# The Murder at the Vicarage — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.

- [The Murder at the Vicarage](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/the-murder-at-the-vicarage.md): The chapter introduces the murder of Colonel Protheroe in the vicarage study, with Lawrence Redding and Anne Protheroe each confessing to the crime. Miss Marple provides key timeline evidence, and the curate Hawes shows 
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/i.md): At the Vicarage luncheon, the Narrator jokingly remarks that anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe would be doing the world a service. The conversation reveals tensions with the Colonel over church accounts and a missing
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/ii.md): The chapter centers on a tea party at the vicarage where the ladies of St. Mary Mead gossip about Dr. Stone and his secretary Miss Cram, Lawrence Redding's relationship with Lettice Protheroe, and the mysterious Mrs. Les
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/iii.md): The narrator accidentally discovers Lawrence Redding and Anne Protheroe in a passionate embrace in the studio, leading to a private conversation with Anne who confesses her unhappiness in her marriage. Later, the narrato
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/iv.md): The narrator hosts Lawrence Redding for dinner, where he appears distracted. After the meal, Lawrence confesses his affair with Anne Protheroe to the narrator, who urges him to leave St. Mary Mead to avoid scandal. Lawre
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/v.md): The Vicar returns home to find Colonel Protheroe murdered in his study. Lawrence Redding behaves erratically outside the Vicarage. Dr. Haydock confirms the death and estimates the time of death. Inspector Slack arrives a
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/vi.md): The chapter opens with Miss Marple, Griselda, and the Vicar discussing the arrest of Lawrence Redding for the murder of Colonel Protheroe. Miss Marple expresses surprise and suggests that Lawrence's confession might actu
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/vii.md): Colonel Melchett and the Vicar discuss the murder case with Dr. Haydock. Haydock insists that the time of death contradicts Lawrence Redding's confession, suggesting Redding is lying about when he shot Protheroe. The gro
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/viii.md): Lawrence Redding confesses to murdering Colonel Protheroe, but his account is inconsistent. Anne Protheroe then confesses, claiming she shot her husband, but her story also contains discrepancies, particularly regarding 
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/ix.md): Colonel Melchett and the vicar visit Miss Marple to gather her observations from the evening of the murder. Miss Marple provides a detailed account of Anne Protheroe's and Lawrence Redding's movements, noting their cheer
- [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/x.md): The narrator discusses Miss Marple's keen observations with Colonel Melchett, then returns home to find Miss Cram visiting out of curiosity about the murder. After she leaves, the narrator recounts the morning's events t
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xi.md): Colonel Melchett and Inspector Slack disagree on Lawrence Redding's guilt. Slack insists Redding's confession and the pistol evidence are conclusive, but Melchett and the vicar point to medical evidence showing Protheroe
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xii.md): Lawrence Redding is interrogated and reveals his actions on the evening of the murder, including his discovery of Protheroe's body and his false confession to protect Anne. The investigation shifts as Inspector Slack que
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xiii.md): The vicar and Colonel Melchett encounter Mrs. Price Ridley at the police station, where she reports an obscene and threatening telephone call she received the previous evening. She describes the caller's 'degenerate' voi
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xiv.md): The narrator encounters Miss Hartnell, then discusses the murder case with Dr. Haydock, who shares his controversial views on crime as a disease rather than a moral failing. Haydock reveals that Mr. Hawes had encephaliti
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xv.md): The narrator visits Mrs. Lestrange, who seeks his advice about her peculiar position. Inspector Slack arrives to question her about her alibi for the time of Colonel Protheroe's murder and her visit to him the night befo
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xvi.md): The narrator and Lawrence Redding visit Miss Marple to inquire about any overlooked details from the afternoon of the murder. Miss Marple confirms no one passed along the lane while Lawrence and Anne were in the studio, 
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xvii.md): Inspector Slack reveals that the telephone call to the vicar was traced to the empty North Lodge of Old Hall, and the call to Mrs. Price Ridley was traced to Lawrence Redding's cottage. He suspects Mrs. Lestrange of blac
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xviii.md): The inquest into Colonel Protheroe's murder is held at the Blue Boar. Lawrence Redding and Anne Protheroe give evidence, and the pistol is identified by Mrs. Archer. The coroner's verdict is murder by person or persons u
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xix.md): Lawrence Redding recounts to the Vicar his interview with the parlourmaid Rose and the kitchenmaid Gladys at Old Hall. Gladys reveals overhearing a heated argument between Colonel Protheroe and Mrs. Lestrange the night b
- [XX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xx.md): The narrator returns to the Vicarage to find a domestic crisis: their maid Mary has given notice after being insulted by Lettice Protheroe, who criticized her dusting. The narrator persuades Mary to stay. Later, in his s
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxi.md): The vicar and his guests discuss the murder over dinner. Raymond West jokingly suggests the vicar as the murderer, but Miss Marple reveals that the man posing as Dr. Stone is an impostor, adding another peculiar clue to 
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxii.md): Anne Protheroe shows the vicar a newspaper article that exaggerates her words about hunting down her husband's murderer. Later, she reveals a savagely slashed portrait found in the attic, suggesting a fit of maniacal rag
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxiii.md): The narrator and Miss Marple investigate the motive for Colonel Protheroe's murder, discovering that he had arranged for a valuation of his silver, which could have exposed Dr. Stone's theft. A suitcase containing the st
- [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxiv.md): The narrator returns to the Vicarage to find Hawes in a nervous state, asking him to preach in his place. Hawes takes a headache powder and questions the narrator about events at Old Hall, expressing unease about Lawrenc
- [XXV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxv.md): The narrator visits the police station and learns that Inspector Slack has brought Miss Cram in for questioning about the suitcase found in the woods. Miss Cram denies everything and refuses to explain without a solicito
- [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxvi.md): The narrator preaches an unusually emotional sermon that stirs the congregation. Later, Miss Marple visits to discuss the murder case, presenting three alternative theories about Colonel Protheroe's whereabouts at 6:20 a
- [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxvii.md): The Vicar returns home alone, and Colonel Melchett visits with news that Protheroe's unfinished letter is a forgery. The Vicar recalls that Miss Marple had suspected as much. A mysterious telephone call comes in, with a 
- [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxviii.md): The Vicar visits Hawes late on Sunday night, finds him asleep with an empty cachet box and a crumpled confession letter, and discovers an anonymous letter identical to the one received earlier. He telephones Melchett, wh
- [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxix.md): The Vicar finds Hawes unconscious from an overdose, with Protheroe's unfinished letter revealing Hawes as the embezzler. Melchett arrives and calls Dr. Haydock, who takes Hawes to the hospital. Miss Marple appears, havin
- [Miss Marple's Revelation](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxx.md): Miss Marple reveals her theory that Lawrence Redding and Anne Protheroe conspired to murder Colonel Protheroe, with Anne firing the shot using a silencer and Lawrence orchestrating an alibi and a fake shot in the woods. 
- [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxxi.md): Miss Marple proposes a trap to catch Lawrence Redding by having Dr. Haydock hint that someone witnessed the transposing of the cachets. Colonel Melchett and the Vicar agree to the plan. Dr. Haydock, initially reluctant, 
- [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/xxxii.md): Miss Marple's plan succeeds as Lawrence Redding is caught attempting to communicate with Anne Protheroe, confirming their guilt. Lettice reveals that Mrs. Lestrange is her dying mother and explains her actions. The narra
- [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations.md): This chapter provides a list of illustrative maps included in the book: a sketch of the Vicarage and its walled garden, a map of the Vicar's study, and a map of St. Mary Mead.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_murder_at_the_vicarage_se/chapters