Journal Entry 1 by caldron from Brisbane, Queensland Australia on Saturday, December 17, 2005

Synopsis from Amazon.co.uk

When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she's looking for at Bertram's Hotel: traditional decor, impeccable service and an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Yet, not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric guest makes his way to the airport on the wrong day...

Enjoy!

(nb: Fontana edition c.1974)

 

Journal Entry 2 by caldron at Mary Ryan's Paddington in Brisbane, Queensland Australia on Saturday, December 17, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (12/17/2005 UTC) at Mary Ryan's Paddington in Brisbane, Queensland Australia

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BC Christmas Party - Planned Release 

Journal Entry 3 by jawin from Launceston, Tasmania Australia on Sunday, December 18, 2005

I love Agatha Christie - and it has been such a long time since I read any. This one was on the table at the BC Christmas party today crying out 'pick me, pick me' ... and I did! 

Journal Entry 4 by jawin from Launceston, Tasmania Australia on Sunday, December 25, 2005

Miss Marple is on another vacation courtesy of her nephew, the mystery writer Raymond West. On this outing, she is spending a week at Bertram's Hotel in London. Bertram's is one of the few places that has maintained its elegance and not given in to the modern fashions sweeping London in the 1960s. The staff, the food, the setting are all very genteel and charming, much as it was in pre-war days.

However, something is not quite right at Bertram's. The police turn up checking out a clue that a series of well-planned robberies in the city is somehow connected to the stately hotel. Chief Inspector Davy is the detective in this one and he welcomes Miss Marple's keen acumen. We are introduced to an assortment of English ladies and gentlemen staying at the hotel which serves as a gathering place for suspects much as the country estates did in Christie's earlier works.

this is slower than many of her other works and has a rather complicated conclusion, it is a good look at the changing times in English society.

It is interesting how much the focus on her age creates an air of melancholy around the book. Miss Marple becomes a pre-war artifact in her own right. I suspect that this aspect alone would make this book particularly interesting for people interested in Christie biographic material.

It is wonderful to visit with an old friend like Miss Marple. Life was so much more simple then. 

Journal Entry 5 by jawin at Graceville high side shops, Honour Avenue in Graceville, Queensland Australia on Saturday, October 21, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (10/21/2006 UTC) at Graceville high side shops, Honour Avenue in Graceville, Queensland Australia

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Left outside the Graceville gallery, as part of Australia's biggest book release today.