It takes a brave soul to write in the footsteps of Agatha Christie and they must be even bolder to take on such a beloved figure as Miss Jane Marple. But, as the Polish proverb says, where the devil can’t go he’ll send a woman, and 12 female crime writers have taken up the challenge to each write a short story featuring St Mary Mead’s finest. Alyssa Cole is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers and romance (historical, contemporary, and sci-fi). Her books have received critical acclaim from Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets.When she’s not working, she can usually be found watching anime or wrangling her many pets.

The Jade Empress" by Jean Kwok (1 star)-So here's the thing. Agatha Christie had some racist commentary about Asians and even Jewish people in her works. I like the idea of Miss Marple taking a cruise to Hong Kong. I just don't believe it's something that Miss Marple would even have done. And though the book takes her frowning at people for saying racist things, I don't think Miss Marple as Christie wrote her would have even batted an eyelash. The story doesn't even work for me either because in the end, Kwok just takes another Christie story and makes this the same type of solution. I listened to the audible version of this over just a couple of days. Overall, I really enjoyed it. As with all collections of short stories, especially those with different authors, I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. Some were really good, almost as good as the originals by Agatha Christie – my favourite author. It was nice to hear of the same characters, places or experiences from the original stories in some of them. There have been many adaptations of the Agatha Christie stories, on both the big screen and the small, but if you want to see how Ms. Christie envisioned her beloved character, tune into the BBC television series, “Miss Marple”.

I think this collection did several things well: it's a nice mix of the refreshingly new and the comforting old, and it varied in type of mystery from murder to more. In any book such as this, there are inevitably variations in quality and viewpoint. I think only Val McDermid attempts to recreate Christie’s writing style and she does it very successfully. Lucy Foley sets up a spooky atmosphere with her village mummers and of the stories that have Miss Marple out of her usual element, I think Miss Marple Takes Manhattan is the most fun. The Jade Empress was entertaining, but my credulity was stretched too far by the concept of Miss Marple joining in with Tai Chi. All in all, this is an entertaining collection of extended universe Miss Marple stories and fans of the original are likely to enjoy the output of newer crime writers playing in the Marple sandbox. Some of the stories were disappointing. Some were badly edited, including errors of the reader although this just seems to be mainly just the one reader which is particularly annoying. Some of the stories were a bit politically correct to be a real Miss Marple but that is perhaps to be expected. Some of the stories were pitched in the usual timeframe and some authors tried to modernise Miss Marple. The 12th story is The Disappearance by Leigh Bardugo, narrated by Miriam Margolyes. I loved the descriptions of the people and the surprise ending. I felt quite bereft when I finished listening and had to leave Miss Marple behind. Favorite quotes:

Twelve New Stories involving Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple? Purists will be up in arms. Me, I’m delighted my favourite crime authors took part. Thank you,NetGalley and the publishers, HarperCollinsUK, for a chance to read this book. It came out on Thursday. Marple: Twelve New StoriesMiss Marple enjoys herself tremendously in New York in Miss Marple Takes Manhattan by Alyssa Cole, where the redoubtable spinster unravels the skullduggery taking place at a theatre adaptation of one of her nephew Raymond’s novels. In The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes, Miss Marple sorts through a sad tale of the fallout from men returning from war.

Bringing a fresh twist to the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, these twelve esteemed writers have captured the sharp wit, unique voice, and droll ingenuity of the deceptively demure detective. A triumphant celebration of Christie’s legacy and essential reading for crime lovers, Marple is a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains one of the most famous detectives of all time." [3] Short stories in the Collection [ ] I enjoyed the connection to Dorothy L Sayers novel, Hangman's Holiday featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. My favorite quote:How do you inspire a whole new generation of readers to want to become acquainted with the original, elderly female amateur detective, Agatha Christie’s “Miss Jane Marple”? Elly Griffiths is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series, as well as the standalone novels The Stranger Diaries,winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, The Postscript Murders,and Bleeding Heart Yard. She is the recipient of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award.She lives in Brighton, England.

Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware - It all gets a bit meta as Marple investigates a case of missing pearls, where the culprit may have taken inspiration from some detective stories. I liked this one a lot. It's clever and works well as a short story, with a simple mystery that's easily wrapped up yet still feels satisfying. Again it also has a touch of the nostalgia to it. 4/5. The Mystery of the Acid Soil" by Kate Mosse (5 stars)-A really good story that definitely evokes the best of Miss Marple. I loved the idea of her meeting a curate and getting caught up in his story of a young lady that he knows who has gone missing. I also loved the solution since I didn't put two and two together.While the 12 stories included in Marple all differ in terms of their setting, style and substance, they succeed in capturing the essence of Agatha Christie’s famous sleuth and crafting intriguing puzzles for her to unravel. Miss Marple’s determined nature and her passion for both justice and retribution remain the same, although this time round she is able to pass comment on more contemporary matters and express her belief in equality. Miss Marple has always been one of literature’s greatest amateur detectives, and it’s a real treat to follow her investigations once again.