A series of murder mysteries, based on the famous Agatha Christie novels. In the quiet English village of St Mary Mead lives an elderly lady, Miss Jane Marple. Beneath the unassuming exterior lies a razor-sharp, deductive mind, a mind perfect for solving murders. And that's what she does, incredibly well.
Great series, the definitive Miss Marple series. Very intriguing mysteries, as one would expect considering the writer. Joan Hickson is perfect as Miss Marple, imbuing Miss Marple with quaintness, fade-into-the-background anonymity and incredible intellect.
The settings are generally great too, capturing the quaintness and peacefulness of the English countryside and English life after WW2.
Another telling factor is how well developed and colourful the secondary characters are. Miss Marple's character is not enough to carry the show and the secondary characters help the engagement levels enormously.
Not perfect though. The first few mysteries are brilliant, for the reasons described above. However, from Sleeping Murder onwards the secondary characters ae less engaging and the settings less idyllic. The mysteries are still quite intriguing though.
