A Merry Murder is the 22nd installment in the Pennyfoot Hotel mystery series, but it is the first one I've read. Set in Edwardian England, the Pennyfoot is a seaside hotel in the village of Badger's End run by Cecily Baxter and her husband. The premise in A Merry Murder is a man is found strangled to dead in the laundry room of the hotel; the man had a note asking him to meet in the laundry room at midnight, signed by one of the housemaids. She of course becomes the prime suspect, and Cecily starts her own investigation into the murder when her maid is arrested.

There are two storylines: one is self-contained and focuses on Cecily's investigation and the other seems to be a continuation of previous books in the series and focuses on the lives of the staff of the hotel. The story takes place at Christmastime (seems to be a theme as there are several mentions of previous mysteries set that time of year) and I loved the descriptions of the Christmas decorations. The descriptions of running the hotel and the parts focusing on the staff and the annual Christmas pantomime reminded me a bit of Downton Abby and a bit of the the tv show Road to Avonlea (anyone else remember the White Sands Hotel?). If you're looking for a cozy mystery to put you in the Christmas spirit, this is a great mystery to set the mood.

Oh how I love spending Christmas at the Pennyfoot Hotel! Every book is the same, but yet it's still such a delight to spend the holidays at the stately, snow-covered mansion with a murderer afoot! That's right, this grand hotel is a popular destination for holiday revelers, Christmas carolers and fiendish killers! As per usual, the upstairs/downstairs cast of characters are preparing for the all the annual things, including the dreaded Christmas concert that inevitably results in disaster and tears. As expected the "Christmas Curse" rears its ugly head when the head housemaid finds a random dead guy in the basement with a scarf wrapped around his neck. It's up to Cecily the woman-of-the house to do all the detective work to put the right person behind bars....again. Seriously, the investigators in theses books are just as worthless as Cecily's husband. If you're new to this series, you're in for a treat, especially if you're a fan of Downton Abbey. For me, this was more of the same, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Overall, a quality Chrsitmassy read for cozy mystery fans!

I have not read any of this cozy mystery series and I was surprised by this historical cozy mystery set in the Edwardian time at the Pennyfoot hotel. The Whodunit was so well played out. The plot and characters were unique and well developed and I loved the Christmas setting in the early 20th century.

I will need to go back and read the remainder of this series!

Everyone who loves cozies should be familiar with Kate Kingsbury and her Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries, which are set in Edwardian England and are charming. A Merry Murder is a special holiday mystery, and Cecily Sinclair Baxter, owner of the Pennyfoot Hotel, is not surprised when there is a murder just before Christmas. Cecily believes there is a holiday curse at the Pennyfoot Hotel. Gertie, head housekeeper stumbles on a dead body in the laundry room, and since a new, innocent maid, Mazie, is blamed and arrested for the murder by the likeable, but incompetent constable Northcott, Cecily feels it is her obligation to find the real murderer before Mazie spends the rest of her life in jail for a murder she didn’t commit. There are other things going on – a suffragette protest, a pantomime (popular in England still today), difficult and snotty guests, and romance among the staff – all to make for good reading.

This is the 10th Pennyfoot Hotel Christmas mystery, and Kingsbury has developed her characters so that readers feel they are interacting with acquaintances rather than fictional characters, and actually living in the period. It is not difficult to imagine, since Kingsbury generally uses language and idioms from the time period. This one is a bit surprising, though, and a couple of places she uses modern idioms (i.e., “where’d you ‘flipping’ come from?” location 746) – what’s up with that? Nevertheless, as usual, Kingsbury’s cozies are delightful, and definitely worth reading around the holidays. This one is a fast read, and is also light and fun. Highly recommended.

I found this little gem on Net Galley — I was not familiar with this series of cozy mysteries set in an Edwardian hotel — and it was a delightful read! It was just what I needed to start thinking about the holidays (though the mystery was the main part of the story, not the holidays).

I will look for more by Ms. Kingsbury! Thank you for my copy!

Kate Kingsbury brings back the Pennyfoot Hotel for a holiday mystery after six years. Upstairs and downstairs staff are basy with Christmas guests when a guest is murdered. Whodunit. The victim is a blackmailer and gambler. A maid is blamed but guests are behaving suspiciously. Relationships become complicated with the staff and guests have murky pasts. Good cozy for the holiday season.

Enjoyable easy to read Christmas book. Well developed characters and a nice little mystery make for a good Christmas story.

I did not like the writing style of this book. It's just not for me. I didn't care for how many times the word bloody was used. It oversaturated the book.

