Celebrated actress Julia McKenzie (Cranford; Notes On A Scandal)
stars as the world-famous crime writer, Miss Jane Marple in this
stunning collection of four new murder mysteries. Miss Marple's
sweet old lady exterior hides an excellent perception of human
nature and a razor sharp intuition for solving crimes--murderers
underestimate her at their peril!
The Blue Geranium
Set in the picturesque village of Little Ambrose, the wealthy and
widely disliked Mary Pritchard (Sharon Small, Murderland) is
found dead. The circumstances are bemusing and even Miss Marple
is perplexed. Agoraphobic Mary had a well-known fear of anything
blue, but did she really die of shock when the geranium in her
wallpaper changed colour? Also starring Toby Stephens (Robin
Hood, Jane Eyre), Kevin R. McNally (Wuthering Heights, Valkyrie),
Joanna Page (Gavin and Stacey, Love Actually), Claudie Blakley
(Cranford, Lark Rise to Candleford), Claire Rushbrook (Collision,
Whitechapel), Caroline Catz (Doc Martin, The Vice), Patrick
Baladi (Bodies), Paul Rhys (The Queen, Beethoven) and David
Calder (Red Riding, The Last Enemy).
The Pale Horse
Featuring ingenious deceptions and black magic, The Pale Horse
sees Miss Marple investigate the brutal murder of an old friend.
The day after her Gorman is found dead she receives a
mysterious letter from him containing a list of names. His final
act was to administer the last rites to a dying woman, Mrs Davis,
so Miss Marple starts by visiting her boarding house. It turns
out to be a good hunch. Lodger Paul Osborne describes a man he
saw following her Gorman on the night he died, and she also
chances upon a slip of paper bearing the name of The Pale Horse
Inn. At this creepy establishment Miss Marple is greeted by three
modern-day witches. Indeed, the whole village is steeped in the
occult. When an eccentric local is also killed, Miss Marple is
forced to take the law into her own hands.
The Secret Of Chimneys
A lavish weekend party sees Miss Marple accompany Lady Virginia
Revel (Charlotte Salt, Tudors, Beowulf) to her family home of
Chimneys - a house which was once prized for its diplomatic
gatherings until a rare diamond was stolen from the premises over
twenty years ago. Virginia must decide by the end of the weekend
whether to accept a marriage proposal from the tenacious career
politician George Lomax (Adam Godley, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Cor
Blimey!) or to follow her heart and the courtship of another more
adventurous suitor, Anthony Cade (Jonas Armstrong, Robin Hood,
The Street). Throughout the course of the evening, a contract for
the sale of the house is drawn up only for the purchaser to be
found dead in a secret passageway within its walls.
The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side
Hollywood star Marina Gregg (Lindsay Duncan, Margaret, Criminal
Justice), has left the palm trees and bright lights of Los
Angeles for the leafy lanes and picturesque countryside of St
Mary Mead, England. She has taken up residence at Gossington Hall
with her dashing young English husband, film director Jason Rudd
(Nigel Harman, Hotel Babylon, EastEnders), his secretary, Ella
Blunt (Victoria Smurfitt, Trial and Retribution),and her personal
assistant, Hailey Preston (Brennan Brown). When the glamorous
couple decide to throw a party, the grounds are abuzz with
curious locals, including previous owner of Gossington Hall Dolly
Bantry (Joanna Lumley, Absolutely Fabulous). But when fan Heather
Badcock (Caroline Quentin, Blue Murder, Life of Riley) consumes a
poisoned daiquiri, Marina finds herself starring in a real-life
mystery, supported by Miss Marple and Inspector Hewitt, who
suspect that the lethal cocktail was intended for someone other
than Marina's harmless admirer.
From .co.uk
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Marple series 5 is something of a mixed bag. Starring Julia
McKenzie in the title role, this boxset brings together all four
stories from the show’s fifth series, and they vary in quality,
from the very good to the not-quite-so-strong. Overall? It’s
still a good mix.
Each is adapted from the Agatha Christie story of its name,
although there are gradations of faithfulness to those stories.
There’s also varying quality at work here, with some of the tales
faring notably better than others.
The highlight of this particular set of Marple? That’d probably
be either The Mirror Crack’d or The Blue Geranium. But even when
the show is off colour, as happens once or twice throughout
series five, then there’s at least something in there to enjoy.
There’s a bevy of guest stars to keep your interest, and a strong
central performance from McKenzie to keep everything anchored.
It’s not vintage Marple, maybe, yet this series five set does
have some diverting yarns, and enough in it to warrant a look.
You might, though, want to check out the Joan Hickson era of Miss
Marple, though, if you want to see Agatha Christie’s work in a
slightly better light… --Jon Foster
