Built in 1866, sold in the 1960s, and demolished in 2019. The Albert Schools provided religious and secular education to hundreds of Marple’s children and young people for about 100 years. They provided a meeting place for a myriad of activities, initially related to the Congregational Church, but later on to other community groups within Marple. Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930's The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie's last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time. Rene received a great ovation and looked queenly with a befitting modest grace. Her gown was oyster crepe suede satin and lace and had a blue velvet train and white ermine collar. Pink roses formed her bouquet. Every morning we had five minutes chanting multiplication tables 2 to 12, then various lessons, exercises and so on; and no talking in class. My mother, a teacher herself, told me she was always getting caned for talking during lessons in her time – not that she was ever reticent in later lif e! The truth however was that the contest was still up for grabs - with a host of bands falling foul of the judges in terms of style. Some of the written remarks from Bram Gay, James Scott and John Wallace were pointed in their criticism to say the least.

The box was also off to the conductor’s left, so when we got on stage I made sure we were sat at an angle with the band in the old fashioned formation with the troms to my right and the baritones and euphs behind the horns.” Ten pinbowling The heralds of the court of the new queen were J. Andrew and C. Priest, uniformed in blue velvet, E. Linton, flower girl to Rene, danced before her and added rose petals to the pathway. She wore blue flowered organdie.

Enterprising businessmen

We had an Open record after promotion from the Grand Shield in 1990 that included three consecutive 4th places on ‘Cloudcatcher Fells’, ‘Masquerade’ and ‘Salamander’, and 11th the year before our win. We were also runner-up at the North West Area in 1994. We were outsiders, but not also-rans in any way shape or form.” Great mix Parish register printouts of Maple, Cheshire, England, (Wesleyan Methodist Church), christenings, 1804-1840

After the dismissal of the court the children were conveyed to the Albert Schools for tea; and in the evening sports were organised on the Recreation Ground. The Mystery Of The Acid Soil by Kate Mosse - Miss Marple encounters a stranger on a train, and becomes caught up in a young woman's disappearance. This one was incredibly slow moving, and not all that engaging. Forgettable. 2/5.The 12th story is The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo, narrated by Miriam Margolyes. I loved the descriptions of the people and the surprise ending. I felt quite bereft when I finished listening and had to leave Miss Marple behind. Favorite quotes:

Keith Denerley lived in Marple during the Second World War and his memories of that time cast a fascinating light on everyday life during a very difficult period. He went on to become a vicar and never returned to live in Marple.) Also enjoyed The Murdering Sort/ Karen M. Mcmanus, Murder at the Villa Rosa/Elly Griffiths, and Mystery of the Acid Soil/Kate Mosse. Presumably in the ‘Girls yard’, as I believe there were separate yards, and school entrances, for girls and boys. As with all short story collections, some resonated more than others, and I am not going to rate them all individually but there are a few standouts that I DO want to mention, as they were my personal favorites! And, you can be sure that she will wear tweed, do some knitting and gardening, and have tea or Cherry Brandy, and sometimes even tea with Cherry Brandy which both go surprisingly well with village GOSSIP!

Good fortune

Reminiscing about Marple in the 1940’s with a friend recently, she thought I ought to set such things down, so here goes. Jane Marple is a famous fictional detective and one of my favorites, so I had to dive in and catch up with her through the words of these twelve authors. I love how Christie always combined light and dark, had very dysfunctional families, and always had a motive unique to the character. Christie's novels are unique and just FUN with that feel good feeling.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins, Harper Fiction, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Marple: Twelve New Stories for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Famous day

If you are in the market for a collection of short stories in the mystery genre, you really can't do better than Marple. UK Great Britain, Ordnance Survey One-Inch Seventh Series (1:63,360), 1955-1961 Parish History The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870 The Unraveling" by Natalie Haynes (4.5 stars)-Honestly this reads very well and it reads like a short story that Agatha Christie would have written. The only reason why I gave this one half a star is the solution was pretty obvious and I think Christie would have done more dis-direction if she had written this.