Title: At Bertram’s Hotel
Author: Agatha Christie
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 320
Rating: 3*/5
Agatha Christie – At Bertram’s Hotel
I wasn’t such a fan of this one, and I think a lot of that was because I just didn’t relate to either the characters or the situations they were in. I think that was one of Christie’s more far-fetched plots, and right at the end, someone just randomly admits everything despite there being no proof against them before jumping out of a window and climbing a drainpipe to the roof before somehow suddenly being on the ground and in a car. It was just super dumb.
Another thing that I didn’t like was the fact that a huge part of the plot relied on the fact that someone had been hit on the head and they’d forgotten who they were. I don’t know, it just all felt very forced to me, and it was a big disappointment after enjoying the last couple of Marple books that I picked up. I’d go so far as to say that it’s the worst Marple book I’ve read yet, although it’s probably not the worst Agatha Christie.
Still, it is worth reading if you’re working your way through all of the Marple books, I just wouldn’t suggest going out of your way for it. I know that my friend Mara enjoyed this one, but she also likes to read Christie to get a feel for the social mores of the time and the way that gender was perceived. If that’s your thing then you’re going to enjoy this. If not, and if you’re more into the actual murder mysteries, this might drag a bit.
But if you ask me, Agatha Christie is a little bit like Stephen King in that even at her worst, she’s better than most other authors at their best. This book is just fine, you know? That’s it.
Agatha Christie
