This quick-paced novel was enjoyable if not perfect. The characters were compelling, even if they were unlikable at times. The author did a good job of revealing enough information to keep the reader hooked while still maintaining intrigue and suspense. However, the pacing of this book was not the best. At times it felt too slow, but at others too fast. Overall, I would recommend Murder at Hotel 1911 to anyone looking for a quick mystery, but it is definitely not one of my favorites I've read recently.

Not one of those memorable who done it books. Its a real quick but there are better in this genre. It was a good try

Hotel 1911 is an elegant expensive hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A former Victorian mansion, it's ten rooms are now largely occupied by well-to-do patrons.
Ivy Nelson is the front desk clerk at this hotel. While she could not afford to stay at the hotel, she has a deep connection to it. Before it was Hotel 1911, it was her family's home.
In her roll as front desk clerk, Ivy comes into contact with all the guests. When Mrs. Swain checks in, she takes great pains to emphasize to Ivy that she has a shellfish allergy. Ivy takes this information seriously and immediately informs the chef, her friend George. He assures her that Mrs. Swain will not receive any food that has touched shellfish.
At dinner that night, Mrs. Swain was served a different soup than the other guests. After taking two spoonfuls, she gasped, fell to the floor and died. The police were called and the incident investigated. Conclusion: death by shellfish poisoning. The police assume that Ivy's friend, George had made a tragic mistake. If correct, George's career will be over. Ivy decides to launch her own investigation. She determines that several guests at the hotel had motives to wish Mrs. Swain dead. Ivy remains determined to clear George's name even after police find traces of shellfish in his kitchen.
Seems like a standard who done it - until we realize that Ivy suffers from anxiety attacks and has mental health issues. Will the stress of this investigation trigger attacks? Can her determination be enough?
The conclusion is a bit of a surprise but it fits the situations. Ivy is an interesting character who always tries to do her best. With her problems (not drugs or alcohol), Ivy could be the new sleuth of our time.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #MurderatHotel1911

A hotel that replicates a hotel from the early 20th century. Ivy is the receptionist and she stays at the hotel as it is the only connection that she has to the family that abandoned her. A hotel clerk prone to panic attacks turns amateur detective in this elegant and atmospheric murder mystery.

When Ms. Swain, a guest who has been more than a little rude to Ivy, dies after making sure that she had told Ivy about her fatal allergy to shellfish, all eyes turn toward George, the Chef.

Ivy knows that she made George aware of the allergy and that George would never had made such a mistake, so she decides to investigate the death herself. She soon discovers that there were many people who had a motive to want Ms Swain dead.

Ivy is not your run of the mill character. She is not very nice at all. She lies to everyone and does not really behave in the manner of an adult. I actually had to go back and check as I was sure that she was about 15 or 16.

There were plenty of suspects but you know who the murderer is fairly quickly, which I found odd.

I don't know that I enjoyed this. It was ok and unusual.

This one had a great premise and it was a true "who done it". There were great twists and turns while Ivy tries to save her friend from being accused of murder by food allergy. The secondary characters were interesting and the ending was a surprise. My only criticism was that the inclusion of the main character's anxiety was handled awkwardly. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am late in reviewing this but I did enjoy it! Love to find the start of a new series and it ended on a cliff hanger. Looking forward to the next entry. I love the additions of tea and plants to this series.

Generally speaking, I don’t love contemporary cozies, but this book did a better job than most of mixing some modern elements and dialogue with traditional cozy characteristics.

The mystery itself is just ok (for the 2000th time, enough with the anaphylaxis murders in cozies! Yawn.) But at least the solve was better than expected and absent the frustrating info dump so often seen in cozies.

Atmospherically this had potential but needed work. Conceptually, the anachronistic hotel was a good idea, but the setting was inconsistent in terms of ho the author enforced the idea. She explains some of the modern anachronisms in the book, but other things just don’t add up in any consistent way.

The high point for this book was the characters. The panic attack/anxiety plot line for Ivy wasn’t great, but I liked her anyway. She’s a fun heroine who is easy to root for. The rest of the hotel staff rounds out a charming, fun cast of characters.

Murder at Hotel 1911 is the story of hotel clerk Ivy Nichols, who turns amateur detective when a hotel guest is murdered in this intriguing and sumptuous murder mystery.

Ivy is such a relatable main character, who suffers from regular panic attacks. I am so thankful for the mental health representation in this novel and the way it effects the main character. Despite this, Ivy is determined to help clear the name of her friend George, the resident hotel chef, when an overbearing and snobby hotel guest is killed by an apparent allergic reaction.

Alongside trying to clear her friends' name, Ivy is also trying to uncover what happened to her mother, who disappeared when she was little' a task made more difficult because she is keeping secrets from her Dad.

Overall, this is an enjoyable first instalment of a cosy mystery series, with plenty of intrigue and enjoyable characters. Certainly an author to look out for in the future.

