A novel by Kate Kingsbury
“Kate Kingbury is the queen of English Cozy mysteries”- Fresh Fiction
This Holiday Season the Pennyfoot Hotel is poised to make a killing….
During my recent Christmas vacation, I decided to read a cozy mystery set in merry old England before World War One. I was transported back in time when there were limited means of catching a killer. Fingerprints were in use, but certainly not the sophisticated forensics used today.
The murder takes place at the Pennyfoot Hotel, a rather posh establishment serving the aristocracy in the quaint English seaside village of Badger’s End.
The cast of characters includes:
– Cecily and her husband Hugh Baxter, the current owners of the Pennyfoot Hotel.
– Gertie McBride, the chief housemaid.
– Lord Percival Farthingale, the deceased murder victim.
– Lady Farthingale, the widow.
– Archibald Docker “Archie”, the new handyman.
– Mazie, the newly hired young maid.
– Dr. Kevin Prestwick, the local M.D.
– Philip Lamont, the elderly hotel receptionist.
– P.C. Northcott, the local police officer.
– Mrs. Madeline Prestwick, Dr. Prestwick’s wife, thought by some to be a witch as she could often foretell the future with uncanny accuracy.
– Charlie Muggins, the stable manager.
The story begins on a happy note with the Pennyfoot Hotel decorated with holly and a beautiful Christmas tree adorning the lobby. The hotel has many bookings, and it’s a week until Christmas. Joy is in the air. Things take a turn for the worse when Gertie McBride, the housemaid, finds the body of Lord Percival in the corner of the laundry room of the hotel, dead for sure with a woman’s blue scarf around his neck.
Cecily is beside herself when told the news of the dead body. Who is he? Who could have killed him and what was the motive? Dr. Prestwick and P.C. Northcott are called immediately. It is determined that even though he had a scarf around his neck, he didn’t die of strangulation. The cause of death was due to ‘a very heavy object’ that was used to hit his head. Why was the scarf placed around his neck? What was the significance?
Cecily not only is the co-owner of the Pennyfoot Hotel but fancies herself an amateur detective, as she apparently has helped solve a murder or two in the past. She also deems P.C. Northcott somewhat inept, often jumping to conclusions and arresting the wrong person. Her husband, Hugh, tries to talk Cecily out of investigating, to no avail. He worries about her safety. Whoever killed Lord Farthingale might not stop at one murder. Cecily could very well be the next unfortunate victim.
Lord Farthingale and his wife were not even guests at the Pennyfoot. Apparently, they tried to book a room, but according to Philip, the receptionist, there were no rooms left, so they were turned away and had to book a room at another hotel. Philip also vaguely remembered Lady Farthingale wearing a blue scarf. Was it her scarf tied around the dead man’s neck?
There was also a note found in the dead man’s pocket. P.C. Northcott found the note and read it to Cecily, who then read it to Hugh Baxter. Allegedly, the note was from the newly hired maid named Maizie and it said, “to meet her here in the laundry room at midnight.” Both Cecily and Hugh were totally astonished. Hugh is really bewildered; he simply would not believe the young girl capable of murder. ‘She doesn’t seem capable of killing a chicken, much less a man.’ Did little Maizie really write the note, and could there be truth to a clandestine assignation between her and Lord Farthingale? The whole idea was absurd.
The absurdity that Maizie was responsible for the murder did not stop P.C. Northcott from arresting Maizie and putting her in jail. Regardless of the poor girl’s vehement denial, a week before Christmas finds her in a cold, bare jail cell. Cecily vows to find the real killer and that Maizie will be set free. Sadly, since Maizie has no alibi and no money to pay someone to defend her, she must remain in jail until the true perpetrator is found.
I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting and engrossing this book was. This is the first but certainly not the last book I will be reading by the author Kate Kingsbury. This is the latest in a series of Pennyfoot Hotel Cozy Mystery series. This current Pennyfoot Hotel cozy mystery was written in 2019. I was able to find it at a Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Orange County, California. It can also be found on Amazon.
Ms. Kingsbury brings to the literary world very enjoyable stories that take the reader to Edwardian times in the locale of Badger’s End, England. Ms. Kingsbury, a British author, has definitely done her homework, and this truly helps the reader understand the difficulty that was experienced by, for example, Maizie, the young, poor maid, when she is accused and arrested for the murder of Lord Farthingale. There truly was a class system back in Edwardian Times, and truth be told, we can see the different treatment for the poor vs the wealthy.
Additionally, Ms. Kingsbury was wonderful at developing all of the characters in this series. She was able to make the characters real, and we are able to want to root for Cecily and Maizie. We also had villains in this book whom we wanted to be sure got their due.
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy historical cozy mysteries. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Until next time, take care, my fellow armchair sleuths. Happy New Year and Happy reading.
Susan Biel
