Marble Hall Murders

Art plays a major role in Pund’s Last Case. The painting Spring Flowers by Cezanne was stolen by Nazis during WWII. Elmer’s business partner, Werner, obtained it and it ended up in Chateau Belmar. The Chalfont’s housekeeper recognizes it because she worked for the Jewish family it originally belonged to, and she reports it to Harlan, who investigates art stolen by Nazis. Robert makes sure Margaret overhears an argument about the painting between Harlan and Elmer. This is part of framing Elmer for Margaret’s murder. The conversation supposedly makes Margaret want to change her will so Elmer doesn’t inherit her money.

Art just represents money to some Nazis, but others have opinions about what is good art. Modern art, like Klein’s Propositions Monochromes, was “considered degenerate” (304) by the Nazis. Robert reflects this opinion; he also dislikes modern art. Elmer and Robert argue about the aesthetics of modern art; it represents a point of contention between them. Elmer putting his work in the art world above everything else in his life is part of why Robert frames him. Another reason why Robert frames Elmer is because Elmer stops Robert from being a painter.

Intercepted communication—letters, telegrams, phone calls, and other written records—appears repeatedly in Pund’s Last Case, acting as both a narrative device and a symbol of surveillance, misinterpretation, and control. These messages are often incomplete, filtered, or overheard in ways that alter their original meaning. In one example, Margaret overhears Elmer and Harlan discussing the Cezanne painting, which is orchestrated by Robert as part of his larger plan to frame Elmer. The power of the overheard conversation lies in its ambiguity and emotional manipulation.

Throughout the novel, letters and telegrams also serve as clues or red herrings. The anonymous letter that sets the plot in motion, the telegram about a character’s arrival, or the delayed phone call all reflect how characters attempt to manage narrative and perception through information. These forms of communication often reach the wrong hands or arrive at the wrong time, symbolizing the instability of truth and the porous boundary between public and private knowledge.

This motif also reflects broader discussion of metafiction and authorial control. Just as Susan edits Eliot’s novel and Atticus attempts to distill meaning into The Landscape of Criminal Investigation, characters attempt to revise or direct their own stories through selective communication. The intercepted message, then, becomes a symbol of authorship itself—who gets to speak, who gets to listen, and how meaning shifts in the space between.