Admittedly, I went into this one a little skeptical. A mystery built around the mysterious circumstances of an old man’s will didn’t exactly sound gripping, but Motive vs. Opportunity won me over pretty quickly. This time, it’s Petherick, a well-respected lawyer, who brings a puzzle to the Tuesday Night Club. The crime itself is already solved; the real question is why the will, when retrieved from Petherick’s own vault, turns out to be completely blank. Of course, Miss Marple already has it figured out while the rest of the group continues scratching their head. As always, she draws on her sharp understanding of human nature and uncanny knowledge of village life (especially when mischievous children are involved).
Christie provides a surprisingly rich backstory involving the old man, his family, and the heartbreak of adopting a child who later dies of illness. Overcome with grief, he seeks comfort from a spiritual medium who claims she can help him communicate with the dead girl. Deeply affected, he adds the fortune teller to his will, much to the horror of the family members who stand to inherit. Petherick is his lawyer and also dumfounded. They are convinced he’s lost his senses and being hoodwinked by a charlatan.
Sure, this isn’t a pulse-pounding whodunit or a nail-biting thriller, but it doesn’t need to be. There’s enough intrigue to keep things moving along at a steady clip and the solution, when Miss Marple casually lays it out, is cleverly amusing. It’s a quaint, cozy and satisfying little mystery that sneaks up on you.
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