At Bertram's Hotel: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries, 10)

This is one of Christie’s later Marple novels, providing an interesting view into Miss Marple’s degree of adaptation to a rapidly changing world. This particular Wm Morrow edition, however, is filled with glaring typos (quotation mark rather than apostrophe to indicate the possessive, lack of spacing between words, double periods, etc.) that detract from the work. For such a widely-read author it is a bit puzzling these errors fell through. If it weren’t for the high quality paper, cover, and binding I would wonder if it were a genuine copy. It clearly is, which makes the lack of copy editing even more frustrating.

Attention Philip K. Dick fans: Perhaps you never read Agatha Christie mysteries. But I consider At Bertram's Hotel to be her PKDickish novel. Read Dick's Time Out of Joint; then read At Bertram's Hotel. You'll see the connection. Looking at the writings of the two novelists more broadly, each was concerned with inversions of reality; things are never what they seem. The only difference is that Christie writes to restore the proper order of things, while Dick says there is no proper order. But, oh, would I love to be a guest in Bertram's Hotel, if only to drink the tea and eat those muffins that drip butter down one's shirt. Next to Nemesis, At Bertram's Hotel is my favorite Miss Marple novel, and that is saying a lot.

I came to Miss Marple late, having enjoyed Poirot's adventures and the various (and sometimes superior) stand-alones. My favorite, after all these years, remains 'The Mysterious Mr. Quin". That said, I find the 'Marple' books to be a step above Poirot. I was always put off by her film representations, but the novels are terrific. I've yet to see a Marple book given the treatment that 'Murder on the Orient Express' has received. Sure, that was a great story. But many 'Marples' are even better. She's not a doddering fool, and Hollywood could benefit from her presence.

Not up to snuff. Miss Marple is only a third rate character. Not a good read. Very disappointing to one who was not familiar with Agatha's earlier novels. Just not an enjoyable read.

I'm a big Agatha Christie fan, having first discovered her books as a pre-teen and now, in my 30s, reading through them again. I decided to start with Miss Marple and have been steadily working my way through her novels. As I started "At Bertram's Hotel", I realized that this was one I hadn't come across the first time around, and I have to say, it's definitely my least-favorite Christie book so far.

Bertram's Hotel was a luxury accommodation in London in the Edwardian period. After World War II, it has been restored to its former glory, allowing its customers to experience something of Old England prior to the fall of the aristocracy. When Miss Marple's nephew allows her some time to stay there (she had previously done so as a young girl), she is at once delighted by her surroundings and intrigued by the relationships among some of the clients.

Several successful train and bank robberies have been occurring in England, and Scotland Yard is frustrated by its inability to figure out who is the mastermind behind the robberies. When inspectors start investigating a disappearance at Bertram's Hotel, they stumble on to something that may help them discover a link to the thefts - all from the comfort of a high-class establishment.

For those who are used to Agatha Christie mysteries focusing on solving murders, this one is incredibly different. While there is a murder in this story, it comes at the end, and the main plot revolves around the hotel, its clients, and the possible links to train robberies. In my mind, it was quite confusing, and I kept waiting for a murder. It's a different type of book, but definitely disappointing.

This is more like a 2.5 stars -- better than just okay but not really overly likable. Perhaps if it weren't my first Marple and only my third Christie my opinion would be higher, but it just felt underwhelming.

While maybe not up to her typical form, Christie still manages to craft an incredibly smooth narrative with rich characters. Canon Pennyfather was charmingly hilarious and particularly memorable in the midst of this large cast. I did find myself facing some confusion about which character was which the longer the book went, a problem likely solved by reading it in a much shorter time span than I did (tip: don't move in the middle of it and forget where you placed the book for a week or so). The resolution to the crime seemed slightly forced and not all that guessable, but was satisfying enough to earn three stars.

There are no red flags to be found, short of some off-screen violence and a discussion about bigamy. The third person style suites the large cast of characters, but the pacing is slow despite being a mystery.

Miss Marple at her most perceptive!

Classic Agatha Christie! I have the complete collection of the Miss Marple movies - starring Joan Hickson, of course. She is the quintessential Miss Marple.I decided I'd like to read the stories. The film version deviates from the text, but both are wonderful.The description of Bertram's Hotel is magnificent. You feel you are there and wish you were.

I generally prefer Poirot but this Miss Marple hit the mark for me. I loved the atmosphere, the bizarre details and extravagant characters. A pleasure to read.

I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan, but this isn't one I'd recommend. I finished it less than a week ago, but it has already faded from my memory.
If you really need a Miss Marple fix, this will do, but barely.