Genre

A whodunit is a complex, plot-driven type of detective story in which the puzzle of identifying the perpetrator is the main interest. The reader is given multiple clues with which the perpetrator may be identified, which is usually deduced by an amateur or semi-professional detective. The genre follows a set of "[|Commandments]" that make it different from anything else. This genre flourished during the "Golden Age" of detective fiction, from the 1920s to 1940s, and although it has evolved greatly, like into the many games that we may see today, it is still just as popular.

The setting of Chipping Cleghorn is a small, English village where everyone knows one another. The latest gossip is known to all the villagers, and news travels very quickly. It’s a closely knit group of people, they trust one another enough to leave doors unlocked and drop by whenever they choose since they know each other’s schedules. At the outset, Chipping Cleghorn gives the impression of a typical, boring village. That changes once it’s discovered that the murder announcement was neither a party nor a game, but rather an intimation of what was to come. The reader is welcomed to Chipping Cleghorn with an attempted hold up, a dead foreigner, a potential victim, hysterical women, and somewhat confused detectives. The question of ‘whodunit’ isn’t going to be an easily answered one in this mystery.
 * Milieu**

There are multiple victims in this story. First, Rudi Scherz is shot with a revolver, which is originally thought to be self-inflicted or accidental. He’s a petty thief that works at the local spa, and was earlier thought to be behind the whole ordeal. Dora Bunner is Miss Blacklock’s scatter-brained childhood friend, and the second victim. After eating chocolate that gives her a headache, she takes Miss Blacklock’s aspirin and a nap. Unfortunately for her, she never wakes up. The third victim is Miss Murgatroyd, a neighbor who was present at the 6:30 P.M. murder, whose body is found at her house.
 * Victims**

The first suspect is Rudi Scherz, even though he’s dead. That’s too easy though; there wouldn’t be a story if he was truly the one behind the murder announcement and the only one to die. He was a petty theft, not a criminal mastermind. Also, since he’s dead he obviously couldn’t be the one to kill both Miss Bunner and Miss Murgatroyd. There's clearly someone with more motive than a little money behind the mystery. During the rest of the novel, secrets are revealed, characters become increasingly complex, and the story gets to be quite a lot to take in. There are a lot of clues and red herrings packed into the plot of this novel.
 * Suspects**

How do the other characters feel about what happened? None of them are sure if it was targeted violence towards Miss Blacklock or just a random hold up. They all have the same general story, with inconsistencies in their unreliable eye witness accounts. Everyone at the party was very compliant, occasionally with attitude, but nonetheless answered all the questions Detective Craddock posed. Miss Blacklock is the only one thought to be targeted; she’s an old but respectable woman who is thought of highly in the town. But why would someone target her? She doesn't have a lot of money or possessions, and seems to be well liked by all.

Detective Inspector Dermot Craddock is our detective; he’s a very professional man with a sharp eye. He’s described as having self-discipline to go slowly as to ensure each fact has been examined thoroughly, which is evident in the manner he questions each person. He’s been brought in from Middleshire, so he’s not part of the Chipping Cleghorn villagers. It makes him a much more objective detective than if he had personally known each witness, victim, and suspect. He goes around to everyone and is able to solve the mystery with Miss Marple’s help.
 * The Detective**

Miss Jane Marple is an old woman who is just as perceptive as Craddock. She might be elderly, but Miss Marple is by no means stupid. Miss Marple was clever in her way of getting information. She didn't formally question the villagers like Craddock, rather she inserted herself into the their lives and became privy to all the gossip. Miss Marple understands how small town life works, and uses her kind, grandmotherly image to her advantage. She helps Craddock make connections he would have otherwise overlooked or not thought of, find new clues, and ultimately explains the entire mystery.
 * Miss Marple**

Strategies and moves for readers of whodunits

W.H. Auden's whodunit genre analysis

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