Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Murder at the Vicarage

By: Agatha Christie
Narrated by: Richard E. Grant
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

A quiet English village

A shocking murder

An unlikely detective

Nobody liked Colonel Protheroe.

So when he’s found dead in the vicarage study, there’s no absence of suspects in the seemingly peaceful village of St Mary Mead.

In fact, Jane Marple can think of at least seven.

As gossip abounds in the parlours and kitchens of the parish, everyone becomes an amateur detective.

The police dismiss her as a prying busybody, but only the ingenious Miss Marple can uncover the truth . . .

Never underestimate Miss Marple.

©1930 Agatha Christie (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

More from Marple's Casebook cover art
The Secret of Chimneys cover art
Murder at the Vicarage (Dramatised) cover art
Footsteps in the Dark cover art
Speaks the Nightbird cover art
Bunburry 1-3 cover art
The Murder at Sissingham Hall cover art
The Crime at Black Dudley cover art
A Man Lay Dead cover art
Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures: Books 1-3: A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia, A Case of Murder in Mayfair, A Case of Conspiracy in Clerkenwell cover art
A is for Alibi cover art

Critic reviews

‘Agatha Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers.’ Val McDermid

‘Always keeps her reader enthralled and guessing to the end.’ Times Literary Supplement

What listeners say about The Murder at the Vicarage

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    721
  • 4 Stars
    268
  • 3 Stars
    82
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    732
  • 4 Stars
    174
  • 3 Stars
    52
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    15
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    658
  • 4 Stars
    243
  • 3 Stars
    71
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Effortless

This was such a lovely listen Richard E Grant bring the charters to life beautifully. I have already downloaded another Marple with him reading it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Such a well-known story...

This is the first Agatha Christie book I have listened to or read. I have seen various TV depictions and know the story well but there are still some surprises. The book is told from the perspective of the vicar and this worked well. There are a lot of characters, and I felt that they were all quite easily recognised with good individualisation. The clues and red herrings were fun to identify.
The narration was not top notch but was still quite good- there are definitely one or two very dodgy accents but I though he managed the distinct voices quite well including the women who were quite numerous. I will say that occasionally he slipped from reading to acting but I didn't really mind that.
It is my plan to read or listen to more Agatha Christie and it will be interesting to see how other narrators do or what voices my head conjures up when reading the print versions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightfully old-fashioned! Always enjoyed Agatha Christie.

Didn't care for Richard Grant's performance - too melodramatic! He is is excellent in film but not for audio - sorry. Good story that has been televised a few times with various interpretations.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant narration & once of Agatha Christie’s best

Hoping Richard E Grant is persuaded to perform more of Agatha Christie books. Funny and entertaining listening enhanced by a brilliant narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Irish accent shockingly bad

Richard E Grant is a wonderful actor but my goodness is he bad at an Irish accent! It was so awful at one stage I nearly gave up but the story was fantastic (obviously, it’s Agatha Christie) so struggled through, wince by awful wince.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Miss Marple's first appearance in a novel length story

A very enjoyable story and a solid introduction to the wonderful Miss Marple and St. Mary Mead village. Narration is good and a convincing range of voices. A great way to while away a cold and foggy day.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Agatha perfection

Richard. E.Grant is a perfect narrator. I have listened to this often and it never loses its appeal. Great story and beautifully read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyable thanks to story and narrator

Miss Marple isn't quite as successfully drawn as later books but Richard Grant makes up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

vintage Marple

The first book of the Marple genre. Gentle, serpentine and compelling. If you have not read the series yet this is a lovely place to start. If onthe other hand you are a seasoned officiando this performance will not disappoint. Sweet but no saccharine and just a hint of steel..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I read this years ago

But having the amazing Richard E Grant read it to me was just perfection. This book is delicious. Sunny afternoons with a glass of something cold, sat in the garden and drifted away. Also what’s not to love about Miss Marple!?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!