简介：The Chipping Cleghorne Gazette has announced a murder scheduled for October 5th, at precisely 7 PM, within the confines of Little Paddocks Cottage. The residents of the cottage—retired secretary Miss Blacklock, her devoted companion Miss Bunner, Miss Blacklock's two far-flung cousins, Patrick and Julia, and Mrs. Haymes, the gardenkeeper—are entirely oblivious to the nature of the advertisement they've encountered. As dusk descends, several villagers descend upon the home, feigning casual walks or innocent assertions of having "just passed by" or "being in the neighborhood."

As the clock chimes 7 PM, the cottage is plunged into darkness, and an intruder steps into the room, his flashlight illuminating the faces of all present. A cacophony of gunfire follows, and when the lights flicker back to life, the intruder lies wounded on the floor. It falls to Miss Marple to unveil the identity of the assassin, yet the intrigue deepens as additional homicides surface, each more mysterious than the last.