Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple Books in Order
While Hercule Poirot may be Agatha Christie’s most notorious sleuth, Miss Marple is a close second. Miss Marple is an unlikely, but astute detective. She’s an elderly woman from the small fictional village of St. Mary Mead, and she solves murders as a hobby wherever she goes. Miss Marple, having bright eyes and world class knitting skills, has put her excellent judge of character to use in many a quaint village, and has cleverly gotten to the bottom of murders of all sorts.
Agatha Christie is known to have based the character on her own grandmother, with some differences, of course. Her first appearance was in a short story written for Royal Magazine in 1927. Never dreaming Miss Marple would become as popular as her famous Poirot, she nevertheless wrote Miss Marple a full length novel of her own in 1930, to be followed by many more over several decades.
Miss Marple Novels in Order of Publication:
Chronological order would place the short stories near the beginning, but we’re going to stick with publishing order here. Miss Marple books really don’t need to be read in order — you can enjoy them in whichever order you happen upon them! I’ll tell you as I go which of these are my favorites and then I’ll recommend a few to start with after I’ve listed them all.
Let’s get started!
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1930
Miss Marple’s novel debut. Buy it here or listen to the audiobook.
1932
Where it all began, this collection of short stories, creatively laid out, includes the first Miss Marple tale, first published in Royal Magazine.
A tangled web of characters is what I remember about this one! Buy it here or listen to the audio version.
1942
This novel is #3 on Agatha Christie’s personal favorites list! Buy it here or listen to it on Audible.
1950
My favorite Marple novel! Buy it here or listen to the audiobook.
1952
Buy it here or listen to the audio version.
Definitely one of her most suspenseful, this Miss Marple tale is another of my personal favorites. Buy the book or listen to the audio version here.
This is a Miss Marple short story that is included in a collection of short stories that also includes Poirot and others of Agatha Christie’s sleuths. You can purchase this story on Kindle, or find the entire short story collection in Double Sin and Other Stories. It’s also available on Audible.
1957
This one is a classic woman-witnesses-murder-from -a-moving-train story and it doesn’t disappoint! Buy it here or listen to the audio version.
1962
Ooh, I love this one! Hollywood glamour on one hand and a hilarious fawning fan on the other. Buy it here or listen to the audiobook.
1965
A fan favorite because of its marvelous setting! Every reader will want to visit Bertram’s Hotel. Buy it here or listen to it on Audible.
Nemesis
1971
A classic puzzle mystery, follow the clues with Miss Marple in her penultimate case. Buy it here or listen to it instead.
Sleeping Murder
1976
In Miss Marple’s last case, she passes the torch by helping a young, newly married couple solve a mystery of their own. Buy it here or listen to the audiobook.
1979
Finally, here is a last collection of short stories in Miss Marple’s final cases. I highly recommend the BBC dramatized radio version of these stories narrated by June Whitfield!
Which Miss Marple Book Should You Read First?
I already said that it’s not important to read Miss Marple in order. You could begin at the beginning with Murder at the Vicarage, of course, but I recommend getting a feel for Miss Marple by reading Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories, then move on to A Murder is Announced, my favorite. It has everything you want in a Miss Marple story and will set you up to love her whit and keen mind for all the Marple books you read after that!
Cheers ‘til next time,
Ariadne
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