The Murder at the Vicarage · Character

Inspector Slack

The official inspector on the Protheroe case, brisk and self-assured, forever missing the point in the way Miss Marple finds most instructive.

supporting

Also known as Slack

First appearance: the murder at the vicarage

As a supporting figure in The Murder at the Vicarage, Inspector Slack is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Takes charge of the investigation, focuses on the stopped clock and the unfinished letter, dismisses the Vicar's attempts to speak.

In the storyVOpen this moment free

See Inspector Slack in V Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Slack leads the police investigation with the confidence of a man who has already decided what he is looking for. Miss Marple compares him to a shop assistant pushing patent leather because it happens to be in your size — he notices what fits his theory, not what the case actually requires. His blindness to the quieter evidence is what makes the vicar's amateur sleuthing, and Miss Marple's, quietly necessary.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Inspector Slack sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Inspector Slack in the murder at the vicarage

Character Web

2 connections

A slice of how Inspector Slack sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Village community and background figures
Primary suspects and investigators
Protagonist

Explore ties, sentiment, and clusters while you read

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Miss Marple’s quiet rebuttal—comparing Raymond West’s metaphor of a “stagnant pool” to his own writing—marks t…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

In the story

Inspector Slack appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

V
Takes charge of the investigation, focuses on the stopped clock and the unfinished letter, dismisses the Vicar's attempts to speak.
XI
Stubbornly believes Redding is guilty based on his confession and the pistol, dismisses doctors' evidence.
XII
Questions the maid and Mrs. Price Ridley; examines the note and confirms Miss Marple's ink theory.
XIII
Takes note of Mrs. Price Ridley's report and prioritizes tracing the fake call that got the vicar out of the way.
XV
Questions Mrs. Lestrange about her alibi and her visit to Protheroe; shows hostility toward the narrator.
XVI
Questions the narrator about Mrs. Lestrange; interviews the chauffeur Manning; suspects blackmail.
XVII
Shares his findings about the telephone calls and his suspicion of Mrs. Lestrange.
XXIII
Discovers the stolen silver in a suitcase and concludes Dr. Stone is not involved in the murder.
XXV
Interrogates Miss Cram; mentions Archer's alibi and the possibility of a silver forgery.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Inspector Slack unlock in the free preview.

See Inspector Slack in the murder at the vicarage

See Inspector Slack in V