It’s hard to believe I’ve been reading for so many years and have never read Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series all the way through. I do remember reading the first several way back when and enjoying them but I’m a little chagrined that a mystery-lovin’ book addict like myself has never finished such a classic series. So I’ve made it one of my reading missions for this year and I’ve just finished the first book, Murder at the Vicarage.

Miss Marple is a wonderfully likeable and understandable character and the village setting is quaint and lovely (I can so picture the gardens!). Christie does an excellent job of giving you just enough information to get a vision in your mind but not so much that you cannot expand on the vision with your own imagination. The mystery was comfortable and, while somewhat predictable, still enjoyable (most likely it was so predictable because I’ve read so many mysteries over the years). I liked the depth of characterization and the feeling I was sitting alongside Miss Marple enjoying a cup of tea and listening to her stories. Really looking forward to reading more in the series.