Guests include Mrs Bantry, actress Lola Brewster, Marina's friend Ardwyck Fenn, and Heather with her husband Arthur.

Detective Inspector Frank Cornish of the local police begins to investigate the case, learning that the drug had been in a daiquiri given to her by Marina after she spilt her drink.

Cornish hands the case over to Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock of Scotland Yard when the latter is assigned to it in response to the county's request for assistance.

Two more people are killed during the investigation: Ella Zielinsky, Jason's social secretary, dies after the atomizer she uses for her hay fever is poisoned with cyanide; and Giuseppe, Marina's butler, is shot that night after spending the day in London and depositing £500 into his bank account.

Ardwyck Fenn tells Craddock he received a phone call days before, accusing him of killing Heather, and that he recognized the anonymous caller as Zielinsky when she sneezed.

After Gladys suddenly departs for a holiday in Bournemouth, Miss Marple travels to Gossington Hall to discover that Marina has died from an overdose.

Marina, in the early stages of pregnancy at the time, had contracted the disease, which led to her son being born disabled and her subsequent nervous breakdown.

"[4]Maurice Richardson of The Observer of 11 November 1962 summed up, "A moderate Christie; bit diffuse and not so taut as some; still fairly easy to read, though.

The novel is summed up by this upbeat remark: "It was her prying curiosity - her gift of putting odd bits together to form a picture that gave the locals and Scotland Yard the proper solution.

He went on to remark that "Like most Marples this is not rich in clueing, but the changes in village life and class structure since the war are detailed in a knowledgeable and fairly sympathetic way.

[13] The woman said she had two years prior, while ill with German measles, skipped quarantine in order to visit the Hollywood Canteen and meet Tierney.

[10] The Star Weekly Novel, a Toronto newspaper supplement, serialised the novel in two abridged instalments from 9 to 16 March 1963 under the title The Mirror Crack'd with each issue containing a cover illustration by Gerry Sevier.

The only major changes are that Giuseppe is not killed, Arthur Badcock is not a former husband of Marina Gregg, Superintendent Slack and Sergeant Lake are written in, and the character of Hailey Preston is removed.

Margaret Courtenay appears in this adaptation as Miss Knight, having previously portrayed Dolly Bantry in the 1980 feature film version.

The film's co-stars were Elizabeth Taylor as Marina and Kim Novak as Lola Brewster, and the cast also included Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis.