We mentioned just now how Miss Marple is set in a kind of picture-perfect evocation of a long-gone Britain, and we have a feeling this is one of the reasons the stories have been so popular for so long. Suspects are laid out in a row (metaphorically speaking), clues are deployed at regular intervals, and you're more or less encouraged to have a go at joining all the dots.
Rather than dwelling for ages on individual characters and deeper themes, the episodes are unashamedly plot driven, leaving you free to test your own analytical skills alongside Marple's. What makes Miss Marple ideal for home sleuths is how meticulously crafted each individual episode is, like a clockwork mechanism of well-timed revelations. If you love playing armchair detective, these are the stories for you.
The murders are tasteful and tucked away (no lingering in the autopsy room here), the atmosphere is serene and relaxed, and you just know that nothing TOO bad will happen (except in the case of the poor victim who kickstarts proceedings, of course). It's set not just in a bygone age, but a sort of idealized England of pretty rural lanes, chocolate box cottages, and quaint churches. Marple is the ultimate, quintessential cosy crime series. Others are simply there to entertain us while we have tea and biscuits, with the emphasis firmly on clues, puzzles and quirky suspects, preferably in country settings with the occasional vicar or two. Some detective dramas are dark, gritty and plumb the depths of human darkness.
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