I have not made a secret of the fact that I have been in a slump. There are different phases of it that I have been cycling through. One primary type is when I continue reading, like/dislike a book and move on without writing reviews immediately. This might be (although I hope I am not jinxing it) the one to nudge me out of the slump.
It is not a brilliant book but is snappy and a quick read with believable characters and a mildly twisted mystery. I really enjoyed getting to know our leading lady and glancing into her troubled mind. The combination of all of the above factors might be the reason I felt good after I turned the last page (even if I did not 'get' what the ending was supposed to mean). I know there is enough packed into the background of the story to provide for at least two more books in the series, any of which I would love to read.
Ivy is hoping that she is at the end of her stints of short-lived jobs. She works in a themed hotel and is juggling a lot of anxiety issues. There is the mystery about her mother, something hinted at regular intervals, as well as the fact that she is keeping secrets from her father which bother her. These things add up to a very frazzled individual, to top it all the death in the hotel has her best friend implicated.
I liked the narrative style, the amount of information provided to us as well as what we can glean behind the scenes. It was not hard to land on the culprit early on, but it seemed to not make a difference in my interest in the ongoing events, something that does not happen often.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

The first book in Ivy Nichols and the first story I have read by this author. Murder at Hotel 1911is an enjoyable, cosy mystery, I liked the characters and was engrossed in the story. I will be looking to read more by this author

Error Of Judgement Or Murder....?
When a particularly unlikeable but wealthy hotel guest, Ms Swain, dies after partaking of a meal it transpires that the cause of death was her known and deadly allergy to fish. Was this a chefing error of judgement or did someone else at the hotel want Ms Swain disposed of? Hotel clerk, Ivy, sets out to investigate. Enjoyable and promising debut with a likeable protagonist in Ivy and a colourful cast of supporting characters. A fun and entertaining read.

4.5 stars
Ivy is a drop-out of college, living with her dad, and working at the front desk of Hotel 1911. She not only chose to work there only by necessity, but the hotel used to be a mansion where lived her grandparents and her runaway mother. Ivy's childhood friend, George, for whom she had a special liking, also works at the hotel as a chef.
Ms. Swain a prominent entrepreneur booked a room for two days. To say the least, Amelia Swain is a difficult person. the moment she put a foot on the hotel she threw a fuss about the room reservations and was insistent to make sure that no shellfish to be put in her food, as she was severely allergic.
It all want south when Ms. Swain dropped dead the same night after eating her dinner. and obviously, the first suspect is the chef.
Knowing how thorough her friend, is Ivy is determined that the death was not an accident but a premeditated murder by someone other than poor George.
Murder at hotel 1911 is a murder mystery and the first of new series by Audrey Keown. I genuinely enjoyed reading it and I hope I can read what's next.
I was charmed by the writing and the delightful dialogues.
the storyline was fast-paced and relatively short. I recommend it to all cozy mystery fans.
Ivy's character was real and sympathetic. she is so witty and got the funniest comebacks. I love her Jung's enthusiasm and how she's passionate about psychology, and the way she tends to analyze the behavior of everyone.
the ending left me wanting more. I didn't get what's the final writing truly meant to the story. I hope I can get more in the next book.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for my copy

This is a very enjoyable new series! This is the first in the new cozy series, "Ivy Nichols" by author Audrey Keown.
Right away I like Ivy as portrayed by the author as very real with everyday normal issues. Ivy is prone to panic attacks like so many of us and struggling to keep her life together. She has no family so she struggles alone in life. She is working at a historic hotel at the front desk putting up with all manner of abuse from customers.

Ivy informs the chef that a particularly difficult guest has a shellfish allergy. When said guest told Ivy she was very insulting to Ivy and had upset her terribly. Ivy and the chef discussed the shellfish allergy and he agreed to make sure she did not have contact with any shellfish. When the women dies of a shellfish attack her friend the chef is under suspicion when shellfish is found where here food was prepared. Ivy in spite of her anxiety and panic attacks steps up to help her friend clear his name. As she investigates she finds the women had many enemies and as she grows close to the suspect finds she may be in danger herself.

I am so looking forward to further books in this series. This is a delightful new series with all the right elements of a cozy mystery. Ivy is smart,, real and very devoted to her friends. I like her as a protagonist . Very well done to the author. Review cross posted . Delayed due to fire evacuation.

This was a pretty good story for a cozy mystery. There were a lot of details in the beginning, which I expected with the first in a series. Ivy just didn't grab me as a good leading character and while this story was decent, I do not see myself waiting to continue the series like I do with a lot of cozy mysteries.

