Out of the dull green light Mary's voice came, breathless, hysterical.The second Miss Marple book, with a certain humour but, alas, relatively predictable, where it is simply a matter of working out how the obvious suspect(s) have constructed his/her/their alibis, and reflecting on whether or not to believe the absurdly convoluted plot. Miss Marple is consulted by no less than two Chief Constables and a former Metropolitan Commissioner, which shows that her reputation is spreading (there is reference to some of the short stories as well). We also travel from her village to a nearby seaside resort, not the first time Christie has used this venue (see Bexhill in The A.B.C. Murders). The climax is a little rushed though.
“Oh, ma'am, oh, ma'am, there's a body in the library!”
...
Mrs Bantry reflected a minute and then applied an urgent conjugal elbow to her sleeping spouse.
Poisoning count: one victim not poisoned, one drugged but done away with by other means, one attempted poisoning which fails.