Although 'the-body-found-in-the-library' detective story is a cliche - and Agatha Christie knew that well - she creates her novel so that the body dead in the library remains a mystery throughout. The victim just doesn't fit within the library's surrounding or within the house in which the library is situated. Her dress, her manner of being murdered, her class mean she is out of place, discordant. This anomalous crime and the failure of the police to make much headway provide much of the tension in this novel. Characters The characters and the plot of fiction stories are interwoven so it is hard to separate them as is done below. However, thought it would help understanding if this were done. I have grouped characters for clarity. Jane Marple , amateur sleuth, who lives in the village of St Mary Mead; The Bantrys : Mrs Dolly and Colonel Arthur who reside at Gossington Hall; and the servants (of the Bantrys'). Police investigators who seem unable to solve the...
we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen --Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles