A Merry Murder

August 1, 2019
An Edwardian murder mystery unfolds at the Pennyfoot Hotel. Apparently no Christmas can pass without giving hotel owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter yet another murder to solve. Her hopes of a jolly holiday are crushed along with the skull of an unknown man found in the hotel laundry room. PC Northcott, the local constable, is none too bright, and Cecily has steered him to the proper conclusion more than once before (Mulled Murder, 2013, etc.). When Mazie, one of her maids, is threatened with arrest, Cecily realizes that she must solve the case as soon as possible if the holiday's not to be ruined for her guests. The only clues are a woman's scarf tied around the corpse's neck and a note addressed to Percy that's supposedly from Mazie. It seems that Mazie was bribed by a man eventually identified as Lord Percival Farthingale to get him into the hush-hush card room at the Pennyfoot, a room that's technically illegal now that the former country club has become a hotel. Lord Percy had a questionable reputation, and not even his widow is surprised or much upset by his untimely death. Although Cecily's husband, Baxter, does not approve of her sleuthing, he feels he has to join her to help keep her safe. All the while, the Baxters' faithful servants, downstairs and in the stable, are involved in everything from agitating on behalf of the suffragist movement to searching for the truth about the mysterious auto mechanic who helps in the stables. Nonetheless, the Christmas spirit carries on along with Cecily's search for a killer. Holiday charm doesn't compensate for a mediocre mystery with too many loose ends.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 12, 2019
The discovery of a body in the Pennyfoot Hotel’s laundry propels Kingsbury’s sprightly 22nd Pennyfoot Holiday mystery (after 2013’s Mulled Murder), set in Badger’s End, England. When 14-year-old Mazie, a recently hired maid, is arrested by bumbling Police Constable Northcott for the man’s murder, hotel owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter, despite her husband’s reservations, steps back into her sleuthing role to prove Mazie’s innocence and find the real killer. The victim turns out to be shady Lord Percival Farthingale, who, though not a guest of the Pennyfoot, was visiting the hotel’s guests-only card rooms. Cecily’s inquiries reveal an argument between Farthingale and Edwin Coombs, a hotel guest who admits he knew the victim but is reluctant to say more. Cecily’s visit to Lady Farthingale reveals why the widow isn’t too sorry about her husband’s demise. Jealousy and secrets among the staff add tension, while Cecily comes close to meeting her maker solving this grand Christmastime mystery filled with plenty of new and familiar faces. Fans will hope they won’t have to wait another six years for the next installment. Agent: Paige Wheeler, Creative Media Agency.

October 1, 2019
Plans are coming together for an elegant Edwardian-era Christmas at Pennyfoot Hotel, on the British coast. A magnificent tree sits in the main hall, Mrs. Chubb is baking mince pies, and Phoebe Fortescue's dance troupe is rehearsing for their usual Christmas Eve performance. Then housemaid Gertie McBride finds the body of a man at the bottom of a laundry chute, an expensive women's scarf around his neck. Hotel owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter knows she must solve this holiday murder on her own, as it's clear the local constable won't do it, and, worse, Scotland Yard Inspector Crenshaw is just itching to find a reason to shut down the inn. The victim was last seen at the secret gaming tables, but the note in his pocket casts suspicion on the hotel's youngest maid. Cecily works to get her maid freed from police custody in time for Christmas, tries to keep up the Christmas cheer, and hopes Phoebe's company's performance will not be the disaster it has been in the past. Warm characters and numerous tantalizing subplots help make this an engaging cozy that will appeal to Upstairs, Downstairs fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)