The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie * * * *

Agatha Christie’s The Thirteen Problems is a compilation of thirteen short stories. This is the first time she introduces her beloved character, Miss Marple. The stories themselves weren’t made into movies, but elements from them were used. I listened to it as an audiobook.

It’s very hard to talk about this book. The main plot device is that a group of people from many walks of life get together and tell each other mystery stories that actually happened. The narrator knows what the solution was, and the others try to guess. Predictably, Miss Marple gets it every time. However, this is only predictable for a modern audience — we know Miss Marple well by now. For the original readers, this came as a surprise.

Although The Thirteen Problems was published as a collection in 1932, the short stories it contains were actually written and released earlier, starting in 1927. Christie later expanded Miss Marple into a full-length novel with The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930. The book version of The Thirteen Problems lightly connects the individual stories with extra framing material, but Miss Marple’s role as the unexpected expert was already firmly established from the beginning.

One common theme I noticed in the stories is that they all carry a certain sadness with them. They feel like unnecessary tragedies. The short format makes them hit harder each time, and you’re left wishing people had made better choices. Also, because the stories are being retold, they’re delivered in a more matter-of-fact style. This gives them a sense of blunt realism — the characters don’t feel like individuals, but just names in a news article.

I can’t really talk about characters. The people the stories are about are usually wealthy, or at least well-off. We only see snippets of their lives. The people telling the stories aren’t fully fleshed-out either. Miss Marple’s early version is much like what we’re used to. She relates the stories to things she’s seen in her long, but rather quiet life, which is also a reflection on English village life.

The audiobook is narrated by Juliet Stevenson. A well-known British actress, she delivers a solid narration. Often narration is best when it’s not noticeable, because that means it doesn’t take you out of the story or irritate you.

Overall, a good collection of stories. In my opinion, it’s best to read them one at a time, as when read quickly one after another, they can blend together.