Thirteen Clues for Miss Marple

"Thirteen Clues of Miss Marple" is a collection of mystery short stories by Agatha Christie, all of which feature her famous old lady sleuth. Like "The Tuesday Club Murders" (or "The Thirteen Clues" as it was called in the United States), these stories are told to others as puzzles to be solved. And of course, stories that stump everyone else are no problem for the mind of Miss Marple. Standouts in this collection include "Greenshaw's Folly", in which an old maid seems to predict her own death but no one takes her seriously, and "The Case of the Perfect Maid", in which two sisters find a maid who is just too good to be true. Other delightful stories are the "Tape-Measure Murder" and "The Case of the Caretaker". Seven of the stories included in this collection also appear in "The Tuesday Club Murders", but are well worth rereading, especially "The Blue Geranium" and "The Companion". Each short story is trademark Agatha Christie, including "Strange Jest", which involves no dead bodies, just a young couple's pursuit to figure out their uncle's riddle-laden inheritance. The stories are quick paced and packed with just as many twists and turns as a full length novel. I was a little disappointed that this was a compiled collection, and not a collection of original stories, but the condition and book jacket on the hardcover edition are worth it for any collector of Christie's works.