They Do it With Mirrors
A Miss Marple Mystery
By Agatha Christie Ulverscroft Large Print, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-44480-236-8
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Reviewed by Auggie Moore - August 6, 2010
The setting for They Do it With Mirrors is a bit unusual compared to most Miss Marple mysteries. In this case, Miss Marple finds herself visiting her friend, the American, Mrs Ruth Van Rydock, when she learns that their mutual friend, Carrie Louise has remarried for the third time and is now living in a proper Victorian mansion called Stonygates. However, this is not your typical mansion, for part of the building has been turned into a training centre for juvenile delinquents. Here they are meant to be turned into contributing members of society and to basically learn to trod the straight and narrow.
Concerned for her old friend, Miss Marple sets out to visit Carrie Louise and her current husband, Lewis Serrocold. With traditional Miss Marple punctuality, not long after she arrives at Stonygates, one of the juvenile delinquents at the centre takes a shot at Mr. Serrocold who is serving as the centre's administrator. While this bullet misses Serrocold, another, fired at the same time, does hit its target and a Mr Christian Gulbrandsen, who just happens to be visiting the centre, falls dead. This same Mr Gulbrandsen just happens to be Carrie Louise's stepson from her first marriage. A coincidence? Miss Marple doesn't think so and sets out to get to the truth of the matter!
As Miss Marple delves into Carrie Louise's complicated life and large blended family, Miss Marple discovers dark family secrets that call into question the real reason that Mr Gulbrandsen turned up at Stonygates, and why someone might have wanted him dead. As events progress, the lists of suspects grows as do the number of murder victims. As expected, the story is filled with a nice assortment of false leads and unexpected twists, and the level of intrigue advances at a steady pace leading up to the story's memorable conclusion.
While not as complicated as some of Agatha Christie's other Miss Marple mysteries, They Do it With Mirrors still offers readers a chance to work their brains a little as they attempt to solve the mystery before Miss Marple delivers her denouncement - while also offering mystery fans the opportunity to sit back and enjoy a few quiet hours with Miss Marple, one of literature's most beloved amateur sleuths.
They Do it With Mirrors can be purchased directly from Ulverscroft.
Click Here for a complete list of all the books written by Agatha Christie.
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