The Body in the Library: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing the novel The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie, the second book in the Miss Marple series. Keep reading to find out what we thought of this novel and if you should read this mystery novel next!

The Body in the Library Summary

A dead body is discovered in the library of the Bantry’s house. Nobody knows who she is and how she got there. When another dead body is later discovered in an abandoned quarry, it raises the question if the murders are related.

Miss Marple is good friends with Mrs Bantry and is invited to the house as the Bantrys seek her help. They know that if anyone can solve the mystery of the body in the library, it is Miss Marple. But in order to do so, Miss Marple needs to outwit the killer to dissolve the cloud hanging over the Bantrys as their reputation takes a hit and to prevent another murder.

Commentary

The Body in the Library was released in 1942 and was released in the U.S. first and then in the U.K a few months later. As this was one of the earlier Miss Marple series, it was compared to Christie’s Hercule Poirot novels. Many critics enjoyed the feminine viewpoint and the novel was well received. 

This novel is a great introduction to an Agatha Christie novel as it highlights her strong points and techniques that she would use in many of her novels. One of those popular techniques is using settings that would seem odd to many authors such as the library.

Novels like The Body in the Library showcased Christie’s ability to tell a good mystery with a lot of misdirection. We get to see how Miss Marple thinks and solves her mysteries. Funnily enough, Agatha Christie mentions herself in the novel when a young boy mentions his favorite mystery authors.

Conclusion

Christie is many of our favorite mystery author and the bestselling author of all time for a reason. Her novels are fun to read and we all love playing detective. The mystery in this novel was enjoyable and I was able to predict the twist. If you have read enough Christie novels, then you learn one thing for certain; don’t take the word of any witness without corroboration.

I ended up reading this novel again because it has been almost a decade since I last read it. That was enough time for me to forget everything about this novel. And I am glad I reread this and got to read one more Miss Marple novel as I wrap up this series. Happy reading!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook