I've enjoyed this mystery series, especially the holiday stories, and I'm sorry to see it come to and end, but I was also disappointed with this story. The ending was very rushed and a lot of the solution to the mystery happened off-stage. ( )

It is Christmas time at the Pennyfoot Country Club and Cecily Sinclair Baxter is looking forward to her favorite things about the holidays - her friend Madeline's exquisite decorations, the caroling, Phoebe Carter-Holmes Fortescue’s pageants (even if they usually end disastrously). One tradition she wouldn't mind not happening is the murder mystery that seems to happen each year. Alas, she won't get her wish as a body is found washed up on the shores near the Pennyfoot - and the death was no accident. Cecily is once again caught up in trying to solve a murder but will her actions put those closest to her in danger?

“Mulled Murder” is the last book in the series of Pennyfoot Country Club Holiday Cozy Mysteries. While I am sorry the series is ending, I am pleased with the way author Kate Kingsbury wrapped up the series. The storylines for most of the characters, especially the household staff, were tied up and many left a smile on my face. As for the mystery itself, it is nicely done. There are a lot of new characters in this book, many of whom have secrets, so there are plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing as to who the killer is. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book - not all involving the murder mystery - that will keep readers delighted. As for Phoebe's last pageant, you won't be disappointed :-)

“Mulled Murder” is a fitting ending to a long-running cozy mystery series that will be missed. ( )

After more than two decades of entertaining readers around the globe with her Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery series comprising of twenty-one books, including nine Christmas editions counting her latest book in the series Mulled Murder, bestselling author Kate Kingsbury has decided to call it a day on this long-running series and in a fitting finale to this thrilling saga writes a book that fans will remember for a long time to come.

Mulled Murder brings Cecily and Baxter close together again, as they work together to find a killer lurking in the secret tunnel below the Pennyfoot Hotel. It is a mystery waiting to be read.

Beginning with Room with a Clue (Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery) which was published nearly twenty-one years ago, Kate Kingsbury has delighted fans of her Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery series with thrill after thrill in books such as Do Not Disturb (A Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery), Service for Two (A Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery), Eat, Drink, And Be Buried, Check-out Time, Grounds for Murder (Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries), Pay the Piper (A Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery), Chivalry Is Dead, Ring for Tomb Service (Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery), Death with Reservations (Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries), Dying Room Only (Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery Series), Maid to Murder (Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery Series, 12), No Clue at the Inn, Slay Bells (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst), Shrouds of Holly (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery), Ringing In Murder (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst), Decked with Folly (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst), Mistletoe and Mayhem (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst), Herald of Death (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst), The Clue is in the Pudding (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst) and, now, Mulled Murder.

The first Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery book Room with a Clue containing 204 pages was published October 1st 1993 by Berkley. And the final installment in the series Mulled Murder containing 304 pages has been brought out by the same publisher Berkley on October 29, 2013. The series lasted 7333 days which is exactly 20 years and four weeks. It is one of the longest running series not only in terms of years but also in terms of books.

Thank you, Katie, for bringing to us characters like Cecily, Baxter and Gertie. It will be so hard to let them go. Thank you for creating unforgettable characters and adventures that we enjoyed so much over the years. Thank you for your time, the silent moments that we shared together, through the pages of your books. It is hard to say goodbye to a series that so many of us love so much...

But ciao, adieu, ta-ta, cheerio, goodbye, farewell, adios, so long it is... ( )