The gilded nightmare: A Pierre Chambrun mystery novel

Pierre Chambrun Mystery #5

by Hugh Pentecost

As befits the manager of New York’s finest hotel, Pierre Chambrun has certain standards for his guests at the Beaumont. Were it not for the pleading of the hotel’s owner, no amount of money could persuade him to allow the Baroness Charmian Zetterstrom a room. She is the stunning young widow of a Nazi war criminal; her husband was an infamous sadist who escaped before the fall of the Reich to live out the rest of his days in hedonistic isolation on a Mediterranean isle. Off the island for the first time since the war, the baroness comes to New York with an entourage of misfits, and mayhem follows. The first victim is the baroness’s dog, which is savagely murdered by an unknown hand. The next to die will be human, forcing Chambrun to identify the killer, or risk having his hotel destroyed by the vindictive ghosts of the fallen Reich.

Genres: Mystery

188 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1969

About the author

Hugh Pentecost was a penname of mystery author Judson Philips. Born in Massachusetts, Philips came of age during the golden age of pulp magazines, and spent the 1930s writing suspense fiction and sports stories for a number of famous pulps. His first book was Hold 'Em Girls! The Intelligent Women's Guide to Men and Football (1936). In 1939, his crime story Cancelled in Red won the Red Badge prize, launching his career as a novelist. Philips went on to write nearly one hundred books over the next five decades.

His best-known characters were Pierre Chambrun, a sleuthing hotel manager who first appeared in The Cannibal Who Overate (1962), and the one-legged investigative reporter Peter Styles, introduced in Laughter Trap (1964). Although he spent his last years with failing vision and poor health, Philips continued writing daily. His final novel was the posthumously published Pattern for Terror (1989).

Reviews

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a plot! This series is good in general, but this book is particularly interesting. This author is known for interesting characters, steady pacing, and intricate plotting. This novel is an excellent choice if you need an escape.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melodramatic

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A secret vice, I love these older mysteries with the civilian detective and fairness by the author on solving the mystery.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. The characters are terrific, I love the Hotel itself and I particularly love the time period which was not "politically correct." However, I wasn't crazy about this book. While the action moved very quickly, I thought it all a bit ludicrous. I have all the books in the series downloaded on my Kindle and this one will not stop me from moving on to the next adventure at the Beaumont Hotel.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific mystery. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series. (This was my first Pentecost.)

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series overall and this one in particular was very good!