My Five Word TL:DR Review: Captures the Voice and Era

I’ve read a few Lucy Foley books and so I was very keen to see how she would get along writing a Miss Marple story and to be honest, she doesn’t disappoint. This is exactly what I expected. A murder mystery, set in a luxury hotel atop a mountain that unfortunately becomes impossible to reach, with a cast of suspects, many who appear suspicious, and a shrewd old lady with a pair of knitting needles and a sharp intelligence who is usually under estimated.

I enjoyed this, it’s very easy to read, I think Foley captures the time period perfectly and there’s a closed room style murder with the usual suspects that your mind would conjure for such a story. I would say it has, almost a charming feel, if not for the fact that the bodies begin to gather!

The setting is a luxury hotel. Miss Marple has been invited on holiday by her friend Dolly Bantry, the two are accompanied by Dolly’s lady’s companion, Diana Glass. They arrive aboard the Grand Alpine Express to stunning scenery, powdery snow and magnificent mountains, an opulent hotel and spa, attentive staff and roaring fires and hot chocolate for those not brave enough to face the slopes! Everything they could wish for to make the this retreat perfect. What could possibly go wrong?

Foley introduces us to a number of characters, a politician, his wife, an actress and obviously our sharp-eyed Miss Marple. It takes a little time for the set up and to picture just who’s who but happily this is told in multiple povs which is really helpful in reinforcing the different characters.

I’m not going to go into the mystery or any sort of description of characters, it would be all too easy to drop clangers and like any good murder mystery part of the fun is in the guessing. So, no spoilers from me.

What I particularly liked about this.

It was a quick read, it feels light and entertaining. Yes, of course, it’s a murder mystery but being a Miss Marple story it feels almost low stakes, the real enjoyment factor coming from the final reveal. To be honest, this story was exactly what I expected and what I wanted.

The writing was really good. Foley totally nails down the 50s feel. The way the characters talk, dress, but more than that it’s difficult to describe other than to say she manages to capture the essence of the period. Not very eloquently put but hopefully you understand where I’m coming from.

Miss Marple is her usual low key self. She’s used to being overlooked and underestimated but all the while she hardly misses a trick.

The murder mystery was intriguing, this isn’t some sort of slasher. No hideous deaths or blood soaked rooms. Foley gives us a very good rendition of Marple and a cunning mystery to boot.

In terms of slight issues the only niggle I had was the ending, it felt a little bit rushed and somehow not as satisfying as I wanted – I’m being vague to avoid spoilers. The actual solution was good and worked really well, but the final execution was a bit off, I can’t really put my finger on it.

Anyway, this was a really good read, I found it easy to fall into and it kept me entertained. I hope Foley will tackle more Miss Marple stories and will keep an eye out (and my fingers crossed).

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opiniion.

My rating: between 3.5 and 4 stars out of 5 – rounded up to 4