At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

At Bertram’s Hotel

 

Review of the novel At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie.

Published by William Collins on 15^th November 1965 (UK)

Cost: £1.26p (UK) 1981

ISBN: 0-00-616715 (Paperback Edition - 192 pages - starts on page 5)

Dedication: For Harry Smith because I appreciate the scientific way he heads my books

As in many instances, the novel was also serialised in the UK weekly magazine Woman's Own in five abridged instalments from 20 November, – 18 December 1965.

This novel is a favourite of mine because it believed to be inspired by Brown’s Hotel in London, where Agatha Christie often stayed when visiting London. I have spent a few nights staying at the hotel as a treat and it certainly an experience.

Miss Marple has been given the opportunity to stay at Bertram’s Hotel by a niece, who thought ‘it would be a treat for [her] to have a short visit to London’. Miss Marple recalls ‘I stayed here once - when I was fourteen, with an uncle and aunt, Uncle Thomas, was Canon of Ely.’

The plot of the story is rather entangled, with more than one aspect to the storyline and the underlying tale. In this novel, Christie becomes the eyes of her readers as she deftly describes the surroundings of Bertram’s Hotel and its guests.

The lead character is Bess Sedgewick:

She was worth looking at – a striking woman rather than a beautiful one. The palest of platinum hair fell sleek and smooth to her shoulders. The bones of her head and face were exquisite. Her nose was faintly aquiline, her eyes deep set and a real grey colour. She had the mouth of a natural comedian. Her dress such simplicity that it puzzled most men. It looked like the corset kind of sacking, had no ornamentation of any kind, and no apparent fastening or seams. But women knew better. Even the provincial old dears in Bertram’s knew, quite certainly, that it had cost the earth!

Christie uses this central character to explain the workings of Bertram’s and its daily operations. It hides a notorious activity that intertwines its normal functionality. In her normal old maid manner, Miss Marple is able to sit in an ‘open place’ and blend in so that she is not seen, while she watches and observes all that goes on around her.

The smaller writing-rooms at Bertram’s often had an appearance of being empty even when they were not. Two well-appointed desks stood in the windows, there was a table on the right that held a few magazines, on the left were two very high-backed arm-chairs turned towards the fire. These were favourite spots in the afternoon for elderly military or naval gentlemen to ensconce themselves and fall happily asleep until tea-time. Anyone coming in to write a letter did not usually notice them.

Christie intertwines other characters to develop the plot. Bess Sedgewick’s daughter Elvira, her first husband Micky Gorman, now the hotel commissionaire, Ladislaus Malinowski a famous racing driver and the forgetful Cannon Pennyfather.

As her readers have come to expect, the local police are finding it difficult to explain what they believe is a link between Bertram’s Hotel and a series of robberies. They are able to use the fact that Cannon Pennyfather has gone missing to enter the hotel and explore its daily operations. It’s an ideal opportunity for Chief-Inspector Davy to open up a conversation with Miss Marple and discuss what she has observed while she has been staying at the hotel.

The story comes to a climax when a plot to kill Micky Gorman on a foggy night gives rise to a number of theories. As part of their investigations, the police uncover a number of revelations about Bertram’s Hotel, aided by the fact that Miss Marple explains the solution of the night when Canon Pennyfather went missing from the hotel.

When challenged about her links to Bertram’s Hotel, Bess Sedgewick decides to come clean and admits to most of Chief-Inspector Davy challenges and reveals her true character. The ending of the story is quite dramatic, although drawn out over a number of pages.

As readers may know from reading other Christie stories, the question of justice for a crime committed by a character is allowed to almost slip by, where it is deemed correct to let the killer go free, but the novel closes with these final words.

‘Well,’ said Miss Marple. Are you going to let her get away with it?’

There was a pause, [Chief-Inspector Davy] brought down his fist with a crash on the table.

‘No,’ he roared – ‘No, by God I’m not!’

Miss Marple nodded her head slowly and gravely.

‘May God have mercy on her soul,’ she said.

At Bertram’s Hotel is one of the later novels that Agatha Christie wrote, but it still has that thriller style and is a great read. Perhaps the plot is a little too involved, but it is a must for fans of a master crime thriller writer. Rating: 3 stars.

Dr Sheppard

21 July 2017