A historical mystery and classic whodunit.
Set at an exclusive Swiss resort circa 1950, the story is told by four distinct perspectives. When three deaths disrupt the holiday that is meant to be enjoyed by Miss Marple and her friend, recently widowed Mrs. Bantry, In due time, Miss Marple cleverly sifts through long buried wartime secrets to out the responsible party.
The narrative shifts between the following: Catharine Narracott, wife of Anthony Narracott, Conservative candidate who works in the War Offices. Actress Sylvia Sinclair, mistress of Anthony, who is rapidly aging out of her usual roles. Bruno Crane, a war time acquaintance of Anthony Narracott and loyal companion to Mrs. Bantry, Diana Glass. There is some gold...
After only a day or so, a blizzard sets in and a train wreck in the tunnel ensures that everyone is stranded at the hotel. So this is a typical locked room type mystery. I loved the atmospheric setting and would have loved to know more about the actual hotel, but, alas, there are murders and suspects and backstory and a lot of rambling before the truth comes out and Miss Marple solves the crime.
I didn't care for the multi-POV and the story moved very slowly with one grand reveal at the end. I didn't like the outcome (no spoilers). Nevertheless, it kept me guessing as first one red herring and then another possible culprit was dismissed.
I wasn't a huge fan of the basic premise and plot so I might read another of this type by Lucy Foley.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The full cast narration by Hayley Atwell, Lucy Boynton, Adeel Akhtar, Mara Wilson, and Hugh Kermode was refreshing and enhanced my enjoyment of the book. The author, Lucy Foley, also contributes with an author's note. One thing though was that in many cases there were differences between the text and the audio version which can be jarring if you are reading alone. Not sure how many people actually do this, however. And not sure why these changes were made.
Not sure if this is the first in a new series by the author.
Genre tags: historical fiction, 1950s, cozy, Switzerland, war crimes, stolen gold, Nazi, murder
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