A Caribbean Mystery

Kindle review - Chapter navigation available. This is an actual Kindle version so the navigation and type-setting are appropriate to Kindle. Book review - Great story. This is one of my favorites (although you'll hear that about probably two thirds of the Agatha Christie novels that I review). The puzzle is decent, the red herrings abound, and the characters are fun and interesting. If you are new to Agatha Christie the Miss Marple mysteries can have her as a main character or as a side note, basically working in the background. This one is actually as much about her, putting her in a new setting, making new friends, experiencing the world... basically taking her out of her comfort zone. If you have not previously read any of her works I would recommend that you read one where the detective is the main character - whether it's Miss Marple or Poirot. The ones where they are incidental characters are not as satisfying if you are not familiar with their quirks and their methods.

Caution!This Book Could Make You A Mystery Addict, too!~ ~ - ~ ~ I first read "A Caribbean Mystery" at age 12, when we were away from our home in Boston, MA, and staying in Israel for a year's sabbatical. I was desperate for anything in English to read and resorted to my mother's paperback mystery collection. I was so excited and intrigued by this story, that it started me on a Mystery book addiction, now going on 32 years worth of mystery reading. ~ ~ - ~ ~ I remember the chill down my spine at the intricacy and "rightness" of the solution to the mystery. The story is very simple. Agatha Christie's sleuth Miss Marple has been sent on a vacation to the Caribbean, supposedly to relax, by her wealthy nephew. She meets an interesting group of fellow travelers at her hotel, and watches them carefully. A retired Military gentleman is ruffling the other guests feathers in his blunt way, and is with a group that includes most all of them when he is suddenly very upset by something he has seen or heard. When he becomes the victim of murder, Miss Marple must deduce what it was that had affected him so, in order to find the killer. ~ ~ - ~ ~ This is a wonderfully entertaining example of the "Classic" mystery, with a fixed group of suspects, a circumscribed location, and a wonderful sleuth to follow. I like Helen Hayes in the movie adaptations of Miss Marple. She seems as endearing, and as seemingly muddle headed, shy, and retiring as the Miss Marple of the story. This book follows the unwritten rules that the clues were there all along, but you just don't see them, until the case solution is revealed.On reading the solution to this neatly done mystery, I felt that spine tingling sensation- and it remains the standard that I use to judge the success of a mystery. ~ ~ - ~ ~ You don't have to be new to mystery stories to enjoy this light, easily read, entertaining book. You don't even have to be new to Miss Marple. Any mystery story lover will find this a nice, light but satisfying read.

I think that A Caribbean Mystery is one of Christie's best mysteries. At least for me, the ending was quite surprising and I would never have thought of it (however, the fact that I'm not a very good sleuth may have something to do with it!). This book has many twists and turns and even though it's set in a limited confined atmosphere, it still manages to have the breathtaking atmosphere that only Christie can create. The end is really surprising, akin to the end of The Sixth Sense for those who have watched it. Even though many people have said that this book has stereotypical characters, I don't think the characters are that stereotypical and the culprit in the end is not as obvious as some thick-headed people seem to think. I recommend this book to everyone, Christie fan or not.

Miss Marple escapes the rigors of an English winter, thanks to her nephew, the successful mystery writer Raymond West. He has sent Jane on a Caribbean vacation and it is at the Golden Palm Hotel on St. Honore that we find her with her ever-present knitting needles. After the eventful life she has led in St. Mary Mead, however, Miss Marple finds the island life a bit boring. But all that is about to change rather quickly. It begins one day when another elderly guest, Major Palgrave, is about to show Miss Marple a photograph of someone he claims is a murderer who got away. He stops short when four other guests approach, any of whom may have heard the conversation. A chambermaid telling tales and two murders are pivotal in this mystery that Miss Marple solves with her usual shrewd detection skills. Notable to this book is the introduction of Jason Rafiel, an ill, rude, and extremely rich guest we will hear of again in "Nemesis." He recognizes in Miss Marple a kindred spirit and together they form an effective partnership which prevents further murders.

Ms. Marple, the main character in this novel is investigating the murder of one of her friends, Major Palgrave. It was said, that the reason he died was of old age and heart conditions. Ms. Marple has other suspicions. Should she go with her instincts? To find out if she was right or if he died because of heart conditions, you should read this book, I highly recomend it!