Miss Marple books in order

The Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie in reading order, featuring the elderly amateur detective from St. Mary Mead.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 The Four Suspects 1930 Miss Marple Buy
2 The Companion 1930 Miss Marple Buy
3 The Affair at the Bungalow 1930 Miss Marple Buy
4 The Murder at the Vicarage 1930 Miss Marple Buy
5 The Body in the Library 1942 Miss Marple Buy
6 The Moving Finger 1942 Miss Marple Buy
7 A Murder is Announced 1950 Miss Marple Buy
8 They Do It With Mirrors / Murder With Mirrors 1952 Miss Marple Buy
9 A Pocket Full of Rye 1953 Miss Marple Buy
10 4:50 From Paddington / What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw! 1957 Miss Marple Buy
11 The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side 1962 Miss Marple Buy
12 A Caribbean Mystery 1964 Miss Marple Buy
13 At Bertram’s Hotel 1965 Miss Marple Buy
14 Nemesis 1971 Miss Marple Buy
15 Sleeping Murder 1976 Miss Marple Buy

The Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie follows the gentle but sharp-minded spinster detective across fifteen novels and short stories, from her debut in 1930 through to the posthumously published Sleeping Murder in 1976. Miss Marple solves murders by drawing on her deep understanding of human nature, often comparing suspects to people she has encountered in her home village of St. Mary Mead.

The series includes some of Christie’s most beloved mysteries. The Murder at the Vicarage, The Body in the Library, and A Murder is Announced are among the most popular entries. Later books like A Caribbean Mystery and At Bertram’s Hotel took Miss Marple out of her village setting, while the early short stories (The Four Suspects, The Companion, The Affair at the Bungalow) established the character before her first full novel.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Miss Marple series?

There are fifteen books in the Miss Marple series, published between 1930 and 1976.

What is the first book in the Miss Marple series?

The first book in the Miss Marple series is The Four Suspects, published in 1930.

Should you read the Miss Marple books in order?

The Miss Marple novels can mostly be read as standalones, since each presents its own self-contained mystery. However, reading in publication order gives you the best sense of the character’s development and the recurring cast of St. Mary Mead residents. Sleeping Murder was written early but published last, as Christie intended it to be the final Miss Marple book.

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