The April selection for the Read Christie 2026 Challenge, 'Beloved in your Collection', is a novel I had never heard of - A Caribbean Mystery (1964), the ninth novel featuring elderly amateur sleuth Miss Marple.
Jane Marple has taken a holiday. At the urging of her nephew, the elderly detective has left England for the West Indies. At the Golden Palm Hotel, on the island of St Honore, she meets an array of interesting characters: married hotel owners; a retired Major who talks too much; an American and his glamorous second wife; a couple from the UK; a South American woman travelling solo; a Canon and his sister; a disabled elderly man and his caregivers; and, a local doctor. Soon after she arrives, Major Palgrave meets his demise, seen by most as a death from natural causes. But Miss Marple has a niggle about his death, something seems off. She replays the few conversations she had with him and decides to investigate. She plonks herself down with her knitting and observes how other hotel patrons interact and starts drawing together various threads. Before long there is another death, and Marple has to enlist help to work through her theories and prevent a third murder.I approached A Caribbean Mystery without any preconceptions. It is a light tale, lacking much intrigue, but with plenty of Christie tropes to keep readers engaged. But I found myself less interested in the mystery element, and more invested in nutting out Christie's secret of success.
Christie has a way of describing characters that make you immediately know who they are. For example, on Major Palgrave she writes: 'He had been rather a garrulous elderly man of the club-bore type, always telling you personal reminiscences that you had no particular desire to hear' (ch5). She injects a lot of humour in this novel and I routinely found myself laughing aloud. One of my favourite lines was 'The fruit on the island, thought Miss Marple, was rather disappointing. It seemed always to be pawpaw.' (ch3).
This is my second Miss Marple mystery, having recently read The Body in the Library, and I have really warmed to the delightful Miss Marple. As a largely invisible old woman she is able to gain access to people in a disarming manner. She is underestimated, as Mr Rafiel found out when he exclaimed 'I must say, though, that nobody would think you had any brains in your head to hear your unusual line of talk. actually, you've got a logical mind. Very few women have' (ch16). She is definitely not 'the gentle fluffy old lady' (ch17) she is mistaken for.
I have really been enjoying participating in the Christie Challenge this year. Her novels are like comfort food, a warm blanket and a cup of tea. Perhaps that is the secret to her success. I look forward to continuing to explore extensive bibliography.
My reviews of other Christie novels are available on this blog:
Murder on the Links (1923) Murder on the Orient Express (1934) The Body in the Library (1942) Mrs McGinty's Dead (1952)