FROM THE LIBRARY. Review on Body in the Library, The - Agatha Christie

First of all, please let me be excused for writing a revu on a book which was published in 1942. But I really love Agatha Christie and her works and that's why I decided to write on the very famous work of Agatha- The Body In The Library. Ofcource I read this book in my School library. This is the first book among Agatha's work which I read. It gave me a change from the Famous Five Series.Let me come to the plot.

It was a silent morning...... in the village St. Mary Mead. A body was found in the library around 7 in the morning. A Retired Colonel Bantry and his wife awaken in terror to hear that a young woman, whom they do not know, in their library. The police are called and a complex investigation ensues, spanning the two fictional counties of Radfordshire (where St. Mary Mead is located) and neighbouring Glenshire.

The victim was dressed in a peculiar manner and heavy make-up as also there. Medical tests show the cause of death to be strangulation, preceded by a heavy sedative. Mrs Bantry's fears were justified, as the populace of the small village exaggerate and create details of the crime – very soon the body is "naked" rather than fully clothed – and unhesitatingly point the finger of blame at Colonel Bantry, her husband.

After some deliberation, and the news has broke to many people, all their eyes are turned on the Colonel.The police officer , a retired Colonel himself (Colonel Melchett), is more inclined to suspect Bantry's young neighbour, Basil Blake. The latter is a minor technician in the movie industry who lives the ostentatious, party-going lifestyle like a superstar. Blake, however, is given an alibi for the time of death by his secret wife Dinah Lee.

Later, the victim is identified as eighteen-year old Ruby Keene, a professional dancer working at the Majestic Hotel .The body is identified by Ruby's cousin Josie Turner, who was very angry at this incident.. Josie relates that she was forced to hire Ruby to take over some of her duties at the resort after Josie suffered a sprained ankle.

The focus of the investigation then shifts from St. Mary Mead to Danemouth, and the Majestic Hotel in particular. Besides Josie, the other staff member of interest to the police is Ruby's professional dance partner, Raymond Starr .The last person to have seen Ruby alive was one of the guests, a named George Bartlett. He also became a suspect..

There is a rather strange group of guests at the hotel whose lives seem to have become entwined with that of the late Ruby Keene. The centre of this group is a rich, elderly, man named Conway Jefferson, who lost his legs in an accident that also claimed the lives of his wife, son and daughter.

Then the story takes a turn.Conway Jefferson had become smitten by the naïve young Ruby, in what Agatha describes as syndrome. Jefferson, had decided to adopt Ruby as his daughter and amend his will such that she would receive the bulk of his wealth. Jefferson had provided his son and daughter with large sums before their deaths. In fact this is untrue, since the bulk of their fortunes have been squandered and they are far more dependent on Jefferson than he realises.

The situation becomes more complicated when the burnt-out wreck of George Bartlett's car is found, with a second murder victim inside it. This body is charred beyond recognition, but on the basis of fragments of clothing it is identified as Pamela Reeves, a sixteen year old guide who had been reported missing earlier. It soon emerges that Pamela had arranged to attend a secret screen test with a man whom she believed to be a movie producer but who appears to fit the description of Basil Blake. .

By this point of the novel all the essential elements are in place. There are two bodies, one of which is so badly burnt that the possibility of a body-swap cannot be discounted. There are numerous suspects (Colonel Bantry, Basil Blake, Josie Turner, Raymond Starr, George Bartlett, Mark Gaskell and Adelaide Jefferson), several of whom are so strongly implicated that they must either have been involved in one or both of the murders, or have been deliberately framed by the real killer.