Comparative study of murder mysteries; Agatha Christie and Sheila Radley The novels Death of a Maiden and Appointment with Death, written by Sheila Radley and Agatha Christie, are mysteries that depict a betrayal of trust. While both are similar in this sense, it is the differences between the two novels that make the similarities notable. By comparing the victims, the killers, and the detectives, the differences in the novels are revealed. The victims in the novels, Mary Gadge and Mrs. Boynton, were killed in very different ways. Mary Gedge was drowned in the Ashthorpe River in her home town of Godbold; the girl lay face down, arms outstretched, rushes twined between her fingers. She wore a long cotton dress, sprinkled with tiny flowers, and the hem of the dress swayed and rippled around her legs with the movement of the water. Picked flowers – glazed buttercups, mauve apron – floated around her body and stuck to her hair and dress wherever they touched. It seemed like a peaceful way to die. (pg. 6 Radley)Mrs. Boynton, on the other hand, died a quiet and unexplained death. Miss Gedge was a young woman in her prime who was loved by all, while Mrs Boynton was a grumpy old shrew whom not even her family could stand. It is because of the differences between the victims that the police inspector's investigations were completely different. In Miss Gedge's case, Inspectors Tait and Quantrill failed to find any substantial evidence to indicate a motive. Tait compared the fate of the young woman in Page #2 to that of Shakespeare's Ophelia. Ophelia committed suicide in the play Hamlet reflecting the inspector's original vision of Mary Gedge's death. In the case of Mrs Boynton, however, Inspector Poirot had numerous suspects with convincing motives. The motivations of the killers were very similar. In a way they can both be seen as mercy killings. Miss Gedge was killed by Jean Bloomfield who was Mary's teacher. Jean killed Mary because she saw a lot of herself in Mary and didn't want to see Mary go down the same downward path she had in her final years. Mrs. Boynton was put out of her suffering by Lady Westholme, because of the suffering she imposed on herself and them. Mrs. Bloomfield had no reasonable motive, which I can understand, as in the case of Mrs. Boynton's murder. She was described as a mean, domineering woman who forced her children's lives to revolve around her: "The old woman's mouth widened into a mischievous smile as she looked at Raymond.