The Body in the Library

In the foreword to the novel, Christie explains that she wanted to play with the "body in the library" cliché, stating "I laid down for myself certain conditions. The library in question must be a highly orthodox and conventional library. The body, on the other hand, must be a wildly improbably and highly sensational body." How well did Christie do at sticking to her conditions? How did those conditions shape the novel?

The novel was written in 1942 during the periods between the world wars. What elements of the story reflect the social anxieties and changes of this period?

Talk about the opening of the novel, as news of the body spreads throughout the village. Was this scene familiar to you or did it feel true to life? How might this scene play out in modern times?

Class distinctions figure largely throughout the novel. How do they affect how characters are treated, how they're discussed, and how seriously their testimonies are taken?

Josie and Ruby are of the same class yet, they are discussed very differently. Why is that?

Which characters might be considered "gold-diggers," and do other characters pass moral judgment on their motivations? Does the author?

Conway Jefferson loses his biological children but surrounds himself with their spouses. At the same time, he looks for a new familial relationship with Ruby. Discuss the Jefferson family dynamic. What does it reveal about grief and attachment?

What did you think of Miss Marple and Dolly Bantry's friendship? How were the two women similar? How were they different? Talk about the urge from both of them to protect Colonel Bantry.

Discuss the characters Basil Blake and Dinah Lee. How does their reality contrast with the other villagers' expectations of them? What does this say about Basil and Dinah? About the villagers?

This book has not one, but two secret marriages. Discuss those and other marriages portrayed in the novel. Why is marriage such a central element?

Miss Marple explains in "The Body in the Library" that “one does see so much evil in a village." How does Ms. Marple use her knowledge of human nature to help solve the crime? How does it give her an advantage versus the police inspectors? Side note: do you agree with Miss Marple that one sees as much evil (if not more so) in small villages than in big cities?

There is a sharp contrast in particular between the policemen's knowledge and Miss Marple's women's knowledge, from the fingernails to the significance of a dress being old. How does Christie draw distinctions between the roles, abilities, and possibilities for men versus women in her era?

While this is a Miss Marple mystery, Miss Marple isn't always at the center of the action. Would you liked to have seen her take a more central role? Why do you think she is shown more on the sidelines?

Christie doesn't shy away from depicting the darker aspects of human nature. How does the novel balance its "cozy" elements with the genuine horror of premeditated murder, particularly of a completely unrelated teenager?

The murderers establish seemingly airtight alibis. At what point (if any) did you begin to suspect them? Which clues did Miss Marple catch that you missed?

Take a moment to pause and make sure that everyone understands the murderers' plot. Were you able to follow how and why they did it? Do you think their double homicide was ingenious or overly convoluted? Are there other ways they could have pulled the murder off?

Have you read any Agatha Christie before? Any other Miss Marple stories? If you have, how did "The Body in the Library" compare to other Christie mysteries you have read? If you have not, how did your experience reading "The Body in the Library" compare to your expectations for a book by the "Queen of Crime?" Does Christie's work live up to her reputation for you? Will you be reading more of her mysteries?