Miss Marple takes a holiday at a perfectly preserved old-fashioned London hotel and soon suspects that it is a little too perfect
Too good to be true
Bertram's Hotel in London seems frozen in time: proper afternoon tea, real muffins, polite elderly guests and staff who remember everyone's name. Miss Marple, who stayed there as a girl, returns for a nostalgic holiday. But something about the place puzzles her. An absent-minded guest goes missing, an adventurous woman and her young daughter keep crossing paths, and the police are investigating a series of daring robberies.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who enjoy atmosphere as much as puzzles, fans of Miss Marple, and anyone interested in a mystery about memory and change.
What you will get
A Miss Marple mystery set in a London hotel that seems to have stopped the clock, where nostalgia hides a very modern set of crimes.
At Bertram's Hotel Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Mystery & Thriller · Miss Marple · London hotel · Nostalgia
Length
272 pages · ≈ 8 h
More about this book
The setting is the real star. Christie lovingly describes the hotel's teas, armchairs and old-fashioned service, and then slowly reveals that its charm is part of a scheme. Miss Marple's mixed feelings, delight at revisiting her youth and suspicion of anything so polished, give the book a reflective, slightly melancholy tone.
The plot is less a classic whodunit than a crime story with a mystery at its core. Chief Inspector Davy, a patient and likeable detective, does much of the legwork, while Miss Marple observes and supplies the crucial insight. Bess Sedgwick, a daring woman with a colourful past, is one of Christie's most vivid later characters, and her scenes crackle with energy.
Some readers find the central scheme far-fetched, and the actual murder arrives late. The pacing is leisurely, and the large cast includes several characters who exist mainly for atmosphere. Those who enjoy Christie's observations about a changing England will find much to like. The closing pages, which reveal the truth about the hotel, are surprisingly poignant, and they cast the earlier cosy scenes in a new light. About 272 pages in the William Morrow paperback; one catalog lists 251.
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