Crime Writer Margot Kinberg

Walk into any business, medical office, or school, and the first person you’ll likely meet is the receptionist. And some receptionists have a lot of authority. They get to decide who gets to see ‘the boss,’ how important a message really is, and so on. Receptionists often know a lot, too. So, police and private investigators know that they can provide valuable information. After all, they’re in the best position to know who came, who went, who was on the schedule for the day, and so on. So, it’s no wonder we see those gatekeepers in crime fiction.

In Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness (AKA Poirot Loses a Client), Hercule Poirot receives a strange letter from Miss Emily Arundell. In it, she asks him to help her with a delicate matter that she doesn’t specify. By the time Poirot and Captain Hastings get there, though, it’s too late; Miss Arundell has died. Poirot still sees it as his responsibility to help his client, though, so he decides to pursue the matter. He knows that he won’t get answers by just showing up at the house. Instead, he decides to pretend interest in buying Miss Arundell’s home. When he finds out who the realtor is, he visits the office, only to find that the receptionist, Miss Jenkins, is less than helpful, seeming to do the bare minimum for her job, and making it difficult for him to ask about the house. Poirot finally does get the information he wants, but it’s a funny scene that shows what can happen when a receptionist isn’t good at the job. I know, fans of Miss Lemon. But she’s more a secretary, really, than a receptionist.

Miss Jenkins certainly isn’t the only less-than-perfect receptionist in crime fiction. Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, for instance, is a Reykjavík attorney who works in a small practice with one partner. They have to do everything on a budget; in fact, they wouldn’t have been able to afford the offices they have, but their landlord made them a bargain. In return for the office space, they had to agree to hire his daughter Bella. At first, it seemed a reasonable request. But Bella is hardly a paragon of professionalism. She smokes inside, although the building is supposed to be smoke free. She’s often rude, and does her job when it suits her, not when her employers ask her to do something. She’s more likely to be found on social media or surfing websites than following on phone calls or keeping the office in order. But, the partners have no choice but to keep her on staff – not if they want to keep their offices.

That said, most receptionists are skilled professionals. They’re indispensable, and a wise boss knows that. For example, Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire is the sheriff of fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming. His jurisdiction covers a large, mostly rural, territory, and the budget doesn’t allow for the latest in equipment or for a large staff. Instead, Longmire relies heavily on Ruby, the receptionist at the sheriff’s office. She knows everyone in town, keeps track of everything, and in her way, looks after Longmire, too. She also serves as the dispatcher when she needs to reach Longmire, his deputy Victoria ‘Vic’ Moretti, or emergency services. She’s practical and pragmatic, and department probably couldn’t function without her. Longmire knows that, too, and he’s learned better than to cross her.

Mike Martin’s RCMP Sergeant Winston Windflower works with an equally essential receptionist, Betsy Malloy. Windflower works in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. It’s not a large detachment, and there’s no budget for many staff members, so everyone depends on Betsy. She greets visitors to the detachment, she keeps track of the staff’s schedule and whereabouts, and she manages the detachment’s documents and paperwork. She knows everything that goes on in the office, and a lot that goes on in the town, too. In short, Windflower and his team couldn’t do their jobs (or at least not nearly as well) without her.

In Tim Svart’s Sacrifice, Chief Inspector Kerrenberg of the Essen police and his team investigate when the body of a young woman is discovered at a beach club near the city. She is identified as Danielle Teschner, who worked for an escort service (sometimes with ‘fringe benefits.’). This opens up a number of possibilities for both motive and killer. One of her clients is successful business executive Florian König, so the police team check into his background. One of their important sources of information is Weibke Gröber, who served for years as the company’s receptionist and secretary. Nobody knew the business better than she. It turns out that she is a very useful resource, both about business matters and about König’s life, and it’s interesting to see the business from her perspective. Of course, there are plenty of other possibilities, too, so Kerrenberg and his team have their work cut out for them, as the saying goes.

There are many other examples of how important a receptionist can be to running an operation. The good ones know everything, do their jobs well, and can be treasure troves when it comes to an investigation. Which ones have stayed with you?

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Mike Evin’s Rockin’ Receptionist.