Other guests of the hotel include: Beth Sedwick (a famous adventuress), Elvira Blake (Bess's daughter, whom Bess gave up 2 weeks after her birth), Colonel Luscombe (Elvira's legal guardian), and Canon Pennyfather (who suffers from frequent memory lapses). Sitting with Lady Selina Hazey, a friend from days gone by, it is innocently pointed out to Miss Marple that many people whom appear to be acquaintances from days past are not whom they appear to be and marked as as aging mind. Miss Marple is sent on a vacation by her niece. At Bertram's Hotel all is not what it seems. At Bertram's Hotel many people are recognized as friends from days past, but may not actually be. At Bertram's Hotel one can satisfy their memories and their need for nostalgia. At Bertram's Hotel all is "perfect" and the clientele is of the most upper class. (Having said that, the Joan Hickson adaptation is really quite fine.)īertram's Hotel is the paragon of good taste & times gone by.
I wouldn’t recommend this to a Christie novice. "At Bertram’s Hotel" isn’t execrable, but it’s for die-hards only. There are two potential problems with books like this: a) the murderer(s) will turn out to be someone who never stood out against the livelier characters, or b) the murderer(s) won’t be as much of a shock, since they dominated the proceedings. (There is one marvelous piece of all-encompassing misdirection, which is cleverly disguised for the entire novel.)Ĭhristie seems a little torn here over what genre she’s writing in and most notably – as in a few of Christie’s most flawed works – the few charismatic characters far outweigh the majority, leading to an uneven reading experience. I find it hard to believe she solves this one, given that it’s all divination. Miss Marple does nearly no actual investigating here, and there aren’t even really any clues. Ultimately, though, I can find very little to recommend it. "At Bertram’s Hotel" avoids many of the predictable aspects of Christie’s well-worn premises, and maintains an oddly sinister undertone throughout. Years after reading this novel, I’m still not sure how I feel about it. With the extinction of some stinker short stories, and one or two gems of novels, most of the Miss Marple stories hover squarely around average.
A relaxing holiday at a nostalgic city haunt leads Miss Marple on the trail of deceit and murder.
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