Rating: 
Summary: Superior Atmosphere But Transparent Plot
Review: In the midst of a crime wave involving a host of startling robberies, elderly Jane Marple takes a vacation at London's Bertram's Hotel--a hotel that specializes in recreating the luxuries of the bygone Edwardian age, complete with high tea, cozy armchairs by the fire, and world-class service. But when a young heiress staying at the hotel becomes involved with an undesirable man and the absent-minded Canon Pennyfeather mysteriously disappears from his rooms, Miss Marple quickly realizes that the hotel's famous service may include more than meets the eye.Although Christie's novel successfully evokes the delicious pleasures of the hotel, the plot of AT BERTRAM'S HOTEL hinges on a series of unlikely coincidences and becomes increasingly transparent as the novel progresses. The mastermind behind the current crime wave is extremely obvious--and when the murder at last arrives, quite late in the novel, the killer is more obvious still. This is not one of the writer's better novels, and newcomers to Agatha Christie's works will likely be disappointed; recommended to hardcore fans only.
Rating: 
Summary: Miss Marple in London
Review: Miss Jane Marple is in London on holiday and is staying at posh Bertram's hotel. Where Miss Marple goes, murder is sure to follow and it does. The details of Bertram's Hotel- the service, the high tea, etc- are great touches from a bygone era and help to make this book memorable. The plot is well-constructed and well-written although there are a few signs of the decline in Christie's work that was to begin a few years later.Overall,this is an enjoyable mystery by the greatest mystery writer ever.
Rating:
Summary: Ok, but not one of my Marple favorites.
Review: Miss Marple goes on vacation to stay at Bertram's Hotel. If you were thinking she was going to have some kind of adventure like she did in _A Caribbean Mystery_ or _Nemesis_ while she was on vacation, think again. If you enjoy Miss Marple because she comes up with these wacky village parallels, you are going to be disappointed. There aren't many here. A large part of the detecting is done my Chief Inspector Davy. Miss Marple is merely a side character in this one -- she really isn't super involved except when Davy talks to her during his investigations. She is more a "witness" than a sleuth. Granted, by this point she is rather old, so at least Christie keeps her doing things within her capabilities! The description of the hotel are great, and the premise of the plot had some nice possibilities but I don't think this was as well mapped out as some of the other Agatha Christie mysteries. If you are a long time reader, you are going to guess whodunit fairly quickly. Overall, it's ok, but not one of the best. The Miss Marple short stories (ex: Thirteen Problems) are better.
Rating: 
Summary: Miss Marple Solves Mystery of Elegant Edwardian Hotel
Review: 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 mod fashion now sweeping London. The staff, the food, the setting is 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. Although 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 and another wonderful visit with Miss Marple.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Marple Solves Mystery of Elegant Edwardian Hotel
Review: 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 mod fashion now sweeping London. The staff, the food, the setting is 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. Although 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 and another wonderful visit with Miss Marple.
Rating:
Summary: She Did It Again!
Review: Once again, Agatha Christie has created a mystery with such color that you both wish and feel that you're there solving the mystery alongside Miss Marple! The descriptions alone create a deliciously real setting. Then, to top it off, a plot that hooks you right from the beginning and doesn't let go even after it's ended. This book is definitely a must read, over and over again. And of course, prepare a pot of coffee, because you won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Marple and mystery
Review: One of the best of Agatha Christie's later mysteries. Miss Marple has found the perfect spot to stay for her vacation. Nothing ever seems to change at Bertram's Hotel, everything is just as it was before the war. But is this all this charming gentility merely a facade for something far more dangerous?
Rating:
Summary: Sublime setting, great mystery: Miss Marple at her best!
Review: Raymond West's latest novel is doing very well indeed, so he and his painter wife Joan decide to treat Raymond's old Aunt Jane Marple to a holiday. Miss Marple takes this opportunity to visit in London and spend the week in that eminently traditional, eminently expensive bastion of Edwardian hostelry, Bertram's Hotel. On arriving she immediately recalls her visit of many years ago, when she was still a silly schoolgirl, madly in love with a very unsuitable young man. Most things in the hotel seem to be untouched by the greedy monster of modern time and that is the way Miss Marple likes to see it. But something did change: an undefined atmosphere suggests more than the eye can see. When the absent-minded clergyman Canon Pennyfather goes missing, Jane knows that she still can trust her dark premonitions. Agatha Christie was sixty-six when she wrote At Bertram's Hotel and by doing so proved that she still could recall the spirit of her earlier works. All the elements of a typical Christie mystery are present. The setting is this time an Edwardian hotel full of memories of that golden age (supposedly based on the Brown's Hotel in London). Christie looks back to the good old days with more than just melancholy. The main characters also seemed to have travelled trough time: old spinsters, colonels and clergymen, they all carry past glory as some kind of burden. When the plot really unfolds, try not to miss the hidden clues, because the conclusion is surprisingly 'fair'. If you succeed in ignoring the numerous red herrings, you must be able to solve at least part of the mystery. This is certainly one of the Miss Marple mysteries worth remembering.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling story of mystery and murder!
Review: So unbielivably brilliant, I could not put it down
Rating:
Summary: The Murder at the Vicarage.
Review: That is the title of the edition I read. Colonel Protheroe is an unlikable curmudgeon that enjoys inflicting his personality upon others. When the man is found murdered in the Vicar's study, no one is very upset and the quick confession of an individual seen fleeing the scene of the crime leads all to believe that is that. Then another confesses to the crime, and another...and there is that matter of the ill timed clock and the incorrect time on the note that Protheroe was scribbling to the Vicar when he died. Agatha Christie's first Miss Marple mystery makes for diverting, albeit unmemorable, reading. As most mystery readers know, just about anything by her, even on an off day, is essential reading for mystery fans. Recommended.
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