Customer Reviews

Murder at Hotel Cinema (A Five-Star Mystery)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you aren't reading Daniel Craig's hotel mystery books, you're missing out. I picked up the first one (Murder at the Universe) by chance but I jumped on this one as soon as it came out. Great to see the same smart writing and more quirky characters. With these mysteries it's just as much about the ride as the end result, I was smiling the whole time I read it. If you're looking for something dark and profound, take a pass, but if you like to be entertained while you read, this is a winner.

If you enjoy mysterys and hotels I would recommend this second book by Daniel. I was delighted to see that he continued the character line from the first novel into this novel.

This one is a bit more gossipy feeling since it takes place in Hollywood. I like his detailed imagery as you can read and sense what it feels like to be in each area of the hotel.

Grab it on your next trip and enjoy it on the plane or in your hotel room just hope that your hotel doesn't have the drama like his hotels

Having never read murder Mysteries before Murder At The Universe, I was surprised by how much fun I could have! This second romp, Murder At Hotel Cinema does not disappoint, and the odd and quirky characters portray a colorful array of absurd or hilarious personalities, that you can't help but enjoy! I was kept guessing right to the end, and certainly will be reading the next book Daniel Craig can offer up!

Having read Daniel's other two books, I was not disappointed by Hotel Cinema! Like my mother, I read them out of order, but I was blown away by how easily I could understand the plot and backstory!
Happy Reading!!!
<3 Taylor D.

In this second installment in Daniel Edward Craig's Five-Star Mystery series, hotelier Trevor Lambert has moved to LA to work as general manager at a hip new, Hollywood-themed hotel. It's a bad fit for Trevor. The owner is more interested in attracting trend-setters and nightclubbers than in serving up a top-notch hospitality experience. And the possibility of the hotel enjoying the sort of reputation Trevor would like is lost on opening night, when drugged-up starlet Chelsea Fricks washes up dead in the hotel pool. As with the other books in Craig's series (Murder at the Universe, Murder at Graverly Manor), Murder at Hotel Cinema is more about Trevor's experiences trying to marshal the staff and deal with crises than it is about amateur sleuthing. This time around, however, a second, more personal mystery, unrelated to the hotel murder, is laced through the story.

I didn't enjoy this installment in the series quite as much as I did the other two. In part I think this is because the hotel itself is a less interesting character: the Universe, in Craig's first book, was a much more interesting locale. Parts of the book, too, were over-long, and while the resolution of the main mystery was interesting, the ending was a bit over the top. I'm beginning to think that Trevor should settle down in a single hotel so that he can be surrounded by a larger cast of recurring secondary characters. Currently the book's only regular characters, other than Trevor himself, are Trevor's mother and his colleague Shanna Virani. They're okay, but neither is really compelling. If Trevor were to stay in one place--provided that the setting is a special one--the stories could come to him--Love Boat-like, say--rather than the reverse, and we'd get to know and care more about the supporting cast.

-- Debra Hamel

When opening night at Hotel Cinema resulted in a murder, I knew it will be a rough ride for the beloved hotelier, Trevor. I was slightly disturbed to see how much I enjoyed "riding shotgun" in Trevor's difficult journey.
Having read the other books in Daniel Edward Craig's Five-Star Mystery series, I was looking forward to meeting the characters, and again, Daniel did not disappoint! As I read and became part of the book, I knew the cast intimately. From the detective's breath, laced with a touch of alcohol and cigar smoke, to Trevor's perfectly tailored clothes, I was there.
A gratifying surprise was getting an intimate peek into Trevor's heartache over Nancy, his lost love. When intimations surface that she could still be alive, I found myself agonizing over the possibility, too. The usually guarded Trevor allowed the reader to feel the visceral pain that can only come from love interrupted.
My only regret now is that I have finished the series (having read them in random order), long before I wanted it to end. I shall miss Trevor and all of the characters, and I eagerly await Daniel Edward Craig's next book. Meanwhile, I shall force myself to be content with his blog - packed with information for hoteliers or anyone in customer service, yet Daniel Edward Craig's sly smile shines through.

In my entire life I've read more books than I can recall and in all that time I've only ever left maybe half a dozen unfinished. This one will be added to that list. It's not often I say it, but it was just too terrible to read.
The characters were all flat, painfully over-used cliches and the dialogue was weak at best. What struck me the most was the cursing. Not that I'm opposed to cursing but in this book it all came across like someone swearing to make themselves sound tough and failing miserably.
There really isn't anything in this book (or more correctly, in the portion of the book I read) that could pull it out of the dung heap.