Miss Marple

Sep 2016 17

Agatha Christie and the Orderly Art of Murder

2016 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sharon Tucker

by Sharon Tucker

The most pleasing element in reading Agatha Christie is spending time in her world. It’s an orderly place full of rather complacent, pleasant people suddenly faced with the inexplicable: murders are discovered, friends go missing, or incongruities mushroom in either their village or whatever closed community her detectives happen to be in or called to at the time. Her best loved characters, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, are essentially likable, despite one’s occasional flightiness and a touch of narcissism in the other.

TV Wrinkles – New and Old

2015 Articles, Deborah Harter Williams, Mysteryrat's Maze, TV

by Deborah Harter Williams

Jane and Lily as seniors? Seriously funny.
The success of the Netflix show Grace and Frankie starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin might have audiences rethinking the nature of old on television. Comedy is a time-honored way to challenge assumptions and G & F take on age and same sex marriage right out of the box. Add on interracial adoption and any number of semi-sacred cows with just enough I-can’t-believe-they-said-that to remind us that we’re not watching your grandmother’s broadcast television.

Who’s Your Favorite Marple?

2015 Articles, Deborah Harter Williams, Movies, Mysteryrat's Maze, TV

by Deborah Harter Williams

Jane Marple has been portrayed onscreen by a cadre of fine actresses. The world has been blessed with a veritable, murmuration of Marples. Or would that be a murder of Marples? Or perhaps a marvelization of Marples, because it is quite marvelous to have so many characterizations to choose from.