tonygarraway2009 The first thing I would say is that I consider Joan Hickson to be the definitive Miss Marple. It's as simple as that. The depth and warmth she brings to the character is pure brilliance. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Margaret Rutherford's relatively lightweight portrayal from the early 60s, but Joan Hickson just seems a total natural for the role. This 3 part serial is beautifully filmed. It captures perfectly the essence of an apparently normal middle class and sleepy English village from the 1950s. Everybody and everything looks perfectly respectable and decent, at least from the outside. However there are people in the village with secrets and it isn't long before events take a dark turn when a forthcoming murder is announced in the local newspaper. Other than Joan Hickson, there are two performances that I think stand out. Ursula Howells is excellent as Miss Blacklock, the lady with a dark secret. John Castle is also excellent as the Inspector, who has a tricky job getting the locals to provide vital information in order to solve the crime.Overall excellent . 9/10.

Chris Impens Much as I admire the Miss Marple setting, this particular episode makes no sense unless it is assumed that in the 1950's (1) British policemen were totally incompetent, (2) elderly ladies moved very quickly, had no problems strangling people much taller and stronger than themselves, and were virtuoso marksmen in dark crowded rooms, and (3) murderers preferred complicated plots, involving may accidental elements, over direct action. As a result of (1), the victim is believed to have killed himself with a rare body shot, with a pistol that may or may not be the colonel's (why his wife lies about it we'll never know) and which is bound to carry the murderer's fingerprints and not his own. None of this is investigated. Quite understandably, the police sergeant started a second life as Morse's assistant, assuming the name of 'Lewis'.

out_to_lunch2001 I loved this adaptation! The acting is very good all the way thro' with fantastic performances from Ursula Howells (Miss Blacklock), Renee Asherton (Miss Bunner) and, of course, Joan Hickson - who *is* (in my opinion) Miss Jane Marple - just the way that Dame Agatha described her in the books.Having read the book several times, I'm pleased and relieved that it wasn't "butchered" as some TV adapations can be, it remained faithful to Dame Agatha's book.All in all, a very good adapation with, in places, humourous touches.

jamesbloke The plot _is_ a little more complex than most of Christies, but this only _adds_ to the plausibility of the outcome. Most of Christie's plots are about skeletons in cupboards, hidden secrets, that sort of thing. There are just more in this one, but it's no more complex than, say, a Robert Goddard. Are you sure you were paying attention?!