A Merry Murder is a cozy historical mystery set during the Edwardian era. I love the time period, and enjoyed the Christmas setting! This is my first read in the Pennyfoot Hotel series, but I had no problem catching up and enjoying the storyline and characters.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

What a great Christmas mystery! It is the first I’ve read of the many Pennyfoot mysteries and won’t be the last. The characters are as well developed as necessary for their roles, the setting of rural Badgers End in England at the shore sounds gorgeous, and the mystery is hard to solve. There is never a good time for a murder, occurring against the backdrop of Christmas preparations at the Pennyfoot, the Baxters’ struggle to keep the guests from worrying about a murderer on the loose.

Gertie, the chief housemaid, went to the laundry and found a heap of clothing that turned out to be a man. A dead man. Every year Christmastime there is an incident at the Pennyfoot, what Cecily, the owner, calls the Christmas Curse. When Gertie told Cecily, she and her husband Hugh Baxter knew the “curse” continues. They call in the bumbling Police Constable Northcott, who Cecily has learned over the years needs her help much more than she needs his. Well, except she needs to learn what he discovers so she can do her own search for the bad guy herself.

They don’t recognize the man as an employee, so they fear he is a guest. The Constable thinks the man died from a blow to the head. A very feminine, perfumed silk scarf is found around his neck, but did not contribute to his death. A note is in his pocket signed by the newest housemaid, Mazie, asking him to meet her in the laundry room at midnight. Another housemaid recognizes him as having been in the secret, guests-only cardroom. H was not a guest at the Pennyfoot; his name is Percy. When Northcott wants to take Mazie away, Cecily doesn’t want the girl, only 14, to be arrested as she is sure Mazie isn’t guilty. She is running scared, however, as her clothes are packed and gone, and so is she.

When talking with hotel guests who appreciated the card room, Cecily learns Percy had argued with Edwin Coombs, accusing him of cheating, but nobody seems to know who he is. Coombs suggested Sir Clarence Oakes might know Percy’s last name, as they were all members of the Bond Street Club in London. Sir Clarence says he can’t help, denying the man was a club member.

Finally, Northcott learns the man was Lord Percival Farthingale from London and was indeed a member of the club. Cecily has shopping to do in London, so she offers to tell his widow about his demise. He agrees, and she meets Lady Farthingale, who almost seems glad her husband is gone. She said they stayed at the Regency in Badgers End since Pennyfoot was full. He went out to play cards and didn’t return. After a couple days, she returned to London since his gambling excursions could last a week or more. Cecily assured her the killer would be caught.

The police arrest Mazie, and they await the Scotland Yard investigator, William Cranshaw, to charge her. Cecily visited her and learned what she could so she could proceed to find the real killer. In the meantime, one of Cecily’s best friends, Phoebe, is rehearsing her dancers for this year’s Christmas pantomime of Aladdin to entertain Pennyfoot’s Christmas guests. Charlie, the stable manager, is struggling with understanding the appeal of his new mechanic, Henry. Charlotte, one of the housemaids, asks Gertie to go to a suffragette protest with her at the annual Christmas festival in a nearby village. Afraid she will get arrested, Gertie will attend only if Charlotte will do exactly what Gertie tells her.

The characters directly related to the mystery were defined as needed, but as I had not read earlier novels in the series, I found it hard in places to follow along with the primary characters. I like Cecily and her staff, appreciating Cecily’s concern for and dedication to her best friends and her employees. Two of the housemaids had benefited from Cecily’s help in shouldering their burdens in the past to give them a safe place to live and work, and I found myself rooting for young Mazie and Henry.

The mystery is always front and center in this holiday tale, with Hugh being Cecily’s confidante as she seeks the bad guy. Lord Farthingale wasn’t anyone’s favorite person, but it is hard to narrow down a motive other than his wife’s weariness his gambling. Mazie’s freedom and the safety of her guests are priorities, especially after her own life is threatened. I enjoyed the stories within the story, including the lives of the staff and preparations for Aladdin. I found the mystery to be challenging, and only guessed the person a few pages before Cecily did. There were still surprises, and all except one possible loose end was wrapped up. I was able to figure out the necessary history of characters, the hotel, and events over time; I would suggest reading at least a couple of the earlier novels for maximum enjoyment of this one. I highly recommend it, especially to those who enjoy Christmas cozy mysteries!

