Nemesis by
Agatha Christie
pbk out September 02
(HarperCollins)
at £5.99
This was the last Jane Marple book that Christie wrote (although two more books, one
a short story collection and the other written years earlier) appeared subsequent to its
publication in 1971. It is an indirect sequel to the enjoyable 'A Caribbean Mystery',
since it opens with news of the death of wealthy Jason Rafiel, with whom Miss
Marple formed a kind of bond in that story. Rafiel, it turns out, has left her a
substantial legacy. He believed she had a passion for justice and he wants her to
investigate 'a certain crime' – but there are no immediate clues as to the case that she
is supposed to be taking on. Nevertheless, she accepts the challenge and soon finds
herself participating on a coach tour of famous houses and gardens of Britain, at the
expense of the late Mr Rafiel.
Christie had passed her 80th birthday when she wrote this book and it cannot be said
that it ranks with the best Miss Marple stories, as there are some aspects of the plot
that require a leap of faith so far as the reader is concerned. That said, it is an
enjoyable story with plot elements unusual in the Christie canon. Well worth reading.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Nemesis by
Agatha Christie
