this woman who never seemed to have a good grasp of reality sees situations and people much clearer than others. Enjoyable (aren't all Christies?), but not a runaway favorite.
They Do It With Mirrors was published in 1959. It is a Miss Marple mystery by Dame Agatha Christie. The senior sleuth from St. Mary Mead is contacted by an old friend Ruth Van Rydock. Ruth is an American who knew Miss Marple when the two ladies were at school together. Ruth is worried about her sister Carrie Louise whom she has not seen in twenty years. Carrie Louise lives at Stonygate in a tiny English Village. Carrie and her husband run a home for juvenile delinquent boys in an attempt to rehabilitate them. One night a member of the family named Christian Gulbrandsen visits the home. He is a member of the Board of Directors. Later he is murdered by a gunshot. Whodunit? There are many suspects including members of the large family and the resident boys. Many of the residents believe that Carrie Louise is being poisoned by arsenic. Murder through inheritance appears to be the reason for murder. This is a short but intricate novel forcing the reader to keep track of the many characters and the plot twists. Christie at the top of her game!
Agatha Christie's 1952 "Miss Marple" novel (the 5th novel in that series (I don't know why says it's the 6th)), "They Do It With Mirrors A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries Book 6)," suffers from some serious problems. First, the setting is so contrived that you can feel Christie trying to cram the situation into the book. Worse, she's apparently aware of how contrived it is since she has a character come right out and complain about it. Second, and most seriously, what's going on is so obvious that by the time the murder actually occurs, I knew what was happening (and just as importantly, what was NOT happening). And finally, some of her characterizations are getting stale. For instance, her American character in this book is pretty much the same shallow caricature of Americans that she included in her books from the 1920s. The same holds for just about all the nationalities she uses. Thirty years of such bad characterizations is just too much. So, I'm rating the book at a Pretty Bad 2 stars out of 5.