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*

I love cozy mysteries, and I love Christmas stories. When these two genres collide I'm usually a very happy reader. Though I have not read any of the previous books in the Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery series, I could not pass up A Merry Murder. It's not just a cozy mystery, and it's not just a Christmas story. It promised to be an old fashion English Christmas. What could be better?

I know a lot of series will do a cute little Christmas story that is more novella than novel, but A Merry Murder is a full novel. It didn't feel like the author just decided to write a Christmas story featuring her series's characters. Instead, it felt like another full installment that happened to be set during Christmas.

I'm not sure how many people are familiar with the British television drama The Grand, but this story reminded me a lot of that show. Though A Merry Murder is set a decade or two before the show.

Though I haven't read the rest of the series, I didn't feel lost and there is enough background given for the characters that I knew who was who pretty quickly. There is reference to past mysteries (this is book 22 after all), but more in the vein that Cecily Baxter is no amateur when it comes to solving murders. So don't worry if you haven't read any other books in the series. Though if you like Edwardian England and a bit of upstairs/downstairs drama, then you might want to check out the rest of the books. I know I do.

In A Merry Murder, the Baxters' (owners of the Pennyfoot Hotel) are hoping for an eventful holiday, though the guests may be disappointed if there isn't a catastrophe during the annual pantomime. Their hopes are dashed when head housekeeper Gertie discovers the body of a gentleman in the laundry. What's worse, their recently hired, and very timid, maid is the main suspect. Actually, with Constable Northcutt on the case, she is the only suspect. Cecily knows she has to find the real killer to clear her maid's name and hopefully salvage Christmas.

The focus of the story is tightly on the murder, but there are some side stories. The pantomime which apparently is a catastrophe each year provides a bit of distraction. As well as giving handyman Archie more reason to be in the hotel as he builds the sets. More than one of the maids have their eye on him. Plus there is a bit of a mystery surrounding the new mechanic Henry. While the murder mystery is tied up nice and neatly at the end, there are a number of loose ends that I assume will be picked up in future books in the series.

Whether you are a fan of the series, or you are looking for something more than the typical quick, silly Christmas story, then A Merry Murder should be on your Christmas reading list.

The review will publish at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday, Oct. 30 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2019/10/a-merry-murder-by-kate-kingsbury-review.html

A Merry Murder is the perfect pre-Christmas treat for lovers of cozy Christmas mysteries and the upstairs/downstairs world of Downton Abbey. Author Kate Kingsbury thought she had said farewell to Christmas mayhem and murder at the Pennyfoot Hotel, but she couldn’t close the doors to her Edwardian world.

Those characters, however, were not done with me. They continued to haunt me, popping into my mind while I watched TV, or waking me up in the night to remind me they were still alive and kicking.

Kingsbury’s insomnia notwithstanding, readers will love her early holiday gift.

Like an aristocrat at the helm of a stately home, Cindy Sinclair Baxter is the chatelaine of the Pennyfoot Hotel. She graciously welcomes guests to her hotel while ensuring that her household staff keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes. While chief housemaid Gertie stomps “down the stairs” with the linens, she reflects on what makes Mrs. Baxter “testy.”

The Pennyfoot’s owner was always kind and considerate to the downstairs staff, as long as they obeyed the rules and minded their manners. She could be an ogre, however, if one of them did something to upset the hotel guests.

Fierce sentiments, but madam’s staff knew that she believed the best of them and fought hard for them when outsiders—be they guests or the constabulary—pronounced them guilty. Given the hotel’s “Christmas curse,” Cecily has had to go to bat for them more than once.

Gertie finds a dead body in the laundry room: a male corpse with a lovely scarf tied around its neck. She tells Cecily right away—the proprietress prays that it’s not murder, but “her hope that the cause of death was for medical reasons seemed doomed,” considering the laundry-room location.

That was odd, and in Cecily’s experience, odd meant a foul deed had taken place.



An elderly couple approached them on the stairs, and Cecily paused on the landing to let the guests pass. The woman was dressed in a fine purple satin gown beneath a navy blue coat. Blue and white ribbon roses decorated the wide brim of her hat, which almost hid her eyes. She swept up past them without a word, but the gentleman doffed his top hat at her and smiled as he turned the corner.

Deciphering the code of an opaque Edwardian mystery can be challenging, but consider: decoration on a woman’s hat that “almost hid her eyes” and a guest who sweeps “past them without a word” while her partner doffs his hat and smiles. These are clues, and when guests, friends, or staff act out of character, Cecily takes notice.

P.C. Northcott arrives to take charge of the murder scene. His inflated sense of his powers of detection is not shared by Cecily, who “was none too happy that she would have to deal with the bumbling policeman again.”

