Quotes

Murder Quotes
"Aspirin tablets by Letitia Blacklock's bed. The clever, clever devil. Patrick told me Mrs. Blacklock threw away a half bottle of sherry- opened a new one. I don't suppose she'd have thought of that with an open bottle of aspirin. Who had been in the house this time- within the last day or two?"(150) The murder of Dora Bunner provides the reader with many clues at to who the killer might be. Patrick had noticed that Mrs. Blacklock threw away half opened bottles in case she were to be poisoned but as Craddock said " I don't suppose she'd have thought of that with an open bottle of aspirin". Also, the murderer has to have been near Mrs. Blacklock or watching her recently to have tampered with her aspirin.

Society Quotes
“I think the foreign girl knows more than she lets on. But that may be just prejudice on my part.” (68) This quote give the reader insight as to the relationship between immigrants and the native people of England. Craddock heavily suspects Mitzi, who is of foreign origin, for the attempted murder of Mrs. Blacklock when he says “ I think the foreign girl knows more than she lets on”. However, Craddock knows he must be open-minded as a detective and realizes that his “prejudice views against foreigners is probably the cause for Mitzi appearing suspicious to him.

"... The world has changed since the war. take this place, Chipping Cleghorn, for instance... Fifteen years ago one knew who everybody was...But now its not like that any more. Every village and country place is full of people who've just come and settled there without any ties to bring them." (Christie 97) This quote occurred during a conversation between Mrs. Marple and detective Craddock. Mrs. Marple, a somewhat nosy old lady, was saddened because times were changing in society; people and cultures were beginning to mesh together more often ( hence the use of the word foreigner by the elder characters like Mrs. Marple and Craddock) and no one person can know everything about there community anymore. Mrs. Marple' s nosy instincts kick in and she becomes her own detective as she tries to piece together the case.

Setting Quotes
"Between 7:30 and 8:30 every morning... Johnnie Butt made the round of the village of Chipping Cleghorn on his bicycle, whistling vociferously through his teeth and alighting at each house or cottage to shove through the letter box such morning papers that had been ordered by the occupants of the house..." (1) This quote give the reader the first overview of the setting and also describes a perfect setting for a murder according to Auden's definition of a whodunit. The fact that Johnnie Butt is "whistling vociferously" shows that he is a happy kid in a happy town on just another routine day which is how most Whodunit novels start; peacefully (according to Auden). Also, Johnie Butt is riding around the whole town on his bike which suggests the town is rather small and close- knit because nearly all of the residents read the paper; in fact, some characters read the same paper. From the start the setting of Agatha Christie's novel //A Murder is Announced// fits the characteristics of a classic Whodunit perfectly.

Characterization Quotes
"All the different things that people say-and think. The things they see-or think that they see. And all so complex." (Agatha 74) This quote gives the reader insight to Miss Marple's character. She is a very observant character who looks very deep into the psychology behind murder. She is also very good at picking out the small details within a murder thanks to her being so observant, which makes her incredibly helpful to detectives like Craddock.