Queens of Crime 3: A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
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What are the origins of the murder party concept?
Sophie, have you ever been to a murder party?
Have I been to a murder party, Jonty? I gave a murder party for my 16th birthday. I had a how to host a murder party, which was a big thing in the when was I 16? Probably in the in the late 80s.
There was a late 1980s moment. There was a little kit. It was sort of peak cheese fondue period. It was sort of cheese fondue and murder parties.
Yeah. And I had several friends. We had a slumber party. And boy, did we host a murder. We had a tremendous time. It was black tie. And we kind of replicated the conditions of an Agatha Christie style country house. Have you had a murder party, Jonty?
Sophie, as you know, I don't mess about. I had a murder party about 10 years ago, which I did with my wife. And I went into a massive producing. It was the Hollywood biblical epic of murder parties. I had surprise actors appear over the evening. So over the evening, sort of strange people were appearing. And at the very end, to the surprise of all the guests, a detective figure, who's a very good actor, appeared and put everything to right. It was a triumph. That's incredible. And a lot of hours. The costumes were fantastic. It was huge and elaborate. Wow. The photo of us all assembled in our sort of, you know, 1890s gear is splendid.
That sounds fantastic. Wow, you totally stole the march on me. I wish I'd been there. This is The Secret Life of Books. I'm Sophie Gee, modest, seemingly sweet and gentle, elderly lady living in a small village. But boy, do I have a mind like a tack and a taste for solving a murder.
Well, it should be a mind like a sink, as somebody says. That's right. I am Jonty Claypole. I'm a retired colonel living in the English countryside in a village called Chipping Clegghorn. I've had a long and distinguished career out in the colonies, and I've come home from the hill to tend to my rose garden and express my views on absolutely everything to anyone who is nearby to listen.
This week, a murder is announced by Agatha Christie.
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It's a real treat this week. After looking at the murder of Roger Ackroyd last year, because it was its 100th birthday, it was first published in 1925, we weren't planning to do another slobisode on Agatha Christie, but then we thought, can we seriously finish a miniseries on the Queens of Crime without revisiting Christie? And obviously the answer is a resounding no. Can we leave that rather irritating, egg-headed story persnickety Belgian Hercule Poirot as Christie's only legacy? What right do we have to call ourselves crime aficionados or feminists, or in Jonti's case, feminist and aficionado adjacent, without putting Jane Marple of St. Mary Mead into the frame?
And when we realized that this very week is the 50th anniversary of Agatha Christie's death, we knew the planets had aligned. A quick check on astrology.com confirms that the sun is in Capricorn, meaning we are motivated by feelings of responsibility and respect for law and order. Yes, we have a duty, Sophie, to celebrate Miss Marple and the law and order she brings to English country villages. So in this surprise and unexpected entry to the back slobber log, we are using Agatha Christie to take our Queens of Crime series from the golden decade of the 1930s to the other side of the Second World War.
I love that you consulted astrology.com, Jyoti. You always go the extra mile, don't you?
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What are the origins of the murder party concept?
0:00–10:38
2
How does Agatha Christie celebrate her 50th published book?
10:38–21:07
3
What impact did World War II have on Agatha Christie's writing?
21:07–26:40
4
How does 'A Murder is Announced' reflect post-war British society?
26:40–54:39
5
What are the characteristics of Miss Marple in this novel?
54:39–1:08:16