Plot or Premise

St. Crispin’s Village, although not quiet per se, is at least restful. Until Leonard Mumbray retires to the village and tries to exact evil upon its townsfolk, with words here or suggestions there. Extortion, blackmail, threats, sneers…whatever it takes to stir up trouble. And trouble leads to deaths, including suicides and murder.

What I Liked

Miss Doran Fairweather doesn’t like it, not one bit. And if Christie had written Ms. Marple at age 26, it might have been Miss Fairweather who resulted. Written in the classic style of life in an English village, there are lots of characters. Besides Mumbray and Fairweather, there is her love — the local widowed vicar, Rodney Chelmarsh. Only love does not run smoothly because Rodney has a handicapped daughter who exaggerates her ailments to monopolize all of Rodney’s time and throws fits if he tries to make friends with others.

What I Didn’t Like

Well-written, but there are too many little twists and turns that are not needed for the story. As well, the ending is a little anti-climactic in terms of the mystery, although it is slightly made up for with a twist in the love story part. Not enough to save the mediocre ending to the mystery but a nice ending nevertheless.

The Bottom Line

Nice ending