Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

‘You’ll have tea.’
‘Can I get you something? Some coffee?’
‘Please, help yourself.’

I’m sure you’ve heard those offers, or something very similar. Hospitality is an important part of just about every culture. It may look different in different societies, but hospitality seems to be just about universal. Hospitality signals goodwill and often a genuine wish to reach out to others. And that makes sense, considering we’re a social species. Hospitality is so ingrained in a lot of cultures that it’s no surprise we see it in crime fiction. It can add plot points and character development, and create interesting dynamics, too.

Sometimes, hospitality doesn’t work as planned, of course. For instance, in Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings investigate the murder of Emily Arundell, who died unexpectedly of what turned out to be poison. As you might expect, they interview her relatives, all of whom were more than eager for their share of her fortune. They also talk to her friends and acquaintances. That’s how they meet Isabel and Julia Tripp, sisters who live an unconventional sort of lifestyle. Their life choices extend to their food choices; they eat a strictly vegetarian diet, and not much of that. In the course of interviewing the Tripps, Poirot and Hastings are invited to stay for lunch. It’s not at all Poirot’s sort of meal, and he and Hastings are all too eager to be done and leave as soon as they politely can. Even so, you can’t accuse the Tripps of being inhospitable. You’re absolutely right, fans of After the Funeral. There’s a great example of hospitality there, too!

Helene Tursten’s Detective Inspector Huss introduces readers to Irene Huss, who works with the Violent Crimes division of the Göteborg Police. In the novel, Huss and her team investigate the death of wealthy businessman Richard von Knecht, who fell (or was pushed) from the balcony of his posh home. The team talks to von Knecht’s friends and family members, but they also interview witnesses. One of them is Fru Eva Karlsson, a widow who likely saw something important. Huss visits Fru Karlsson to find out exactly what she saw. When she arrives, she finds that Fru Karlsson has prepared a lavish array of coffee, cakes, and other sweet treats – much more than any one guest could eat. On the one hand, it’s a most generous display of hospitality. On the other, Huss has a bit of a difficult time balancing politeness with the realities of eating much, much more than her stomach can manage.

In Zoë Ferraris’ Finding Nouf, we meet Palestinian-born Nayir ash-Sharqui, who works as a desert guide in the Sheddah area of Saudi Arabia. As the story begins, his friend Othman ash-Shrawi approaches him with a different sort of challenge. Othman’s sister Nouf went missing and was later found dead in a wadi. The official explanation for Nouf’s death is that she fell into the wadi and was drowned during a freak rainstorm. Othman isn’t sure that’s what happened, though, and he wants Nayir to find out the truth. As a compassionate gesture, Nayir offers to bring Nouf’s body from the mortuary to the Shrawi estate, so Nouf can be buried properly. That’s how he meets Othman’s fiancée Katya Hijazi. Little by little, Nayir and Katya start looking into Nouf’s death, and that means more than one visit to the Shrawi family. During those scenes, we see how the family lays out food and drink whenever a guest is present. It’s always a generous array, and those scenes add an interesting depiction of hospitality in that part of the world.

Anthony Bidulka’s Going to Beautiful is the story of Toronto-based celebrity chef Jake Hardy. His life seems to be going perfectly until his husband, famous fashion designer Eddie Kravets, dies of a fall from their condominium’s balcony. While Jake is soon cleared of suspicion, the police believe that Eddie was murdered. Both to deal with his grief and to get away for a time, Jake decides to visit Eddie’s hometown of Beautiful, Saskatchewan. This, Jake feels, will allow him to get to know a side of his husband that he never knew. As soon as he and his friend Baz arrive, the people who live in Beautiful welcome them. He’s invited to meals, drawn into town activities, and made to feel at home in just about every house he visits. The hospitality of the people of Beautiful plays an important role in helping Jake begin to cope with his loss, and the things he learns there also help him figure out what really happened to Eddie and why.

And then there’s Gerald Elias’ The Devil’s Trill. It’s 1983 in New York, and the Musical Arts Project group is sponsoring a Carnegie Hall recital for nine-year-old Kamryn Vander, who’s won the group’s Holbrooke Grimsley International Violin competition. As part of her prize, she’ll use a priceless Stradivarius that’s specially made to be three-quarters the size of a typical violin. Just before the recital, the Stradivarius is stolen. The insurance company that covers the violin has hired former musician Nathaniel Williams to find it. He, in turn, asks for help from Daniel ‘Jack’ Jacobus, a former musical colleague who now coaches students. Jacobus was at Carnegie Hall on the night of the theft, so he’s well aware of what happened. Jacobus starts asking questions, but then there’s a murder, and he becomes a suspect. Now, he’ll have to clear his name. The search for the truth leads to Japan, and when Jacobus gets there, he is treated to traditional Japanese hospitality in every home he visits. There’s plenty of delicious food and drink, and Jacobus is regarded as a VIP. And that trip gives Jacobus important information about the violin and the murder.

Hospitality is more than just ‘good manners.’ It’s a deeply integrated aspect of social relations, and it permeates many cultures. There are many, many other examples I could give from crime fiction. These will have to suffice. Which ones have stayed with you?

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s Be Our Guest.