Ringing in Murder

Christmas at the Pennyfoot Hotel means one thing -- murder. As Cecily and Baxter are preparing for Madeline's New Year's Eve wedding, a member of Parliament and his wife are killed in an explosion in the hotel. Was it a gas leak or murder? The local constable rules it accidental before heading off on his vacation. Cecily, however, uncovers other evidence which seems to point in another direction and takes up the investigation. Meanwhile, Gertie and another maid Pansy keep spotting a walking and moving snowman. Gertie is convinced that the snowman is after her children. While this will never be my favorite series, I do think this one was a bit better than some of the others I have read. I am, however, at the end of my stash of these from show more a used booksale and probably will not go looking for others in the series. show less

Christmas is always a special time at the Pennyfoot Hotel, but this Christmas promises to be extra special as Cecily Sinclair Baxter is busily preparing for the wedding of her friend Madeline Pengrath to Doctor Kevin Prestwick. Cecily has her fingers crossed that all will go well since Madeline can be very unpredictable. When Christmas crackers go missing, Cecily is mildly annoyed, but her annoyance turns to horror when two guests are killed in an explosion and fire in one of the rooms at the Pennyfoot. Cecily suspects murder and wants the case solved before someone else is killed and before Madeline and Kevin's wedding is ruined.

"Ringing in Murder" is Kate Kingsbury's latest Pennyfoot Hotel mystery set at Christmastime (the others are show more No Clue at the Inn (Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries), Slay Bells (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst), and Shrouds of Holly (A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Myst)). Like the other books in the series this cozy mystery is delightful. All of the familiar characters are here: Cecily and her beloved husband Baxter, Madeline and Kevin, Phoebe Carter-Holmes Fortescue and her eccentric husband Colonel Fortescue, and of course Cecily's household staff - Mrs. Chubb, Gertie, Pansy, and "French" cook Michel. The wedding plot line is a good one and adds some mild suspense to the novel as Madeline and Kevin are at odds with each other over certain beliefs and readers will wonder if the two can make their differences work. The main mystery is well written and plotted, with lots of red herrings, and while Kingsbury leaves subtle clues as to who the killer is, readers will still have a hard time figuring out whodunit. There is a secondary plot involving a snowman which is a bit silly but is also intriguing since it seems to be setting up events in future books.

"Ringing in Murder" is Kate Kingsbury's nicely done holiday gift for her fans. show less

read 8.2024