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At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple, #10)

Agatha Christie

Start date: September 1, 2017

Finish date: September 30, 2017

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Aug 20, 2017 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Miss Marple has the best nephew in the world – Raymond West – who is constantly thinking up little treats for his Aunt Jane. In this novel though, it is his wife, Joan, who suggests that she needs a little trip and Miss Marple says she would like to go to Bertram’s Hotel. She stayed there as a girl and is somewhat surprised at how little it has changed.

Bertram’s is a haven for the well to do in London; visited by retired army officers, clergymen, the aristocracy and wealthy Americans. Muffins a ...more

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Jan 10, 2014 Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, british, mystery, murder, agatha-christie, london, miss-marple

Book 10 in the Miss Marple Challenge. At Bertram’s Hotel was rather different from the Marples I’ve read so far. It starts off quite the same though. Miss Marple is travelling again, but unlike in the previous book, she has only gone up to London this time, to stay for a fortnight at Bertram’s Hotel, a place she had stayed at as a fourteen-year-old and has fond memories of. At the hotel there are some familiar faces, Lady Selina Hazy (who she knows from the former’s brief stay at St Mary Mead) a Book 10 in the Miss Marple Challenge. At Bertram’s Hotel was rather different from the Marples I’ve read so far. It starts off quite the same though. Miss Marple is travelling again, but unlike in the previous book, she has only gone up to London this time, to stay for a fortnight at Bertram’s Hotel, a place she had stayed at as a fourteen-year-old and has fond memories of. At the hotel there are some familiar faces, Lady Selina Hazy (who she knows from the former’s brief stay at St Mary Mead) and Canon Pennyfather, a rather absent-minded old clergyman who can’t remember which day it is or where he’s supposed to be. Among the guests are also the daring Lady Sedgwick, who has a quite wild streak having survived airplane and car crashes, and her more sheltered daughter Elvira, who has her own share of secrets and “adventures”. To Miss Marple’s surprise, Bertram’s Hotel is almost completely unchanged―still preserving its Edwardian appearance, charm, food, and also service―and seems indeed to be prospering despite the changes in the world outside. Everything at the hotel proceeds smoothly, service is flawless, and guests comfortable and happy. Yet, things don’t seem quite right. Alongside the police are investigating a series of daring robberies, most recently aboard the Irish Mail, and a hint or two suggests a possible connection with the hotel. Still, nothing really happens, that is until Canon Pennyfather ends up muddling his dates again, and returns to his hotel when he wasn’t expected and simply disappears.

This is a Marple tale in which nothing major really happens―even the murder (there is one of course, for it won’t be a proper Miss Marple without one) happens quite late in the tale―yet there are strange goings on all over the place, and as a reader, one can certainly feel Miss Marple’s unease and yet, neither we nor her can point our finger quite at it. But when things do start to happen, the excitement builds up a lot more. Chief Inspector Davy (in charge of the case in this one) is quite an able policeman (despite appearing to the contrary) and also recognises Miss Marple’s talents ending up relying on her help (not perhaps as much as Inspector Craddock or Sir Henry, though) and keen eyes (and ears) to tie things together.

I found this an enjoyable read both for the mystery element, which though different from the usual, ended with quite a surprise (I had forgotten this despite having read the book before) as well as for the descriptions. I thought the whole idea of the hotel, its appearance, the Edwardian atmosphere and charm was very well done, as was the sense of unease which Miss Marple has which the reader begins to catch on to as well, after a few happenings. There were some elements though such as the financiers of the hotel, even some elements of the crime, though interesting certainly but which felt a tiny (but very tiny) bit “Nancy Drewish” (for want of better expression). But while once again, this wasn’t among my favourite Marple books, it was a very good read, and I was glad I’d forgotten the end which preserved the surprise element as well.

