Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder

The New Zealander Gwenda Reed settles in England with her new husband, an English businessman who had spend the last few years working in New Zealand. Despite supposedly having never visited the United Kingdom before, Gwenda insists on settling in the small town of Dillmouth in Devon. She insists on purchasing a particularly large and old house which she finds to be irresistible. She seems to be already familiar with several of the house's rooms, and she has a recurring thought that someone died in the house's stairs. Gwenda makes several renovations to the house, but quickly realizes that she is actually restoring the house to the form which it had two decades ago. Gwenda spends some time in London with her husband's cousin, the writer Raymond West. She is introduced to Raymond's aunt, the amateur detective Jane Marple. While watching a performance of the play "The Duchess of Malfi" (1612-1613) by John Webster, Gwenda finds her traumatic memories from her childhood resurfacing. She lived in that old house with her father during her early childhood. And she witnessed the brutal murder of her young stepmother Helen Kennedy, shortly before being send to New Zealand to be raised by relatives. Gwenda learns that Helen's death was never reported, and that everyone thinks that Helen run away with an unknown lover. Gwenda is determined to find out what actually happened to Helen, and who killed her. Marple warns her that there may be dangers ahead for her. Marple recalls the story of an acquaintance who wanted to investigate the past of his deceased mother, and instead found out a disturbing truth about his own past. Gwenda goes ahead anyway with the investigation. The investigation's path soon leads her to interview's with Helen's estranged half-brother, and to the mental hospital where Gwenda's father spend his last few years. Gwenda is increasingly troubled by what she is told, but persists in finding out the truth behind the various tales about her family.