Seeds in the Pocket

Who could want the death of Rex Fortescue, a big businessman? Almost everyone who knew him. That’s why, when Rex’s life was cut short by a cup of tea poisoned for him, the list of suspects— even for the perceptive Inspector Neal—turned out to be far too long. But of course, the peerless Miss Marple knows who did it. And the culprit will be exposed with… rye grains found in the pocket of the murdered man.

“A Pocket Full of Rye” is a detective novel by English writer Agatha Christie from the series featuring Miss Marple. The novel was first published by the British publisher Collins Crime Club in 1953. In Russian it has been released many times in different translations, including under the title “Rye Grains in a Pocket.”

Miss Marple in Film and Television

The first actress to play Miss Marple on the big screen was the English actress Margaret Rutherford, a friend of Agatha Christie. She appeared as Miss Marple in five films from 1961 to 1965. In 1980, in the film “The Mirror Crack’d,” Miss Marple was played by Angela Lansbury. In 1983, in the film “The Mystery of the Blackbirds,” Miss Marple was played by the Soviet and Estonian actress Ita Ever.

On television, Miss Marple was first played by the British actress Gracie Fields in 1956. In 1970, on German television, Inga Langen appeared as Miss Marple. American actress Helen Hayes portrayed her in two TV films in 1983 and 1984. But Miss Marple is best known for the performance of Joan Hickson, who played her in all twelve screen adaptations of the novels for the BBC from 1984 to 1992.

Since 2005, British television has begun airing a new series, “Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple,” in which the role of the elderly woman was first played by Geraldine McEwan and later by Julia McKenzie.

From 2004 to 2005, an anime series about Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple was shown on Japanese television.