With so many mysteries being published each year, it’s easy to get swept up with the current crop and forget the old masters.

So often I have thought about the works of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Dorothy Sayers, and, my personal favorite, Ross Macdonald and realized that I just don’t have the time to revisit their works.

Truthfully, I barely have the time to read new works.

So Art Taylor’s ultra-cool story titled Miss Jane Marple: Spinster Sleuth Extraordinaire was especially interesting to me. (The story’s in the Winter Issue, 2009; No. 108.)

While I left Agatha Christie off that list above, I hadn’t forgotten about her.

I cut my mystery teeth on Christie’s work and her novels always have a special place in my heart.

But with all the attention on new authors, I tend to forget:

* What a wry old bird Miss Jane Marple was. True, a bit creepy, always watching her neighbors, living vicariously in a sense. But she was the epitome of a sleuth – eagle-eyed, thoughtful, insightful and not swayed by personalities.

* What a complex personality Miss Marple was. She didn’t trust people, but at the same time she was never unkind to anyone.

* What a great plotter Christie was. Those stories were dense with clues and plot points and characterizations. Some readers might find the writing in those stories a bit dated but they are not.

* Contemporary issues abound in Christie’s work. Sure, these stories were written in another century, but issues of classism, fidelity, family secrets never go out of style.

* And talk about relevance….Christie’s books also have been released as graphic novels. Do you think that would happen if these stories were too old-fashioned?

* Senior sleuths are a group that is often overlooked. Christie may have been the first to give a voice to the often invisible senior citizen. With so many 30 to 40something sleuths dominating the genre, it is a refreshing change to have a 70something show her intelligences.

My knowledge of Christie and Miss Marple are scant next to Kate, who is a true Christie expert, and to Art, whose article makes some interesting observations.

But when I was 9 or 10, I discovered Christie’s novels and they lead me to so many more wonderful authors. For that, I am always grateful to Christie and her troupe of characters.