A Pocket Full of Rye: A Miss Marple Mystery

As always. I loved this book. One of her best!

I listened to the audio book and it was wonderful. The narrator Rosalind was first class as she moved from male to female characters and used different accents without missing a beat. The story was good and the solution was, as usual for Ms Christie unexpected. My only complaint is that there could have been more of Ms. Marple although it was explained as to why she appeared a infrequently as she did. When she did appear she was the astute, self deprecating crime fight sleuth that we all love. This is a good book in the Ms. Marple series and I recommend it for anyone that likes a good murder mystery.

This is a review of the audio CD of Agatha Christie's sixth Miss Marple mystery novel. Although Dame Christie wrote far more books featuring her most famous sleuth, Hercule Poirot, the story goes that she grew tired of the little Belgian and embraced the elderly spinster from St. Mary Mead. Careful readers of her work will notice that, in the later Poirot mysteries, he often does not appear until well into the book and/or he shares the stage with the delightful Ariadne Oliver, mystery novelist and "sort of" stand-in for Agatha Christie herself. The later Miss Marples tend to humanize her more and show her as a central figure. Listeners to this novel on CD have a special treat in that they get to listen to Joan Hickson, the finest portrayer of the character, read the book in all her dithery glory.Before we see Miss Marple, we get to meet the loathsome members of Rex Fortescue's family at their odd estate, Yewtree Lodge. Fortescue is NOT old money; rather, he is a crass member of the nouveaux riche, married to a most inappropriate younger beauty, hated by one son and estranged from the other. Each family member is out for him or herself; even the servants in this household (perhaps the most interesting lot of servants of any of Christie's manor house mysteries) have their foibles and secrets. Very few characters in this menage are likable, but of course that makes for a wonderful mystery.A series of murders occurs which loosely follow the Mother Goose rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence." One of these murders hits close to home for Miss Marple, and she journeys to Yewtree Lodge, determined to seek justice for more personal reasons than usual. And in her own fluffy style, she succeeds in a case that baffles the police.Miss Marple works intuitively, so don't expect the clueing to be as clever as it is in the Poirot books. But this book makes up for that with a tug at the heartstrings, and the final pages have some moments that are rather heartbreaking. The women characters in this novel are particularly diverse and enjoyable. Highly recommended and great fun!

I've read everything she wrote since I was a teenager (I'm in my sixties now). I still have a hard time not to read each book in one sitting!

It's often said that mysteries are good for only one reading. Like videos of weddings and sports events, once you know how it ends, the novelty wears off.Not so with Agatha Christie’s A Pocket Full of Rye.Although I’d long been aware of Agatha Christie’s works, this is the first of her books I’ve read. I must admit, it’s easy to understand her popularity as a writer of mysteries! The characters are clearly delineated, enabling the reader to form a mental picture of each. The dialogue is on a par with Mark Twain’s, tailored to the accent, tone, and personality of each individual. The story moves apace. And, most ingenious, the reveal at the end is (well, for me it was) an utter surprise – and yet all the clues are presented beforehand. (I admit I did catch all the clues as they came up; but I was caught up in the narrative and misled by the twists & turns!)Whether you’re a fan of whodunits, a writer of taut fiction, or just want to read a good solid page-turner that invites you to give it a second go to catch all the clues you missed the first time around, I highly recommend A Pocket Full of Rye.

I have read most of the Poirot books, but this is my first Miss Marple. I really liked it. Of course, Agatha Christie is a superb writer.

I liked this book. Always who you don't expect. Or who you expect. ;) the mystery and plot are well done

I loved it. Kept me guessing.I would read it again and I would recommend it anyone who likes mystery

A classic who-done-it adventure from the Queen of Crime featuring the demure, lovable, affable Miss Jane Marple; the placid specialist who reconstructs a crime from bare fragments of evidence while at her knitting; that is bound to take you on a literary journey of a few fulfilling hours.

Mistery puro fino all’ultimo stai col fiato sospeso

livre parvenu en parfait état !

A wonderfully vivid cast of characters in the inimitable Christie style. My only regret about this novel is that it finished all too quickly.