The Body in the Library

First Published: 1942

Setting: St. Mary Mead, Danemouth

Starring: Miss Marple, the Bantry's, Conway Jefferson

Important Other People: Sir Henry Clithering, Inspector Slack, Melchett, Harper, Josie, Raymond, Adelaide Jefferson, Mark Gaskell, Peter Carmody

The Body in the Library is one of Agatha's books that I could take or leave. I like a lot of the characters in it, but I don't really like the plot. There are plenty of surprises and twists, and the detecting by Miss Marple is, of course, ingenious, but I think my problem with the book stems from the perceived personality of the corpse. As we learn more and more about who she was, where she came from, and why she died, I like Ruby Keene less and less. I understand that life is difficult for young women of lower-class backgrounds, and I know that Ruby had to do whatever she could to get ahead in life. I do not like how she took advantage of Conway Jefferson and his family in her attempts to move up in the world. Not that I am a big fan of the odd family dynamics the Jefferson's have, but I still think she was a gold digger for sure.

Interesting facts: Agatha Christie mentions herself when Peter Carmody is talking about how he has signatures of some famous detective authors. Only the second book with Ms. Marple- she had been absent from the Agatha universe for 12 years! Also, this was written at the same time as N or M?, which was in the beginning of World War II. In the foreword, Agatha talks about how finding a body in the library is a cliche of detective fiction, and so seeks to parody this cliche by having an extremely traditional library with an extremely nontraditional victim, or body.

Favorite? Not particularly. I love Mrs. Bantry, and I love Sir Henry, but I don't really like the plot.

Death by: Strangulation/burning

Body Count: 2; Cumulative: 84

The Count: Poirot-20, Miss. Marple-2, Tommy and Tuppence-2, Hastings-7, Japp-7, Colonel Race-3, Superintendent Battle-4, George-1, Goby-1, No Recurring Character- 3, Mrs. Oliver-1, Albert- 2

Agatha's Life Lessons: You've got to keep an eye on a man all the time. The quiet ones are always the worst. There's a lot of wickedness in the world. Men so easily feel neglected. Human nature is very much the same anywhere. Humans are much more vulnerable and sensitive than they think. Everyone's got the right to have a piece of luck sometimes. Don't believe everything you're told. You can only really get under anybody's skin if you are married to them. Married people enjoy their battles and the appropriate reconciliation. Women are eternally interested in marriages.

Up Next: Five Little Pigs