Chapter summaries Marble Hall Murders Anthony Horowitz

Chapter 33 Summary and Analysis: SEVENTEEN

Spoilers Ahead: This summary reveals major plot points including the discovery of Alice Carling's body and the identification of her killer.

Summary

By the end of the day, the police search for Alice Carling has yielded nothing. The vast, rugged terrain of the Préalpes d’Azur offers countless hiding places. Voltaire begins a door-to-door inquiry in La Gaude and neighboring Saint-Jeannet, hoping someone saw Alice with a stranger. He believes she left with the man she thought was her fiancé, Charles Saint-Pierre. The killer likely picked her up in a car around three o’clock on Sunday. Voltaire also considers scenic but secluded spots where the couple might have talked. He sends men into the countryside with a dog handler. A fisherman, Julien Lotte, finds Alice’s body on a shingle bank of the River Var, less than a mile from where she was born. She has been strangled. Lotte reports the discovery.

Voltaire later tells Pünd and Fraser at the Grand-Hôtel that the killer made two mistakes: he called Alice from the Chateau Belmar (the operator confirms several calls), and he left her handbag at the scene. Inside the bag is a photograph of Harry Lyttleton, with faded red lipstick marks. Voltaire states that Harry Lyttleton, Lady Chalfont’s son-in-law and a frequent visitor to Maître Lambert’s office, knew Alice well and is the prime suspect. Tomorrow they will uncover the truth.

Key Events

  • The police search for Alice Carling fails due to the immense and difficult landscape.
  • Voltaire orders door-to-door inquiries and focuses on local gossip spots.
  • He speculates the killer took Alice to a secluded, beautiful location to persuade her.
  • Julien Lotte discovers Alice’s strangled body along the River Var.
  • Voltaire reveals that the telephone operator traced calls from the Chateau Belmar to Alice on the day of her death.
  • Alice’s handbag is found at the scene; inside is a photograph of Harry Lyttleton.
  • Voltaire identifies Harry Lyttleton as the man Alice believed was her fiancé and her likely killer.

Character Development

  • Voltaire: Shows frustration and self-blame for not recognizing Alice’s fear earlier. He methodically pieces together evidence, demonstrating his deductive skills.
  • Pünd: Offers calm, insightful observations, noting that Alice’s secrecy about her relationship was not unusual. He supports Voltaire while maintaining his detective instincts.
  • Fraser: Acts as a sounding board, raising the possibility that the fiancé could be Elmer Waysmith, though Voltaire dismisses it.
  • Alice Carling: Despite being dead, her character deepens through the evidence: a young woman who kept a secret relationship and was terrified enough to confront her lover, leading to her murder.
  • Harry Lyttleton: Emerges as a suspect through the photograph; his previously hidden connection to Alice is now exposed.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • The unforgiving landscape: The valley, rivers, and woods symbolize the killer’s ability to hide both Alice and the truth. The search’s futility underscores the character’s vulnerability.
  • Secrecy and deception: Alice’s hidden relationship and the false name “Charles Saint-Pierre” highlight the theme of concealed identities. The photograph with lipstick marks symbolizes a love that turned deadly.
  • The killer’s mistakes: Voltaire emphasizes that arrogance and haste lead to errors—the untraced calls and the abandoned handbag become the key to identifying the murderer.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the investigation. Alice Carling’s body is found, confirming she was murdered, and the police obtain their first solid lead: Harry Lyttleton. The discovery of the photograph moves the suspect list from vague possibilities to a concrete individual within Lady Chalfont’s circle. The chapter also deepens the theme of misjudgment—Voltaire regrets not questioning Alice more, a lesson that affects how the detectives proceed.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What two mistakes did the killer make according to Voltaire?
    The killer first made several phone calls to Alice from the Chateau Belmar, which the telephone operator recorded. Second, he left Alice’s handbag at the murder scene, which contained a photograph of himself.

  2. Why did the police have difficulty searching for Alice Carling?
    The region around La Gaude is vast and rugged, with forests, rivers, caves, and countless man-made structures that could hide a body. The heat and the sheer size of the area made a thorough search nearly impossible.

  3. How does the photograph of Harry Lyttleton implicate him in Alice’s death?
    Alice had kissed the photograph, indicating a romantic relationship. Since she believed she was meeting her fiancé, the man she was with must have been Harry. His failure to retrieve the bag shows he was careless, and the calls from his residence confirm he contacted her that day.

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