MISS MARPLE IN: SLEEPING MURDER

The dramatizations of Agatha Christie novels are an entertaining cross between a single-voice audiobook and BBC-TV episodes. June Whitfield stars as Miss Jane Marple in this case, which challenges the elderly sleuth to tackle an unsolved murder that resurfaces in the quiet village of Dilmouth. A young woman moves into a home that seems strangely familiar, yet she apparently has just come to England from New Zealand. The sharp logic of Miss Marple's approach to unraveling this "cold case" is carefully laid out by Whitfield's excellent use of pause and pace. The bit parts of secondary characters—a local doctor, a former housemaid, a local tour guide—are well played and add variety and fun to the sleuthing. Known as "Miss Marple's Last Case," the story was published after Christie's death in 1976. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2009]