The Case of the Caretaker

Agatha Christie

Sep 2011 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

Doctor Haydock, the resident GP of St. Mary Mead, hopes to cheer up Miss Marple as she recovers from the flu with a little story. The tale revolves around the return of the prodigal son of Major Laxton, the devilishly handsome Harry Laxton. Harry, after leading a life of childish indiscretions and falling head over heels for the village tobacconist’s daughter, has made good and returned to lay claim to his tumbling childhood home and introduce the village to his beautiful new wife. But, the villagers are prone to gossip about young Harry’s past, and one person in particular cannot forgive him for tearing down the old house. Will Miss Marple’s acumen be up to the task of solving the story?

Ratings and reviews

This isn't the best of Miss Marple and not a "follow along and find the clues" type story...the solution at the end of this short story is fine and reasonable, but it's disappointing that the story is so brief and does not present a chance to determine the solution before the final scene. If it wasn't the beloved Miss Marple, this would be a "one star" story review.

Story was lacking but the characters drew my interest. Not a big fan of the short story concept, but was a nice sampler of Christie.

This is sold here as a 100 page book. It is a 16 page short story. Good story, but I feel a bit ripped off.

About the author

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.