← All characters

The Murder at the Vicarage · Character

Mrs. Protheroe

The Colonel's much younger second wife, whose visible unhappiness and whispered attachment to a young artist make her the village's favorite suspect.

supporting

Also known as the second Mrs. Protheroe, the first Mrs. Protheroe

First appearance: the murder at the vicarage

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

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

Anne Protheroe is trapped in a marriage to a man the whole parish dislikes, and her meetings with Lawrence Redding in the vicar's studio are an open secret. When the Colonel is found dead, her composure under…

Continue beside the text

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

See Mrs. Protheroe in the murder at the vicarage

Character Web

18 connections

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

LELenMLMrs. LestrangeTNThe NarratorLRLawrence ReddingCMColonel MelchettMPMrs. Protheroe

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Primary suspects and investigators
  • Village community and background figures
  • Protagonist

+13 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • 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