That meant the brunt of the investigation would fall on her shoulders once more—something she’d hoped to avoid.

Is there a red herring—a solution to the crime that allows Northcott to make a swift arrest and rest on his laurels? He particularly enjoys resting in Cecily’s convivial kitchen where her cook, Mrs. Chubb, “bribes” him with “a constant flow of pastries and other such treats,” freeing up Cecily to detect undeterred. Northcott finds a note in the victim’s trousers, in a woman’s hand. Apparently, Mazie, Cecily’s recent hire, asked Percy to meet her in the laundry room at midnight. Cecily’s husband is not buying it.

Baxter stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Mazie?” He shook his head in bewilderment. “Mazie? That meek little maid we hired two months ago? She doesn’t look capable of killing a chicken, much less a man.”

Sam Northcott is not particularly imaginative, and to his way of thinking, Mazie’s note is his bird in the hand—no need to look further. Unfortunately, Mazie has scarpered, but the policeman is sure she’ll soon be found and taken into custody. Case closed.

Cecily does not share Sam’s opinion—she persuades him to leave the scarf in her custody and encourages him to visit the kitchen to interrogate the staff over a “plate of mince pies.” In the meantime, Cecily will visit Mazie’s home—anything to prevent “a false arrest and conviction.”

She had to admit, she was feeling a surge of anticipation. It had been a while since she had been on the trail of a killer. Despite the anxiety of upsetting the guests and ruining the Christmas festivities, it felt good to be tacking another intriguing mystery.



Cecily Sinclair Baxter was back in the hunt, and she could only hope that the outcome would be as fruitful in bringing a villain to justice as her past endeavors.

Edwardian England was a time of great social change—take the women’s suffragette movement—but snobbery and class consciousness remained an everyday part of life. It’s not surprising that P.C. Northcott would look for a guilty person in the lower classes rather than the aristocracy. But the green baize door that separates upstairs and downstairs at the Pennyfoot Hotel opens in two directions, and Cecily straddles both worlds. It’s a treat to watch her calling for a horse-drawn carriage or, alternatively, her new-fangled motor car as she searches out the real killer. Welcome back, madam!

Series: A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery – Book 10
Author: Kate Kingsbury
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Holiday/B&B/Inn/Hotel
Publisher: Berkley
Page Count: 304

A special holiday book for the upcoming season from Berkley is the new “Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery” series by Kate Kingsbury A Merry Murder.

Readers will enjoy reading about the decorations and the cast of characters that help run the hotel. Suspects abound and the killer in unexpected. The main character, Cecily, is smart, funny, and loyal. She will go out of her way and place herself in danger to help one of her staff who has been accused of murder. For readers who enjoy Edwardian type mysteries, this holiday book is going to surprise and delight.

There are plenty of suspects, twists, and turns that will keep readers turning the page. Even if you haven’t read any of the other books in this series, you will be able to jump right in and catch up on each character and what their personalities are like. The setting is beautiful and filled with everything readers would expect during the season in a holiday book.

In the end, readers may feel compassion for the suspects and the killer. It is a fast-paced easy to read book that will have readers craving an old-world Christmas in a wonderfully picturesque setting. I enjoyed this holiday book and highly recommend it.

ARC provided by NetGalley

An Edwardian Christmas Celebrated with Murder

The Pennyfoot Hotel is again open for business and beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. Cecily Baxter hopes it will be a Christmas to remember and even more hopes the curse is off the hotel. Unfortunately, the last hope is dashed when one of the maids finds the body of a man in the laundry room with a woman’s scarf wrapped around his neck.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, a note in his pocket suggests that he was meeting with one of the maids, a very young girl that Cecily had high hopes for. Now she has a double reason to solve the mystery: protect the girl and clear the name of the hotel.

If you enjoy Edwardian mysteries this is delightful. I loved the detailed description of the decorations and of the hotel itself. There are a plethora of suspects and Cecily does a masterful job of pulling apart their alibis. She makes a great sleuth, very tenacious and smart.

Although this is the fourth book in the series, I found it easy to get to know the characters and follow the mystery. I thought the author did a good job of filling in background without pulling away from the story for long descriptions of the characters role in the Pennyfoot saga.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

"It is an Edwardian Christmas, and the Pennyfoot Hotel is all dressed up. But when one of the guests turns up dead, owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter realizes it is not only the Pennyfoot that is back in business - the hotel's Christmas curse is, too...

