It’s been a very long time since I read Agatha Christie (reread or not) so I was pretty excited to run across At Bertram’s Hotel while at the library. It’s a Miss Marple mystery, which I generally am not as familiar with, but I’m slowly overcoming my previous reluctance to read her books.

At Bertram’s Hotel has Miss Marple visiting a throwback – a very genteel establishment where the upper crust, the gently impoverished old ladies, and the Americans who really, really like their idea of England like to stay when they are in London. It’s luxurious, they’ve got proper scones and crumpets, and Miss Marple’s very kind nephew and niece-in-law has sponsored her a fortnight’s stay there. And given that this is Miss Marple, of course her gentle ways of prying lead her into a mystery.

I won’t say too much about the mystery because it takes place pretty late. Most of the book is concerned with building atmosphere and Christie does that perfectly. I really enjoyed how the book embraced the spirit of its time, where many people missed the past but time was still moving forward. Christie isn’t wholly nostalgic about the past, she recognises why people miss it, but also how it can be used to manipulate others. In a way, she takes a rather cynical view of the attempt to try and get back to the way things used to be, which to me feels pretty modern.

Overall, this is a short and sweet mystery set in a charming location. After a pretty long break from Christie, I think I’m going to try and make an effort to finish reading the Miss Marple series (especially since the library got rid of all the Miss Read books, which I’m really sad about!).