Since Miss Marple has a relatively secondary role in this particular story, a lot of the success (or failure) of any screen adaptation depends on the actress chosen to play Lucy, Marple's "undercover agent". Thankfully, Amanda Holden is well up to the challenge; it's very easy to understand why men are drawn to this beautiful and adventurous woman. Until she takes over, the film is owned by Pam Ferris who is a lot of fun as Marple's friend and also an eyewitness to murder; Marple herself is very likable in this episode (Geraldine McEwan does a strange thing with her lips that's pretty funny). The entire Crackenthorpe family is well-cast and well-drawn; they really do feel like a collection of diverse personalities, with different quirks but common family bonds (and their manor, where most of the action is set, is magnificent). Despite having seen the 1987 Joan Hickson version, I did not remember who did it and I must admit I was (gladly) surprised all over again; it was one of the last persons I suspected (vague spoiler: the basic deception of the story is similar to that of Hercule Poirot's "After The Funeral"). *** out of 4.