I liked this story, it's engrossing and highly entertaining.
The descriptions of the setting are very interesting and reminded me of some Golden Age mystery.
Ivy is an interesting characters and I'd like to get to know her.
The mystery, full of twists and turns, is solid and kept me guessing.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Even with a rather slow start I was sucked into the world of Ivy and Hotel 1911. She's in charge of the reservation desk when a guest checks in, the kind of woman who puts your teeth on edge. If you survive the encounter you deserve a medal sort of encounter. Ms. Swain is described in few but perfect words. She is not happy that she is not going to be staying in the adjoining rooms she requested. It takes all of Ivy's proper Southern upbringing to keep her cool under fire. Not only does she have to placate Ms. Swain, Ivy must do it dressed in 1911 costume and in the manner of speaking, too. During the conversation Ms. Swain makes it clear that she is deathly allergic to all shell fish. The reader now knows she will not be checking out in the usual way of a hotel guest.
When Ms. Swain drops dead at dinner and the chef, a man who runs a one man kitchen with little staff (just the way he likes it), well the prime suspect has been picked. Ivy is certain that her dear friend George couldn't possibly be responsible and sets out to track down the killer. Given that Ivy suffers from panic attacks along with other issues - some tied to the hotel itself - it's quite the challenge for her to step out of her comfort zone and solve the mystery.
I enjoyed Ivy's voice from the start. She has a way with words that I liked. She's human, she's real. The setting was perfect and the various threads of the puzzle kept me engaged from start to finish. I hope there will be more mysteries for Ivy to solve. I'll happily read them.
My thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The blurb for Murder at Hotel 1911 drew me in.

“A hotel clerk prone to panic attacks turns amateur detective in this elegant and atmospheric murder mystery.”

The book’s setting in a mansion permanently stuck in 1911 is very original. In my opinion, the atmospheric setting and its associated history was the best part of the book. I also liked the realistic depiction of mental illness, specifically panic attacks.

Unfortunately, the heroine, Ivy, who works the night desk at the hotel, makes some increasingly stupid decisions throughout the plot. In real life, she would be dead by the ending.

Speaking of the ending, it was in Latin, which luckily my Kindle was able to translate. However, the translation didn’t help much other than to hint at a science fiction twist in the next book in the series. So even though I didn’t like Ivy, I am now compelled to read the next book. Science fiction cozy mystery? Sign me up! For Murder at Hotel 1911, just 3 stars. Hopefully, Ivy will learn from her mistakes in the next book.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Murder at Hotel 1911 is the first book in a new modern cozy series by Audrey Keown. Due out 8th Sept 2020 from Crooked Lane, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a modern cozy set in a small themed boutique hotel. Protagonist Ivy is a psychology student taking a break from her studies and working as a night-shift receptionist. When suspicion for the murder of a colossally unpleasant customer falls on Ivy's friend, chef George, she decides to get to the bottom of the story on her own.

I loved the premise of the plot, it has an almost Betram's Hotel vibe going on. Sadly the execution doesn't live up to the setup and I found this one a difficult slog at places. I had problems developing a rapport with most of the characters, and although Ivy was meant to be a sympathetic characters (and I did feel compassion and sympathy over her personal mental health struggles), her near continual random analysis of other characters' motivations and mental issues was weird and felt unnatural. She tosses random one-line quotes from Jung and Cicero into the narrative and each and every time it happened I felt a speed bump in my suspension of disbelief. Many of the secondary characters were two dimensional and I didn't feel their actions were a believable extension of their supposed motivations.

The book does have a lot of positives. The setup is classic golden age mystery. The decreasing pool of potential suspects are winnowed out in classic style (through fact checking or their own demise), and the setting is interesting and engaging (a former mansion with lots of hidden secrets, turned into a small theme hotel with 11 rooms for guests modeled on the early 1900s). The official investigation was just strangely handled - the detective basically gives Ivy her blessing and 4 days to solve the case or they're going to send George up the river.

The denouement and solution were oddly written and I found myself re-reading a couple of chapters because the solution came so completely out of left field.

Two and a half stars. Rounded up because I really feel the series has potential. There are many examples of wonderful series which needed a couple of books to find their pace and footing.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Ivy tells her friend George, the chef at the Hotel 1911 where they work, when the wealthy Amelia is rude to her when she checks in. Next thing - Amelia, who has made clear she is allergic to shellfish, is dead because of them. Ivy, a young woman with a lot of issues (not the least of which are anxiety attacks) decides she's going to clear George's name. This is a sort of cozy and as readers of the genre know, there will be more than one person who didn't like Amelia. Ivy has potential but she's pretty annoying and immature (a bit more editing might have helped). The mystery itself has a few red herrings. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast read.

Murder at Hotel 1911 was a solid debut novel. I tend to have a slight issue with authors who try to write in the style of Agatha Christie, which is why I gave this one only three stars.

The lead character, Ivy, was fairly unbelievable. However, it was nice to see a book take place here in the south! I will give Audrey Keown and the Ivy Nichols series another chance.