Today, we will be reviewing At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie, the 11th mystery novel in the Miss Marple series. Keep reading to find out what we thought about it and if you should read it next!
At Bertram’s Hotel Summary
Miss Marple decides to take a vacation in London and stays at the Bertram’s Hotel, a hotel famous for its Edwardian era aesthetics. While there, Miss Marple meets Bess Sedgwick, her daughter Elvira Blake, Elvira’s legal guardian Colonel Luscombe, clergyman Canon Pennyfather, and the racing car driver Ladislaus Malinowski.
A set of train robberies have taken place across England and the police have no leads. But when clergyman Canon Pennyfather disappears, the police investigation leads Inspector Campbell and Chief Inspector Davy to Bertram’s Hotel, a place that shows up a few times in their investigation.
A chain of events leads to the police investigating the people staying at Bertram’s Hotel. And Miss Marple finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy that will lead towards violence if nothing is done.
Commentary
At Bertram’s Hotel was published in the United Kingdom in 1965 and in the United States the following year. The novel deviates from the usual Miss Marple novels and follows mostly Chief Inspector Fred Davy as he tries to solve the case at hand.
If you like your typical Agatha Christie mystery, then you’ll be in for a surprise but the novel is still enjoyable. The novel received mostly positive reviews but many readers thought that the novel relied on too many coincidences which it definitely does. Miss Marple always was at the right place at the right time.
Bertram’s Hotel was inspired by the Flemings Mayfair Hotel in London. There was speculation that the hotel by Brown’s Hotel but conversations between Christie and her agent Edmund Cork point it to it being the former which is still open to this day.
When I picked this novel up, I expected a typical whodunit novel and was surprised that that wasn’t the case. If you read enough Christie novels, you soon realize that she often tried different formulas and plots. Because I am reading so many of her novels, I do enjoy this approach and it makes it feel like I am not reading the same story over and over.
Conclusion
I enjoyed reading this novel and all of the other Miss Marple books in the series. This is the last one in the series and makes me a lot closer to reading all of the novels written by Christie.
With that said, I will also be reading all the short stories including Miss Marple soon. Bertram’s Hotel has an interesting plot and it shows that Christie can always write a clever book. I recommend this novel to Agatha Christie fans and one that is worth reading. Happy reading!
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I enjoyed this book. I also have the goal to read all of Agatha’s work as she is my favourite writer. So interesting about the real-life setting for the book. I didn’t know what Bertram’s was based on. Great review. 🙂
Good luck and now i want to visit it in person!
thanks for like my poetry. I have more to share. But getting ready to publish somehow a 40 page book for Christmas time
Good luck!!
Being able to write so many stories while not becoming stale was a rare gift she had. And as you suggested, experimenting with different plots and formulas helped her stay interesting.