I wanted to read Murder at the Vicarage because it is Agatha Christie's first Miss Marple book. After reading a bunch of Hercules Poirot mysteries, I enjoyed this one. The descriptions of a rural English country village and a focus on the "pussies" - the little old ladies nosing about everyone else's business was amusing. Christie's humor really struck me this time around. I was also struck by her quite conservative outlook and traditionalist POV, which I think comes through more strongly in this book than in the Hercules books. (Maybe because of her own closeness to the subject matter?) I won't bother going into more plot details, as plenty of info on that already available... Christie never fails to "wow" me, when at the end of the book, she throws off the curtains of the mystery and reveals ALL. :-)
About Me
- Lisa Frieden
- My literary taste runs the gamut from Shakespeare, Poe, and Austen, to Elizabeth Lowell, Toni Morrison, and Jo Nesbo. Though I often read tales that plumb the inner demons of tortured souls, I prefer to write lighter books that my readers can have fun with.
Growing up, my sister and I lived next door to three French girls, who were like sisters to us. It was our friendship that gave me the idea of writing a book series about a group of five girls, plus the wonderful time I spent in Santa Barbara in my 20s.
Set in Santa Barbara, the Cota Club books tell the stories of each of the five friends and reflect the genres that fit each of the characters. That’s why Kristi’s story in Love and Money is a mystery, whereas Carla’s story in The Offering is romantic suspense. Tate’s story in Love and Hate is a thriller. I don’t know yet about Izzy’s, but Gwen’s will turn to the world of the supernatural.