The Thirteen Problems (Miss Marple Mysteries)

by Agatha Christie

“Well,” said Joyce, “how would it be if we formed a Club? What is it today? Tuesday? We will call it The Tuesday Night Club. It is to meet every week, and each member in turn has to propound a problem. Some mystery of which they have personal knowledge, and to which, of course, they know the answer. Let me see, how many are we? One, two, three, four, five. We ought really to be six.”

“You have forgotten me, dear,” said Miss Marple, smiling brightly.

Joyce was slightly taken aback, but she concealed the fact quickly. “That would be lovely, Miss Marple,” she said. “I didn’t think you would care to play.”

• Publish Date: 2003 (first published 30 September 1971)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Planet Three Publishing
• Edition: Agatha Christie Collection
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 201
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

I (re)read this book for two reasons:  I belong to a group reading Agatha Christie's oeuvre in order of publication, and it fit a Halloween Bingo prompt - 13.  Either one of those reasons would have been a good enough excuse to read this charming little collection of Miss Marple showing everyone up.

13 short stories: the first 6 of which share a common tie of being stories told at the Tuesday Night Club, an impromptu gathering where each person tells the tale of a mystery that went unsolved at the time.  The next 6 stories are tied together in a similar way, as stories all told around the dining table one evening.  The last story is a 'stand-alone' although it relies on the friendship established in the previous stories between Miss Marple and Sir Henry Clithering.

Without exception, each story is excellent.  Some are more excellent than others; in my opinion, The Blue Geranium is the absolute stand-out, though Motive vs Opportunity comes close.  The weakest was probably the last, for me, Death by Drowning.  It's solid, but in comparison, duller than the previous 12 stories.

I have a confession to make about Agatha Christie's books:  I dislike both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.  I find that in the longer books Miss Marple tends to natter on a bit too much and plays the "old spinster" and "aww shucks" hands a little too strongly.  Hercule Poirot is just ... an amalgamation of the worst traits of Holmes and Dupin is as close I can come to a description.  I don't find him as comical as most.

However, these short stories offer the perfect dose of Miss Marple: for almost all the stories, her participation is relegated to the end, so the simpering is contained.  I also really tried, while reading these, to re-imagine Miss Marple in my mind by remembering the subjectivity of the descriptor 'old' and the stereotype of 'spinster'.  Yes, Miss Marple has white hair and knits, but I know many a 50-60 year old that has white hair and knits.  I don't recall her age ever being mentioned in the books I've read so far, so perhaps I dislike Miss Marple because of popular portrayals, combined with current attitudes about the adjectives that Christie used 100 years ago, when they covered broader spectrums.

I was partially successful; it was a struggle.  Ingrained conceptions die hard.  Fortunately I have a lot of books ahead of me to use for mental re-programming.  Now if only I could figure out a way to like Poirot...

[brokentune]

Thirteen stories told in a circle of friends and neighbours, and amidst them Miss Marple. I can hardly think of a better setting and a more elegant way to connect a series of short stories.

The stories themselves are just what you expect from Christie: full of suspense, red herrings and Miss Marple's insights into human nature.

Although I prefer the novels to the short stories, The Thirteen Problems makes for a cozy read - as long as you don't expect them to be extraordinary or memorable.