Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did you feel about Lucy Foley’s portrayal of Miss Marple? Given that this is a “continuation novel” published 50 years after Agatha Christie’s final Marple mystery, Sleeping Murder, how well do you think Foley captured the essence of the original character?

2. The Grand Alpine Hotel becomes a classic “closed setting” where the guests are trapped with a killer. How did this affect your reading experience and build suspense for you?

3. What was your reaction to the final reveal of the killers’ identity and motive? Did you find the clues leading to the solution fair and satisfying? Why or why not?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Diana Glass ends the novel determined to live a “useful life” rather than a safe one. Think about a time you’ve been motivated by a sense of purpose. How did this goal shape your actions or choices?

2. Catherine and Sylvia both perform carefully constructed public personas to hide their true intentions. Have you ever felt the need to adopt a certain role to navigate a social or professional situation? How did this make you feel?

3. Miss Marple gains much of her freedom from being consistently underestimated by those around her. Can you recall a time when being overlooked or misjudged gave you an unexpected advantage?

4. Bruno Crane is depicted as tormented by his past betrayals. How does the novel’s exploration of guilt and memory connect with your own understanding of how the past can influence the present?

5. What does the desire for freedom and a fresh start, which is a powerful motivator for Catherine and Sylvia, mean to you? When have you considered, or realized, making a significant change? What happened?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The plot is underpinned by the historical reality of Nazi gold and Swiss neutrality during World War II. How did this real-world context deepen the story for you, and where do you see modern examples of powerful institutions or nations making moral compromises for financial gain?

2. How does the novel critique how society grants credibility and power based on status or reputation? Can you think of contemporary parallels where respectability has been used as a cloak for corruption?

3. The novel is set in 1950, a time with rigid expectations for women. In what ways does the novel’s critique of gendered roles also invite parallels with contemporary female experiences?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Foley tells the story through the rotating first-person perspectives of several characters. How did this narrative technique shape your understanding of the events and your suspicions? Did you find any narrator more or less reliable than the others?

2. What do you think the novel says about whether it’s possible to escape one’s past, especially past crimes? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

3. What does Foley suggest about the nature of identity in the novel? Is it something inherent, or is it a performance we can change at will?

4. Miss Marple relies on her understanding of human nature, honed in St. Mary Mead, rather than on physical evidence. How does Foley use this juxtaposition between the mundane and the exotic to create humor?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were casting a film version of this book, who would you choose to play the key roles of Miss Marple, Diana, Catherine, and Sylvia? What makes them the right fit for those characters?

2. Imagine you are Sir Henry Clithering receiving Miss Marple’s urgent telephone call. What key details from her explanation would convince you to arrange for an immediate police interception in Venice?

3. At the end of the novel, Diana plans to publish her photographs to expose Anthony Narracott’s treason. What text would you write for the newspaper article that accompanies her photographic evidence?