The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side is one of the most cleverly written murder mysteries in the Marple series. In fact, it falls with the lot I consider to be Agatha Christie’s best. The story captured me from the beginning, even before the murder-mystery plot was introduced. The early chapters on Miss Marple and her efforts at adapting to the social changes coming about were very interesting. I was drawn to it to the point of forgetting that I was here to read a murder mystery. 🙂
The plot is based on quite an intelligent premise, and the overall story is carefully and methodically composed around it. Christie has taken great care not to spill the beans too soon, so the guessing game continued until the final couple of chapters. Even then, I wasn’t quite sure who the criminal was. And the motive was beyond my imagination. So I’ll admit defeat and will confess that Christie won the battle. Before I move on, I must add a word on the motive. It is one of the most sensitive and sympathetic ones. I almost pitied the criminal.
As much as the story, I enjoyed the characters and the setting too. It seems that I like Miss Marple stories the best when they are set in St. Mary Mead. I feel that Miss Marple is in her best element when she is within her own surrounding. 🙂 Her presence is not marked as much as we want to, but it is felt throughout, specially through Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock.
It was a gratifying read, overall. Having read many murder mysteries, I need a little more push to go that extra mile from just enjoying to thoroughly enjoying to the point of satisfaction. I’m happy to have got it here. This novel is one of my favourite Marple and favourite Agatha Christie.
Rating: 4/5