The Pennyfoot halls are decked with boughs of holly, a magnificently decorated tree graces the lobby, and the hotel's bookings are finally looking up. Owner of the Pennyfoot, Cecily Sinclair Baxter is in high holiday spirits until disaster strikes, threatening to ruin yet another Yuletide. Her chief housemaid Gertie McBride has found a man's body in the hotel laundry room - with a woman's scarf wrapped around his neck and a note in his pocket from the hotel's new maid.

Cecily is determined to track down the culprit, but with multiple suspects icing her out of crucial clues, she realizes this killer may be more slippery than most. With Christmas right around the corner, it is up to Cecily to prevent this holiday season at the Pennyfoot from turning out more fatal than festive."

Christmas a cozy carnage are what I want for my holidays!

The Pennyfoot Hotel is all dressed up for Christmas. They have lots of guests and all is going well until they find an unknown dead man in the laundry room. Cecily wants to keep it quiet so the guests won't leave. That's harder than you would imagine.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published October 1st.

When the old man they are using as receptionist at the front counter remembers a message he forgot to give her, he shouts it across the room and alerts most of the guests about the murder. So much for secrecy.

The policeman they have in their district is a bit lazy, and when he finds a note in the man's pocket with a signature, he's sure he's found the killer. Cecily disagrees. The maid is fifteen and very shy and withdrawn. It would be totally out-of-character for her. But when they go to her room, she's not there. Nor are any of her belongings.

The cop looks for the young lady. Cecily looks for the killer. She's eventually successful in her quest but then she finds herself alone in the room with the killer, who has a nasty knife. This could go either way...

I am a newbie to the Pennyfoot Hotel series, but it was a good thriller that kept you guessing who the murderer was until the very end. I loved that it was such a detailed historical mystery that incorporated the Christmas theme.

I love that the heroine of the story is so fierce and tenacious. Cecily Sinclair Baxter is the owner of the Pennyfoot Hotel and is hoping to have a Christmas to remember. She gets more than she bargained for when one of her housemaids finds a man's body in the laundry room. She is determined to find out who did it and stop anyone else from getting hurt.

This felt like I was reading about a game of clue and I enjoyed it. I was never sure who the murderer was until the very end so I liked that it kept me on my toes.

I thought Kate Kingsbury detailed everything from the scenery to the specifics of Cecily's breakdown of suspects to a tee. It was fun to see that her husband was so supportive which is sometimes a rare thing in novels.

This was a great start to my Christmas reading this year.

I give A Merry Murder 3 stars. It was mysterious and thrilling with a fierce heroine that won't stop until she finds the culprit. It will most definitely keep readers guessing from beginning to end.

It's Christmas time at the Pennyfoot hotel which for owner Cecily Baxter and her husband means music, merriment, and murder. A skull, partially crushed, is found in the hotel laundry room and the local constable, P.C. Northcott is called to investigate. Cecily, who knows Northcott's propensity for bungling investigations setts out to solve the murder herself, with of course the assistance of her reluctant husband. Suspicion falls upon a maid currently employed at the Pennyfoot hotel, Maize. The clues are sparse but all point in the same direction. Staff at the Pennyfoot hotel are investigating a mystery of their own involving an auto mechanic seen near the stables.
Christmas at the Pennyfoot hotel is anything but boring and I enjoyed catching up with the Baxter family and the Pennyfoot staff. Although I am a longtime fan of the series, readers can jump in at any point in the series, including this Christmas adventure, and still following along perfectly. The period details are always both enlightening and enjoyable and this newest addition has plenty. The mystery was fast paced and complex, if a bit hard to follow towards the end. The characters are the highlight of the series and once again steal the show. I would gladly pack my bags to spend Christmas at the Pennyfoot, but for now I will have to compromise by reading the delightful tales instead.

Once again a great read involving characters you have come to love over the years. Sweet cozy read you can get lost in.

This is the fourth Pennyfoot Hotel Christmas book I've read, and I loved it just as much as I have the others. Like other cozy mystery series, you can jump in anywhere by reading the books in any order.; you just won't quite know the characters as well. However, not knowing the characters as well isn't a hindrance, and you can still enjoy the mystery.

I love books that are set during the Christmas holidays. The author describes the decor and Christmas activities well. I enjoy reading books set during this time period because even though it's not the author's goal, you do learn a lot about life during the Victorian age.

A Merry Murder is an easy, light book to read. Sometimes cozy mystery books are just what you need to escape from the real world, and this book is a great escape! I definitely recommend it to cozy mystery fans.