What can it mean when a man who is poisoned is found to have rye in his pocket?

The sexy, glamorous secretary, Miss Grosvenor is first to fall under suspicion.

But soon she is thought to have not had the opportunity of poisoning the tea of her boss with the particular herb believed to have done for him.

And what about that odd touch? The rye deliberately placed in the pocket of the dead man, Rex Fortescue? What explains that demented act?

As the crisis deepens and the killer displays more of his or her depraved logic, An elderly spinster from St Mary Mead finds herself drawn in to the tragedy in an uncomfortably intimate fashion.

Fortunately the spinster’s name is Miss Jane Marple.

And Miss Marple is willing and able to Sing a Song of Sixpence, if necessary, to get at the clues that may lead into the mind of an insane killer.


In this intriguing and complex murder mystery, Christie lays down an intricate web of clues and hints that tie together a well thought through tale of greed, hatred and revenge-seeking.

The principal investigating detective, Inspector Neele is one of the superior examples of the men of the Yard, but it is Miss Marple in the end who arrives (perhaps a bit too quickly and abruptly) at the final solution.

All-in-all an engaging novel and well worth a read.