Ringing in Murder: A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery (Wheeler Cozy Mystery) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Kate Kingsbury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2009 | Series: Wheeler Cozy Mystery

An all-new Yuletide mystery featuring the incomparable staff of the Pennyfoot Hotel— from “a descendant of Agatha Christie.”(The Statesman Journal) (OR)

A merry hustle-and-bustle always heralds the holidays at the Pennyfoot. Even as she prepares for the holiday meal, Cecily Sinclair Baxter is also helping her friend Madeline plan her wedding. And this year, Cecily has a cracking surprise for her guests—Christmas crackers. Once the crackers pop, one lucky guest will discover a beautiful pearl brooch…

But when two crackers go astray, things turn less than jolly. A mysterious fire has broken out in an upstairs room, killing the mood—and two guests. And at the bottom of it all: one of the missing Christmas crackers. Cecily’s dead-set on solving this mystery before another deadly present turns up…

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Kingsbury's engaging fourth holiday Pennyfoot Hotel mystery set during the Edwardian era (after 2007's Shrouds of Holly), amateur sleuth Cecily Sinclair Baxter is hoping for a festive winter season at her hotel on England's windy southeast coast, but the Christmas curse strikes again. The speaker of the House of Lords, Sir Walter Hetherton, and his wife, Lady Clara, are killed by an explosive Yuletide cracker at the Pennyfoot Country Club, which Cecily now manages. Constable Sam Northcutt believes the explosion was caused by a malfunctioning gas lamp, but after Sam leaves for vacation, one of Cecily's employees alerts her to some disturbing evidence. Could Pennyfoot be harboring a murderer? Suspects include Hetherton's political rival, Roland Crossley. A scary, vanishing snowman heightens the suspense. While the murderer's motive might strike some as a bit unconvincing, cozy fans will be pleased to ring in the new year with this cheerful Kingsbury trifle. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Kate Kingsbury is a full-time writer and the author of the Pennyfoot Hotel mystery series.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 383 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; Lrg edition (April 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597229547
• ISBN-13: 978-1597229548
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,147,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in London, England, and at a very early age began telling stories to my school friends during the London Blitz of WW II while huddling in bomb shelters. I moved to the U.S. in the early sixties, and had passed my 50th birthday when I published my first book. Since then I've written over fifty romance and mystery novels. I have one son, and married for the second time shortly after my 60th birthday.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Holidays are Murder, November 8, 2008

By 

Story Circle Book Reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ringing In Murder: A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery (Holiday Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries) (Paperback)

Just in time for the holiday season, Kate Kingsbury has released her latest in the Pennyfoot Hotel series, Ringing in Murder. It's the winter holiday season in the early 1900's and everyone at the Pennyfoot Hotel, on England's south coast, is full of cheer. The staff rush about to decorate and prepare the various feasts for the holidays. The owner and manager, Cecily Sinclair Baxter, also has the added pleasure, of preparing for her friend Madeline's wedding, "knowing quite well that her friend would much rather have been married privately in the woods with only the birds and woodland creatures in attendance."

Against all hopes to the contrary, the annual Christmas curse on the Pennyfoot Hotel has returned. First, two of the exclusively designed Christmas crackers disappear; then a pair of guests is killed in a seemingly accidental fire at the hotel. To add some fun to the story, a mysteriously mobile snowman seems to be playing tricks on some of the staff.

Cecily has to investigate all the unusual events if she is to prevent more disasters that would mar the holiday festivities and the all important wedding. Not trusting the local constabulary with the investigation, the unlikely sleuth soon uncovers clues that point to a possible murderer. Will she discover the truth in time to prevent more deaths and help her friend get through the pre-wedding jitters and celebrate her nuptials? And what in the world is the meaning of the silly snowman that seems to move around outdoors and spook the staff? The characters are fun with their spot on old English vocabulary and various superstitions and neuroses. You will enjoy this fun frolic in the snow in Merry Olde England.

by Rhonda Esakov

for Story Circle Book Reviews

reviewing books by, for, and about women

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enticing cozy, November 4, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ringing In Murder: A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery (Holiday Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries) (Paperback)

It is the holiday season and Cecily and Baxter are involved in getting the Pennyfoot Club decorated before Christmas arrives. There are two VIP guests staying at the Pennyfoot the Speaker of the House of Lords Sir Walter Hetherton and MP Roland Crossley of the House of Commons. In addition to decorating for the holidays, Cecily is also involved in the wedding of her best friend Madeline. a psychic feared by villagers. to pragmatic Dr. Kevin Presildough who does not believe in her skills but loves her.

An explosion occurs in Sir Walter's room killing him and his wife. At first everyone assumed a gaslight caused a tragic accident, but they soon revise that opinion. A party favor (cracker) was found in the room and anyone with scientific knowledge could turn it into a lethal weapon; someone obviously did. Two servants observe a snowman moving and talking to Gertie McBride's twin. They are puzzled and spooked until they see the snowman inside the Pennyfoot; they become petrified. Cecily refuses to end the holiday season with an unsolved murder and a waling snowman at the Pennyfoot so she investigates.

This enticing cozy will get the audience into the holiday spirit with the decorations and the snowman tension relieving subplot. Even married Cecily remains an independent suffragette frustrating her spouse when she obstinately places herself in danger. RING IN MURDER is an enjoyable cerebral amateur sleuth that rings in the Yuletide season on an entertaining note.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK, but would not read another, October 9, 2009

By 

Avid Mystery Reader (Baltimore Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ringing In Murder: A Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery (Holiday Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries) (Paperback)

When shopping at Amazon for mysteries, I have noticed a lot of Kate Kingsbury books but have never ordered one. Thus I decided to order "Ringing in Murder" to see what her novels were like. I also ordered this novel because in general I tend to enjoy mysteries set in England and also those that take in the holiday seasons. However, it took me a while to get into this book as it really did not hold my interest. Unfortunately I figured out who "did it" fairly early in the novel. I also did not find the characters particularly memorable, and in fact, some seemed boring and contrived. I also did not particularly like the time period in which the novel was set which was in the earlier 1900s. Overuse of the word "bloody" and some other cliche-like language just really put me off the novel as well. Although I did finish it, I would not buy another.