For nearly a century, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple has kept millions of readers and TV viewers entranced by her remarkable detection skills. However, both St Mary Mead’s finest and her creator have had challenges along the way.

Today, there is no end of “cosy” crime fiction that seems to be inspired by much of what happens in Miss Marple mysteries. Yet there was never anything particularly cosy about the character – or the violent and vindictive murders themselves.

When Miss Marple…