The Thirteen Problems is a collection of thirteen short stories, published in 1932, which is fundamental to the Miss Marple character, as it solidified her role as a keen amateur detective. The collection is framed by a series of gatherings known as the "Tuesday Club," where a group of friends, including Marple, meet to discuss unsolved mysteries or curious incidents. Each story is presented as a puzzle for the group to solve, and in nearly every case, it is Miss Marple who, using her vast knowledge of human nature gleaned from her quiet village life, provides the correct solution. The stories are concise, brilliant examples of the armchair detective genre. The collection established Marple's unique methodology—the ability to analogize a local wickedness (a jealous gardener, a dishonest shopkeeper) to solve a seemingly impenetrable national crime.
