I absolutely adore all the Agatha Christie books. I do like her other detective characters like Hercule Poirot, and Tommy and Tuppence Beresford etc, but I think Miss Marple is my favourite. There is something so appealing in this fragile, prudish elderly lady, usually ignored and overlooked, and yet who possesses a shockingly quick-witted and suspicious mind, and who quietly solves the most puzzling of crimes.

I also love the sound of the little peaceful village of St Mary’s Mead where she lives, and where nothing ever seems to happen and life just plods along, but actually under the surface there is murder, wickedness, suspicion, cheating, and double-crossing!

Anyway, I think this Miss Marple story is one of my favourites. It begins with an advertisement in the local paper saying that “A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm”. No-one seems to know anything about the advert and at the appointed time (with an inevitable crowd of curious neighbours), the lights in the cottage mysteriously go out and a gunshot is heard! What a fantastic beginning!

It is typical Agatha Christie material; full of suspense, red herrings, and twists - and leaves you guessing (or, at least it did me!) right until the very end when the murderer is revealed