"'Murder at the Vicarage' is the story of an English village reverend, Len Clements, and Miss Marple, an elderly spinster, who search for the murderer of a local man, Lucius Protheroe. While the police continue to operate by the book, Clements and Miss Marple put their heads together to successfully find the identity of the killer."
, Resident Scholar
"It should have been easy to find Colonel Protheroe's murderer. After all, half the village wanted him dead, and the other half certainly wouldn't mind his absence. It wasn't as if suspects were hard to come by! Yet when the Colonel is found shot in the vicarage, it's a shock to everyone. The obnoxious police, with the help of the vicar and clues from Miss Marple, investigate the crime. To their surprise, they find that the quiet town of St. Mary Mead is a hotbed of vice! Adultery, stolen identities, and burglary are just some of the things that turn up in the search for a murderer. "
Christina Olson, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Murder At the Vicarage
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Special suspect?
- lover
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- searching for $$$/treasure
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- religious figure
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- artist
Eccentric:
Yes
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
- a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
