A Murder is announced

In the tiny village of Chipping Cleghorn, a murder is announced in the Gazette Newspaper to take place at Little Paddocks, home to Ms Blacklock and Ms Bunner. Many neighbour show up, expecting it to be a game; however after two gunshots during a planned blackout, they realised it wasn’t a game. A man, who had previously asked Ms Blacklock for money so he could go back home to Switzerland, was found dead with the gun in his hand. Everyone suspects suicide, however; Detective Craddock understands that it wasn’t suicide and calls on Ms Marple’s to help solve the mystery. Conventions The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow. All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course. Not more than one secret or passage is allowed.

No hitherto to undiscovered poison may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.

No China man must figure the story

No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.

The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection for the reader.

How the story conforms the convention The criminal was mentioned early in the story as a main character. Their identify wasn’t disclosed until the near end of the book.

How the story subverts the convention

There has been no mention nor sight of any supernatural or preternatural agencies in “A Murder Is Announced” There has only been one passage in the story, even then the passage wasn’t exactly ‘secret’ but more of a room that everyone thought wasn’t accessible. Whilst poison was used, it was discovered and identified immediately; cyanide was put into a pill and Ms Dora Bunner took it believing it was an aspirin pill. She died the next morning and the cause of death was identified as cyanide poisoning. In the end, detective Craddock worked together with the other residents of Chipping Cleghorn to trick Ms Blacklock into admitting her crimes. None of them was Chinese. Ms Dora Bunner manage to help Mrs Marple in solving the crime by ‘accidentally’ letting slip a fatal clue; calling Ms Blacklock ‘Letty’ instead of ‘Lotty’. Letty was the nickname of Charlotte whilst Lotty was the nickname for Letitia which led to Mrs Marple deducing that Ms Letitia Blacklock was actually Ms Charlotte Blacklock.

The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader. Twin brothers and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.