The Murder at the Vicarage

'Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe would be doing the world at large a service,' remarks the vicar of St Mary Mead at lunch, and that same evening the colonel, the most disliked man in the village, is found shot dead at the writing desk in the vicar's own study. There are far too many suspects, and two people confess, but it is the vicar's elderly neighbour, Miss Jane Marple, who watches everything from her garden and knows human nature from village life, who sees the truth.

Published in 1930, this was the first novel featuring Miss Marple, and it entered the public domain in the United States in 2026. Agatha Christie later thought its plot too crowded, but its picture of village gossip is a delight. From here, try The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.