The Body in the Library

Asleep in her ivy-covered mansion, the wealthy Mrs. Bantry savors a triumphant dream of winning a “First” at a village garden show. However, something troubles her sleep: The morning sounds of the house servants downstairs do not follow their usual patterns. Then, awakened by a sharp knock on her bedroom door, Mrs. Bantry recoils from the sobbing voice of her maid Mary, breathless and “hysterical,” telling her of “a body in the library” (2). Mrs. Bantry wakes her husband, Colonel Bantry, who is skeptical. But when he ventures downstairs, the butler calmly asks his permission to call the police, explaining that Mary, entering the library that morning, almost stumbled over a body.

As the Colonel phones Police-Constable Palk, Mrs. Bantry calls Miss Marple, a friend who has an affinity for solving mysteries. Marple is shocked to hear that a “beautiful blonde” has been found dead on the floor of her friend’s library. Bantry tells Marple she’s calling her not for “comfort” but for her detective skills. She adds that she finds the mystery rather thrilling.

Marple, who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead, a short drive from the Bantrys’ house, leaves at once to help her friends.