The Murder at the Vicarage is the first novel to feature Agatha Christie's beloved amateur sleuth, Miss Jane Marple, set in the seemingly peaceful English village of St. Mary Mead.

The story is narrated by the Reverend Leonard Clement, the local vicar, who one afternoon makes a careless remark that anyone who murdered the universally disliked Colonel Lucius Protheroe, the pompous local magistrate and churchwarden, 'would be doing the world at large a service.' A few hours later, the Colonel is found shot dead at the vicar's desk in his own study.

It is up to the vicar's seemingly mild-mannered neighbour, the observant elderly spinster Miss Marple, to unravel the truth. Using her deep knowledge of human nature—which she gained by comparing villagers to people in her past experience—Miss Marple applies her sharp intellect to the conflicting testimonies, confusing clues, and red herrings to discover the surprising identity and meticulous plan of the real killer. The novel establishes Miss Marple's unique methodology: observing the minor details and using her understanding of psychology to see the darkness beneath the placid surface of village life.