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A quick read yesterday: Agatha Christie's "They Do It With Mirrors" (US title, "Murder with Mirrors"). This was her 53rd book, and was originally published in 1952.
As the story opens, Jane Marple is paying a visit to her old friend Ruth Van Rydock. The two, along with Ruth's sister Carrie Louise, were all friends together at the same school in Italy when they were young women. Ruth, a wealthy, oft-married socialite, is worried that something is very wrong at Stonygates, the Victorian mansion where her sister, Carrie Louise, lives with her husband Lewis Serrocold. She can't explain any real reason for these worries, but she fears that Carrie Louise may be in danger of some kind. Ruth asks Miss Marple to visit her and find out what is going on.
Carrie Louise is delighted to have Jane Marple for a visit at Stonygates. The old Victorian mansion, though owned outright by Carrie Louise, has been converted into a home for delinquent boys which is run by Carrie Louise's husband, Lewis Serrocold. Lewis Serrocold is actually Carrie Louise's third husband; she was also once widowed and once divorced. Carrie Louise has always been attracted to men who had their minds on noble causes. Her first husband, Mr. Gulbrandsen, was a great philanthropist, and Mr. Serrocold is devoted to the idea of reforming juvenile delinquents and teaching them how to contribute to society.
The inevitable murder soon occurs, and Miss Marple investigates.
Not one of Christie's best books, to my mind, but still worth reading if you've nothing to do for an afternoon or evening.
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