A Murder Is Announced characters

Also known as Miss Blacklock

Appears from the start

The capable mistress of Little Paddocks. She supports an assorted household of relatives, friends, and lodgers, and responds calmly when a newspaper notice predicts a murder in her home.

Also known as Bunny

Appears from the start

Letitia Blacklock's affectionate, muddle-headed childhood friend. She lives at Little Paddocks and depends heavily on Letitia, whom she has known for many years.

Appears from the start

A young man staying at Little Paddocks as one of Miss Blacklock's distant relations. Cheerful and theatrical, he treats the announced murder as entertainment until the shooting makes it real.

Appears from the start

A reserved young woman presented as Patrick's sister and another distant relation of Miss Blacklock. She is less open than Patrick about her reasons for being in Chipping Cleghorn.

Appears from the start

A widowed mother lodging at Little Paddocks and working in a nearby garden. Quiet and self-contained, she is supporting her young son while his father is presumed lost in the war.

Appears from the start

The volatile Central European cook at Little Paddocks. Traumatized by wartime persecution, she expects suspicion to fall on her and expresses every fear with dramatic intensity.

First appears in chapter 4

A young Swiss employee of a local hotel. He appears at Little Paddocks during the gathering prompted by the newspaper notice and enters the darkened room carrying a weapon.

Also known as Inspector Craddock

First appears in chapter 5

The county police officer leading the investigation. Methodical but imaginative, he takes Miss Marple's observations seriously as the case reaches into old identities and inheritances.

Also known as Miss Marple

First appears in chapter 8

An elderly visitor with a precise memory for social detail and a wide knowledge of ordinary dishonesty. She becomes involved through her acquaintance with the local vicar's wife.

First appears in chapter 2

A forthright farmer who lives nearby with Amy Murgatroyd. Her practical manner and close attention to the case make her an active participant rather than a passive village witness.

First appears in chapter 2

Miss Hinchcliffe's gentle companion. She was present during the shooting at Little Paddocks and later struggles to recover a crucial visual memory from the darkened room.

First appears in chapter 2

A confident retired officer living in Chipping Cleghorn. He and his much younger wife attend the gathering at Little Paddocks after seeing the newspaper announcement.

First appears in chapter 2

A local widow with a keen interest in village affairs. She and her son Edmund are among the neighbours who arrive at Little Paddocks expecting a party game.