A Caribbean Mystery is a mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 16 November, 1964 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at sixteen shillings (16/-) Towards the end of the year, Richardson again commented on the book in a special Books of the Year: A Personal Choice column when he said, "Agatha Christie makes one of those gratifying veteran's comebacks."

The Daily Mirror of 21 November 1964 was less enthusiastic": "Not quite at the top of her form. A Miss Marples (sic) story which addicts won't find as unsolvable as usual."

After lukewarm reviews of her two previous novels, Francis Iles (Anthony Berkeley Cox) reported that the writer was back on form in his review in The Guardians issue of 11 December 1964:<blockquote>"Mrs Agatha Christie has done it again. In A Caribbean Mystery she tells the reader explicitly what is going to happen; and yet when it does, nine out of ten will be taken completely by surprise&nbsp;– as I was. How does she do it? For the rest, it is Miss Marple this time who is in charge of the story; and all one can guess is that the setting is a Caribbean island."</blockquote>

In a 1990 appreciation of the author, biographer Robert Barnard said the novel had been written:<blockquote>"in the tradition of all those package-tour mysteries written by indigent crime writers who have to capitalize on their meagre holidays. Nothing much of interest, but useful for illustrating the 'fluffification' of Miss Marple. Reuses a ploy from Appointment with Death."<!--Structure without sentences makes the content suspect.--></blockquote>

Dedication

The novel is dedicated to John Cruikshank Rose, "with happy memories of my visit to the West Indies". Christie and her husband Max Mallowan had become friends with John Rose in 1928 at an archaeological site at Ur. He was an architectural draftsman, and in 1932 was hired by Mallowan when he was in charge of the dig in Greater Syria at Tell Arpachiyah, Iraq. Rose was Scottish and, as Christie described him, was "a beautiful draughtsman, with a quiet way of talking, and a gentle humour that I found irresistible."

Publication history

The novel was serialised in the Star Weekly Novel, a Toronto newspaper supplement, in two abridged instalments from 16 to 23 January 1965, with each issue containing an uncredited cover illustration.

Adaptations

Television

A 1983 US TV movie adaptation starred Helen Hayes as Miss Marple and Barnard Hughes as Mr Rafiel. The New York Times said that Miss Marple has "a carload of suspects" to figure out why her friend was killed, in this film that first aired on 22 October 1983.

A BBC TV adaptation starring Joan Hickson was shown in 1989 as part of the series Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, with Donald Pleasence co-starring as Mr Rafiel.

In 2013, the book was adapted for the sixth series of ITV's Agatha Christie's Marple, starring Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple, Antony Sher as Jason Rafiel, Oliver Ford Davies as Major Palgrave, Hermione Norris as Evelyn Hillingdon and Robert Webb and Charity Wakefield as the Kendalls.

The novel was adapted as a 2016 episode of the French television series Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie.

Radio

Michael Bakewell wrote a BBC Radio adaptation first broadcast in October 1997, featuring June Whitfield as Miss Marple.

References

  • A Caribbean Mystery at the official Agatha Christie website