Switzerland 1950. Stunning mountain scenery, a single track railway. A snow storm forecast. Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley is the first Miss Marple novel to be published for 50 years since Agatha Christie’s Sleeping Murder in 1976. Miss Marple appears at first sight as the familiar elderly lady with her knitting, her dislike of the cold, her piercing eyes and acute observation. She is visiting with her friend Mrs Bantry (who appears in 4.30 from Paddington) and Mrs Bantry’s ultra-efficient personal assistant Diana Glass.
One morning the railway arrives at the hotel from the village below and inside is only one passenger who is dead. There are a number of suspects each with a strong motive, the guilt of each of which seems totally convincing until disproven by the French detective who happens to be among the guests. The setting starts off as a not-quite closed room location, a luxurious mountain hotel isolated by altitude with limited access to the village below. When the snow arrives everyone is trapped.
The list of potential villains is familiar from Christie. A film star. An ambitious politician and his timid wife. The politician’s wartime friend who seems completely out of place. Even nuns who ski and enjoy spa sessions. Some guests are strangers, some already know each other, many have secrets. Trapped inside by the blizzard, cracks begin to appear and tempers are tested. There are a variety of motives. Betrayal, jealousy, money, love, and revenge, perhaps connected to the Second World War.
One of the main viewpoints is that of Diana Glass, as an outsider she presents a first impressions overview of the hotel guests, staff and action. Of her cool efficiency she says, ‘We learned this during the war. You can’t be in a state of full-blown panic at all times. Normality, humanity – even boredom – creep back in at the most fraught of times.’ But can she be trusted? Can anyone be trusted?
A mixture of two writers. The first half, a Christie-like careful build-up of context and characters. The second half, a typical Foley rollercoaster rush to the end where everyone present seems guilty and the next victim could be anyone.
I missed the dominant presence of Miss Marple and wanted more. Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel is a Lucy Foley novel with a sprinkling of Marple but like all Foley’s novels, it is an entertaining pageturner.

Click the title to read my reviews of these other novels by Lucy Foley:-
THE GUEST LIST
THE HUNTING PARTY
THE INVITATION
THE MIDNIGHT FEAST
THE PARIS APARTMENT

If you like this, try:-
‘The Doll’s House’ by MJ Arlidge #3HELENGRACE
‘The Monogram Murders’ by Sophie Hannah #1POIROT
‘The Pure in Heart’ by Susan Hill #2SIMONSERRAILLER

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COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-