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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
My first Miss Marple on "paper" (e-paper). A lot less of her involvement than I was expecting, having arrived from the Agatha Raisin series in which THAT particular character is all over every page. Time to crack open a Poirot and enjoy that as well; say what you will about Christie, I give her a lot more credit for plot devices and red herrings than some. I've heard her referred to as formulaic, but I think it helps to read these with an eye toward the date of original publication.
Anyway, this was an enjoyable read.
Anyway, this was an enjoyable read.
3.5. The ending took a bit away from it, it felt too abrupt.
This is my second Agatha Christie and my first Miss Marple book. It was obviously written much later than "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?". The mystery has a lot more detail and suspicious characters. The Miss Marple part of the story wasn't quite what I expected. I suppose I expected her to solve the mystery herself and not just be a very good observer who helped the police in the end. Overall I enjoyed it but I was slightly disappointed with the ending. I suppose justice doesn't always prevail in real life either however.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This is a great, atmospheric Miss Marple with a fun cast and a smart use of nostalgia to fool characters and readers at the same time. Miss Marple herself has less page time than I'd wish, but it's a fascinating case. I bet it would adapt to the screen well, with her role expanded.
A famously forgetful canon of the C. of E. disappears during a stay at the old-fashioned and scrupulously respectable Bertram's Hotel, turning up a few days later with a concussion and no memory of how he got it. Marple and a London policeman, Fred "Father" Davy, observe enough separately to determine he was knocked out by a criminal operation when he came upon one of its members disguised as him. In the process, they unravel a paternity mystery and the whole gang...
A famous woman daredevil is running the gang, robbing banks, mail boats, trains, etc., using Bertram's Hotel, owned by her associates, as HQ. Gang members regularly disguise themselves as honorable guests for alibis. Her racecar driver boyfriend is a member of the ring, and the chief suspect when her estranged young adult daughter claims she's been shot at. The doorman who was killed instead was in fact the daughter's biological father, killed by the daughter herself to protect her inheritance due to a misunderstanding of inheritance law. It all unfolds in a very effective way--I really thought for a lot of the book that the murderer was an innocent and was rooting for her!
A famous woman daredevil is running the gang, robbing banks, mail boats, trains, etc., using Bertram's Hotel, owned by her associates, as HQ. Gang members regularly disguise themselves as honorable guests for alibis. Her racecar driver boyfriend is a member of the ring, and the chief suspect when her estranged young adult daughter claims she's been shot at. The doorman who was killed instead was in fact the daughter's biological father, killed by the daughter herself to protect her inheritance due to a misunderstanding of inheritance law. It all unfolds in a very effective way--I really thought for a lot of the book that the murderer was an innocent and was rooting for her!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie
Black Dog & Leventhal, 1965
270 pages
Miss Marple Mystery
4/5 stars
Source: Bought
Summary: Bertram's Hotel seems like a nice old-fashioned hotel, hearkening back to Edwardian England. But something is off with a canon going missing, wild celebrities hanging around, and finally a shocking murder and a near miss. Luckily Miss Marple is there to aid the police in their investigation.
Thoughts: At first I wasn't sure what was going on as no crimes seemed to be happening. It was just a leisurely trip to and around London. However Miss Marple is ever curious and it is through her that we get the first idea that something is going on. The problem is that everything seems too perfect. Hard to believe that's a problem but it is. And because of that, a major crime syndicate (I think they can be called that) is unmasked and will be brought to justice.
We meet two new policemen, one is affectionately called Father who is a very good policeman despite his appearance which causes many people to underestimate. Other characters are wild Bess Sedgwick and her estranged daughter Elvira, neither of whom I really liked although I was interested to find out what role they played. Canon Pennyfather is the man who goes missing partly due to his own absentmindedness-he was sweetly endearing.
I did not figure out the mystery or the murderer but I was pleased with the end. At first it seems like the murder will not be prosecuted (like Poirot does in Murder on the Orient Express) but then the policeman says he will go after that person and have him/her arrested. I was very pleased.
Overall: The best Christie I read this week with an interesting cast of characters.
Cover: I quite like the green and the doorman.
Black Dog & Leventhal, 1965
270 pages
Miss Marple Mystery
4/5 stars
Source: Bought
Summary: Bertram's Hotel seems like a nice old-fashioned hotel, hearkening back to Edwardian England. But something is off with a canon going missing, wild celebrities hanging around, and finally a shocking murder and a near miss. Luckily Miss Marple is there to aid the police in their investigation.
Thoughts: At first I wasn't sure what was going on as no crimes seemed to be happening. It was just a leisurely trip to and around London. However Miss Marple is ever curious and it is through her that we get the first idea that something is going on. The problem is that everything seems too perfect. Hard to believe that's a problem but it is. And because of that, a major crime syndicate (I think they can be called that) is unmasked and will be brought to justice.
We meet two new policemen, one is affectionately called Father who is a very good policeman despite his appearance which causes many people to underestimate. Other characters are wild Bess Sedgwick and her estranged daughter Elvira, neither of whom I really liked although I was interested to find out what role they played. Canon Pennyfather is the man who goes missing partly due to his own absentmindedness-he was sweetly endearing.
I did not figure out the mystery or the murderer but I was pleased with the end. At first it seems like the murder will not be prosecuted (like Poirot does in Murder on the Orient Express) but then the policeman says he will go after that person and have him/her arrested. I was very pleased.
Overall: The best Christie I read this week with an interesting cast of characters.
Cover: I quite like the green and the doorman.