It has been a while since I last read a Miss Marple story, however, and I suspect my memory has been muddled by the various TV and film adaptations! Which is why I had Joan Hickson in my head throughout this book, along with Joanna Lumley every time Dolly Bantry made an appearance. I can't really judge if the authors have correctly captured Christie's 'voice' but they have certainly captured the flavour of her Miss Marple stories and they are all of an exceptional standard.
The stories are as follows:
Evil in Small Places by Lucy Foley
The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid
Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole
The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes
Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware
The Open Mind by Naomi Adlerman
The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok
A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell
Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths
The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus
The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse
The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo
My favourites (in no particular order) were: The Second Murder at the Vicarage, A Deadly Wedding Day, Murder at the Villa Rosa, The Murdering Sort, The Mystery of the Acid Soil and The Disappearance, but they were all very good! I think my only complaint is that no original Miss Marple story was included.
This anthology was a clever idea and a lot of fun. Even with my rusty knowledge I recognised reoccurring characters (Raymond West, Dolly Bantry and Sir Henry Clithering) and references to other stories (The Murder at the Vicarage and A Caribbean Mystery). Marple would make the perfect present for any fan of cosy crime, 'golden age' mysteries - and of Agatha Christie, obviously!
Thank you to the authors and Harper Collins UK for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
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