The Grand Babylon Hôtel.

Behind the gleaming façade of a great luxury hotel, Arnold Bennett stages a brisk, witty caper full of nerve, romance and delicious improbability.

What it's about

The Grand Babylon Hôtel opens when a wealthy American, on a sudden impulse, buys the finest hotel in London outright. What starts as a rich man's caprice soon draws him and his spirited daughter into a web of mystery involving a missing guest, mistaken identities and shadowy schemers moving among the champagne and chandeliers. Bennett spins the plot with the pace and playfulness of a first-rate entertainer, keeping surprises coming while never losing his light, ironic touch.

Themes

The novel delights in the glamour and machinery of luxury, and in the contrast between polished surfaces and the intrigues beneath them. It plays with wealth and whim, the collision of American energy and European manners, and the romance that blossoms amid the danger. Above all it is a book about appearances, and about who really pulls the strings in a world built to impress.

Why it still matters

Better known for his sober novels of provincial life, Bennett here shows his gift for pure, stylish entertainment, and helped establish the grand hotel as a setting rich with dramatic possibility. Fast, funny and elegantly plotted, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable period thriller and a reminder that a serious writer can also be a marvellous crowd-pleaser.

Who it's for

Readers who love vintage mysteries and capers, fans of Edwardian glamour, and anyone wanting a witty, fast-moving story to race through in a sitting or two.