May 2020
Revisited; this time I remembered the twist which I'd forgotten on my last read but enjoyed smaller details like references to the 'air station' as well as 'air port' (I wonder when the usage changed, or were both terms used simultaneously), and the story of Chesterton's absent-mindedness. Canon Pennyfather was clearly based on him. Good fun! ...more

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Aug 20, 2018 Kavita rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, uk

When Miss Marple gets a present of two weeks holiday from her nephew and his wife, she decides on a short visit to the past. Bertram's Hotel, where time has stood still, has taken the fancy of the old aristocracy, while their privileged world has fallen around their heads. A clever mix of old English titles, and rich Americans who love old English titles, scatter the landscape. Bertram's Hotel thrives, but is it really a feasible business? Can one ever go back to the past? Turns out, you can't. When Miss Marple gets a present of two weeks holiday from her nephew and his wife, she decides on a short visit to the past. Bertram's Hotel, where time has stood still, has taken the fancy of the old aristocracy, while their privileged world has fallen around their heads. A clever mix of old English titles, and rich Americans who love old English titles, scatter the landscape. Bertram's Hotel thrives, but is it really a feasible business? Can one ever go back to the past? Turns out, you can't. In bits and pieces, the facade behind the glorious Bertram's Hotel is peeled off, showing it to be a hotbed of criminals.

The narrative is quite disjoint. While on one hand, the police is trying to solve a spree of daring robberies, life goes on as usual among the normal people. Miss Marple feels the danger and accurately pinpoints the source. A young woman, Elvira Blake, is at the centre of it all. But how? And why? When the doorman to Bertram's Hotel is murdered, the two threads become intertwined. Was Elvira the intended victim or did the killer get the right person?

I will repeat again: Christie does it best when she focuses on personal relationships and personal motives. Daring crime sprees and international spying is not her forte, though she has tried her hand at those stories several times. They just didn't work out! Neither does this one. Also, since Miss Marple was not privy to the robbery information, she does not have a hand in solving that mystery either. I was never into in the master criminal part of the story anyway, which sadly took up the most part. When the murder comes, it is too little too late. Though it is interesting, it simply does not get solved satisfactorily either. The solution is left dangling in the air, and the readers never get to know whether or not justice comes to the killer.

Despite its weak points, I enjoyed At Bertram's Hotel quite a bit. We see quite a bit of Miss Marple's past in this, more than in most other books. Some bits from her childhood and teenage years came out finally. It was fun to read about a hotel where time stood still and everyone marvelling about it. What's more, I enjoyed the utter absurdity of Canon Pennyfather as well. Quite well written, but rather lacking in plot. ...more

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Aug 30, 2017 ShanDizzy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was such an amazing story; very intriguing. The prose was emotive and absorbing. I love Dame Agatha's descriptions of people - "Mr. Hoffman was a big solid-looking man. He gave the appearance of being carved out of wood - preferably teak. His face was so expressionless as to give rise to surmise - could such a man be capable of thinking - of feeling emotion? It seemed impossible." Too, Miss Marple is remarkable and redoubtable. This is one of my favorite lines in the story - "Yes," said Mis ...more

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Apr 20, 2018 Pranit rated it really liked it

Shelves: miss-marple

Another BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Miss Marple’s story. It was well dramatised to be an audiobook. I enjoyed this one from start to end. It was so dramatic throughout but keeping the same feminine touch of Miss Marple. It took me just a day to listen to the whole story. There are many interesting thins happening at Bertram’s. I can imagine it can be good movie amongst all the Miss Marple stories I’ve read till now. It is more of a thriller than a mystery novel. Robbery, murderer, fast car; thi ...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Amy rated it it was ok

This was one of my least favorite Miss Marple books. The time period from the beginning of the books shifted from the 1930’s to the early 1960’s and Miss Marple doesn’t fit into that time period. She felt out of place. There were multiple references to how she felt out of place also and that made the book feel sad and cumbersome to read. It was difficult to get lost because you constantly felt a longing for days gone by when Miss Marple could just be a silly old lady with an eye for crime.

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