Synopses & Reviews
The kitchen staff of the Pennyfoot Hotel is toiling away to prepare the finest meal for the guests on Christmas. And the plum pudding may very well be to die for…
Cecily Sinclair Baxter could use a Christmas miracle. Mrs. Chubb, the Pennyfoot’s housekeeper, must travel up north for a family emergency, and Cecily needs a temporary replacement. The agency doesn’t have much to offer on short notice during this busy time of year. But they have someone—Beatrice Tucker—who turns out to be more of a curse. She fights with just about everyone, including Archibald Armitage.
Star of the London stage, Armitage is staying at the Pennyfoot this holiday season. His presence turns out to be a blessing after he rescues the stable manager’s dog from drowning in the icy duck pond. But not everyone in Badgers End is a fan of the actor…
When Armitage drops dead after Beatrice serves him some plum pudding, everyone assumes the huffy housekeeper is the culprit. But as Cecily begins to investigate, the list of suspects grows, and solving this case may not be as easy as pie…or pudding.
Review
"British author Kate Kingsbury delivers a delightful Christmas whodunit." Publishers Weekly
Review
Praise for the Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries
"Full of wonderful characters, a welcoming home setting, and many surprises, this one is a keeper! These are characters you will want to visit time and time again."--Romance Readers Connection
"The author draws as much from Fawlty Towers as she does from Agatha Christie, crafting a charming...cozy delicately flavored with period details of pre-WWI rural England."--Publishers Weekly
"A Pre-WWI whodunit in the classic style, furnished with amusing characters."--Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In this mystery in Kate Kingsbury's charming series, the kitchen staff of the Pennyfoot Hotel is toiling away to prepare their guests the finest Christmas meal. And the plum pudding may very well be to die for... When the Pennyfoot's housekeeper is suddenly called away, Cecily Sinclair Baxter needs a quick replacement. On short notice, the agency sends Beatrice Tucker, who proves more of a curse than a Christmas miracle. She even fights with the Pennyfoot's latest VIP guest, the famous actor Archibald Armitage.
When Armitage drops dead after Beatrice serves him some plum pudding, everyone assumes the huffy housekeeper is the culprit. But as Cecily investigates, the list of suspects grows, and solving this case may not be as easy as pie...or pudding.
Synopsis
This holiday season there'll be murder under the mistletoe at the Pennyfoot Hotel... As friends, family, and guests gather at the Pennyfoot Hotel to share the joys of the season, Cecily Sinclair Baxter and her staff are hustling and bustling more than ever. Cecily's friend Madeline arrives with her new baby and adds a kissing bough to the decorations. Cecily believes that the holiday couldn't get off to a better start...
But after a footman and a new maid are seen kissing under the bough and then turn up dead afterwards, the downstairs staff is convinced a serial killer is among them...perhaps the mysterious guest known only as J. Mortimer. When Madeline's baby disappears, Cecily desperately tries to find the child. If she doesn't catch this killer in time, everyone's cheer will quickly turn to fear.
Synopsis
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?
Synopsis
While decorating the Pennyfoot's ballroom for a Christmas reception, Cecily sends her husband Baxter and stable manager Samuel into the woods to cut some fresh boughs of holly for the ballroom. An hour later their one-horse open carriage returns with the horse, the holly...and the unwelcome gift of a dead body. Baxter and Samuel are nowhere to be found. In what should be a season of celebration with friends and family, Cecily means to reunite hers and solve the mystery-even if a killer leads her in a merry measure.
Synopsis
A dark spirit threatens the Pennyfoot's shiny and bright Christmas...
The Christmas Angel is a welcome sight during the winter season-but not this year. A killer is afoot in Badger's End, cutting a lock of hair from his victims and sticking a gold angel on their foreheads. Cecily Sinclair Baxter already promised her husband that she'd take a hiatus from sleuthing. But three killings have created a blizzard of bad publicity-and guests are canceling their hotel reservations. She will have to find the angel of death before he strikes again, leaving murder under the tree...
Synopsis
At the Pennyfoot Hotel, Cecily Sinclair Baxter and her staff are hustling and bustling more than ever. Cecily's dear friend Madeline arrives with her new baby and adds a kissing bough to the holiday decorations. But after a footman and a new maid are seen kissing under the bough and turn up dead, the staff is convinced a serial killer is spending the holidays at the Pennyfoot. And when Madeline's baby disappears, Cecily has her hands full desperately trying to find the child. If she doesn't catch the killer in time, everyone's cheer will quickly turn to fear...
Synopsis
Make room for murder with all the trimmings... The Pennyfoot Hotel is decked out in holiday style, but when one of Cecily's candlesticks disappears, she realizes someone is lacking in Christmas spirit. Still, petty thievery seems the least of her problems when she learns a former employee has been found dead in her duck pond. He hasn't worked at the Pennyfoot in years, but his ex-wife is still their head maid-and now she heads the naughty list of suspects.
Synopsis
This season, Cecily has a surprise for her guests: gorgeous Christmas crackers handmade for the Pennyfoot. But when a mysterious fire breaks out in an upstairs room, it kills the Christmas mood-and two guests. Now Cecily's dead-set on solving this mystery before another deadly present turns up.
Synopsis
The second Pennyfoot Hotel Christmas reunion.
Cecily Sinclair Baxter's Christmas becomes a working holiday when the man playing Santa Claus for her hotel is found murdered.
Synopsis
Cecily Baxter and her husband, Hugh, haven't been back to Badgers End in two years-not since they sold the Pennyfoot Hotel and the new owner turned it into a country club. But when Cecily receives a letter asking her to manage the place during the Christmas season, she's delighted to accept. Hugh, however, is not quite so enthusiastic-especially when he discovers that the previous manager met a mysterious end...
Synopsis
This holiday season there'll be murder under the mistletoe at the Pennyfoot Hotel... As friends, family, and guests gather at the Pennyfoot Hotel to share the joys of the season, Cecily Sinclair Baxter and her staff are hustling and bustling more than ever. Cecily's friend Madeline arrives with her new baby and adds a kissing bough to the decorations. Cecily believes that the holiday couldn't get off to a better start...
But after a footman and a new maid are seen kissing under the bough and then turn up dead afterwards, the downstairs staff is convinced a serial killer is among them...perhaps the mysterious guest known only as J. Mortimer. When Madeline's baby disappears, Cecily desperately tries to find the child. If she doesn't catch this killer in time, everyone's cheer will quickly turn to fear.
Synopsis
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?
About the Author
Kate Kingsbury is a pseudonym for a full-time writer who has authored twenty books in the Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery series. She lives near Portland, Oregon.