A Murder Is Announced

Mystery and thriller

First published: 1950
Print length: 297 pagesDodd, Mead, 1985

Description

A newspaper notice announces that a murder will occur at a specified time and place in Chipping Cleghorn. Curious villagers gather at Letitia Blacklock’s home, Little Paddocks, to see whether the startling announcement will be fulfilled. At the appointed moment, the lights fail, a masked intruder appears, shots are fired, and a man dies. Miss Marple and Inspector Craddock investigate how the apparent hold-up was staged and who could have fired the shot. Their inquiry considers a potential inheritance motive involving twins who would benefit if Letitia died before a wealthy relative. As the investigation closes in on the household, further deaths threaten witnesses and deepen the danger surrounding the original crime.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Dialogue-driven · Direct · Witty

Pace

Brisk

Tone

Humorous · Suspenseful · Tense · Warm

Structure

Linear

Focus

Mystery · Plot · Relationships

Emotional intensity

3 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 2 / 5
Ideas: 2 / 5
Structure: 3 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

Crime and punishmentIdentityJusticeKnowledge and truthWealth

About Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (1890–1976) was an English mystery writer associated with the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. After six rejections, she established her career in 1920 with The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which introduced Hercule Poirot. Much of her fiction places a limited group of suspects in a confined social setting, such as a country house, train, boat, or island, then tests their accounts against physical clues and private motives. Her direct, dialogue-led prose keeps these investigations clear while giving weight to discrepancies in testimony and behavior. Poirot exemplifies this attention to both material evidence and human conduct. Across her work, Christie returned to concealed relationships, guilt, unreliable witnesses, and the tension between establishing what happened and deciding what justice requires.