The Last Resort

by Posadas, Carmen; Cordero, Kristina

• ISBN13: 9780786285211
• ISBN10: 0786285214
• Edition: Large
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-31
• Publisher: Thorndike Pr

Summary

Rafael Molinet Rojas, an inconspicuous Spaniard living in London, regrettably finds that there is nothing worth living for when his closest companion-his mother-dies. Hoping to make a dignified-and, although he won't admit it, dramatic-exit from this world, Molinet plots his escape, picking an elegant setting for his suicide via sleeping pills: Morocco's L'Hirondelle d'Or, one of the most luxurious resorts in the world. There, he will be able to forget his cares, drape himself in a white caftan, and try to make a little money playing backgammon before he does himself in. The day before his trip, Molinet has a lunch date with his vivacious niece-who enthralls him with the story of a scandalous and deeply suspicious death. Jaime Valdes, high society lothario, has seemingly choked to death in the presence of both his mistress and his wife, but all of Spain is atwitter with the possibility of murder. Coincidentally, when he arrives at the spa, Molinet realizes that the stylish woman sitting by the pool is none other than Valdes's widow. And when a throng of gossipy Europeans arrive on the scene, it quickly becomes clear that despite its air of tranquility, many sinister things are happening at L'Hirondelle. Before he knows it, Molinet's eavesdropping leads to a startling turn of events. Internationally bestselling author Carmen Posadas has created a corrosive and witty high society whodunit in the vein of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. The Last Resort mixes poolside cocktails and acid-laced gossip with privilege and murder to marvelous effect. "From the Hardcover edition.

Table of Contents

Part One: London
A Lunch Date at Drones	13	(12)
How Would You Like to Hear the Story of a Murderess?	25	(8)
Terrible Things That Only Happen to Other People	33	(37)
Kellogg's Corn Flakes	70	(5)
The Remains of the Shipwreck	75	(28)
Part Two: The Book of Worldly Customs
At the Hotel L'Hirondelle D'Or, 65 miles from Fez, Morocco	103	(4)
The Story According to Mercedes, Part One	107	(17)
The Funeral	124	(18)
The Dinner	142	(7)
The Art of Correspondence	149	(9)
Some Notes Regarding Men's Attire	158	(19)
How to Wipe a Blood Stain from a Table covering	177	(26)
Needlework	203	(20)
How to Behave in Front of a Mirror	223	(18)
The People One Meets at a Spa Hotel	241	(16)
Other People One Might Meet at a Spa Hotel	257	(21)
The Arrival of an Unexpected Guest	278	(14)
The Story According to Mercedes, Part Two	292	(16)
How to Use the Secret Language of Flowers	308	(28)
Sports	336	(19)
Golf	355	(13)
The Art of Conversation	368	(29)
Preparations for a Demise	397	(21)
Meanwhile, the Sun Rises (A silent journey through the hotel)	418	(16)
100 Percent Terry cloth	434	(6)
The Story According to Mercedes, Part Three	440	(17)
Dry Martini (Luis Bunuel's recipe for preparing the perfect dry martini)	457	(22)
Cheap & Chic	479