I finished reading this last night. It is my second Agatha Christie book, both Jane Marple ones. I liked this one much more than the other one I had read. This one started out pretty strong with a creative murder-witnessing and subsequent corpse-disposal mystery with Jane doing some nice detective work. Lucy and the characters at Rutherford Hall all had the makings of a really good whodunnit mystery. Unfortunately, about half way through the book it just loses steam, drags for a bit and finally comes to an underwhelming end.
The Miss Marple character in both of the books I have read has been surprisingly in the background. Although she was present in this one much more than the other one. I thought the Lucy character was going to be good but she ended up being a bit of a disappointment.
I liked the book overall but mostly felt letdown on how the story was squandered. It had all the makings of a good, fun murder-mystery story, but it was not to be. I also wish there were more dramatic moments involving the possibility of peril to one or more beloved characters. This book had the most boring murderer ever.
I think I need to try one of Christie's Hercule Poirot books next time to see if I like it any better.
Here are my Agatha Christie book rankings:
1. 4:50 from Paddington
2. At Bertram's Hotel
