Just Finished Reading: 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie (FP: 1957) [281pp] 

Elspeth McGillicuddy could hardly believe her own eyes, so it came as no surprise that the police refused to believe that she’d seen a murder committed right in front of her. The railway authorities were likewise less than impressed at her story of seeing a woman being strangled on another train as it drew level with her own. Quite distressed by the whole experience she knew that she could rely on one person to take her seriously – and she was right. Jane Marple had known Elspeth since her long-ago school days and knew when she was telling the truth, but how to convince the police to investigate further? Feeling her advancing years Miss Marple could only thing of getting someone younger and fitter to take her place poking around in the undergrowth and asking subtle questions. Then she hit on the solution – Lucy Eyelesbarrow, a much sort after and highly efficient home help. The question foremost in her mind was how to convince young Lucy to be her eyes, her ears and her hands. But delighted by the odd challenge and the thrill of something different she jumps at the idea. Hired by the local Crackenthorpe family sets about her tasks – sorting out a fractious and chaotic household and the discovery of a dead body... 

Reading this I couldn’t but help have brief images from the 1961 movie adaptation (Murder, She said) starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. Probably for streamlining purposes Miss Marple, in this movie version, both saw the murder from the 4.50 from Paddington and hired herself as a maid to the Crackenthorpe family. Not surprisingly, I thought that the additional characters in the novel worked much better. Jane has been detecting criminality for far too long to be knee deep in brambles between cooking and cleaning for 5-6 adults and a pair of (very well behaved) young boys. I actually thought that the character of Lucy was brilliant, and she fast became one of my favourite fictional females. It would be really nice to ‘see’ her again in future novels but I’m guessing this is both the first and our last time with her. Oh, and I can’t but mention the feeling that Christie had FAR too much fun with her family names here! I mean, McGillicuddy, Eyelesbarrow AND Crackenthorpe.... [lol] 

The plot, as you might expect from Christie is both somewhat convoluted and brilliant. Typically, I failed to spot the murderer – not even close this time – nor the motive but loved the process of finding out. The only disappointing aspect of the whole investigation was the fact that I liked the murderer until the point of revelation – that was new. One of the things I really enjoyed here, and there was a lot to enjoy being honest, were the very well-drawn characters. Even the two schoolboys – they must’ve been around 11-12 I think – were a scream, if FRIGHTFULLY British... Not only were they allowed to see the body (for their education) and spent a great deal of their time looking for clues, but they also prompted a clever reveal as to the corpse's identity which threw things in a whole other direction. Overall, I can hardly praise this too highly. It’s now one of my favourite Miss Marple novels – and that’s a HIGH bar – and I loved it from beginning to end. Very highly recommended to all classic crime fans.