London is not really Miss Marple's natural habitat but she seems quite at home in the genteel surroundings of a West End hotel. ( )

A classic whodunit mystery but it really dragged. ( )

At Bertram's Hotel has Miss Jane Marple visiting a quiet but upscale London hotel for a short holiday. Bertram's is known for its perfect service and its appealing old world atmosphere. Even so, Miss Marple is immediately in the midst of a number of mysterious occurrences, including robberies, the disappearance of a hotel guest, and eventually murder. Apparently, even the impeccable Bertram's isn't immune to the nefarious goings-on that seem to follow Miss Marple wherever she turns up.

When it comes to the Miss Marple mysteries, I tend to prefer the stories that take place in Jane Marple's own village of St. Mary Mead, or in a similar cozy setting. The novels that branch out too far from that base (like this one) tend to be a little less successful, I think. Miss M is really at her best in the country village, country house atmosphere. This particular book relies even more than most of Christie's works on improbable relationships and unlikely coincidences to hold the story together.

Still, any Miss Marple is better than no Miss Marple; and I have to say I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I loved the descriptions of the hotel and its workings, and several of the characters (especially Bess Sedgwick, and the wonderfully named Lady Selina Hazy), are very memorable creations. The book is definitely worth reading, but if you're just beginning with Agatha Christie, it might be best to start with one of her earlier works. ( )

I've always had a special place in my heart for Agatha Christie, despite not actually reading many of her books. In fact, I don't think I've read one since elementary school. There's just something about her stories that are classic. I listened to this one, and it was more a radio play than a straight reading, which just made it even more sweet and quaint somehow. There's a very Scooby-Doo like explanation of the events at the end, but it works. ( )

This is one of my favourite Christie novels.

Miss Marple's nephew has paid for her to spend a couple of weeks at her favourite London hotel Bertram's, which has remained marvellously unchanged despite the passing years and the always on the ball Miss Marple, who is enjoying her nostaligic journey wonders why and how this has been achieved. As always Miss Marple's curiosity and interest in others gets her involved in the emotional entanglements of others which inevitably lead to murder. ( )