What do you think?
Rate this book
Pennyfoot Hotel #11
Dying Room Only
The Pennyfoot hides many secrets and its downstairs staff keeps a tight lip, even when the Edwardian aristocrats are spotted dallying with damsels in the boudoirs, or gambling in the forbidden card rooms hidden below the floorboards. Should now and then one of the hotel guests fall prey to a dastardly murderer, however, it is up to Cecily Sinclair to restore order before Scotland Yard steps in and shuts down her infamous seaside hotel. DYING ROOM ONLY Excitement abounds in the ballroom of the Pennyfoot Hotel when the Great Denmarric opens the doors of his magic box to prove he had made his assistant disappear. When he opens them again to reveal her return, however, no one is more surprised than the magician to find the box empty. The assistant has vanished, only to turn up murdered. The constable has put the ballroom off limits, and Cecily has to find the killer before her guests start disappearing. The twenty-first Pennyfoot book, MULLED MURDER, one of Kingsbury’s beloved Christmas editions, was published in November 2013 by Berkley Books. REVIEWS "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-World War I rural England." --- Publishers Weekly "Clever and cunning…Delightfully unique and entertaining. A most delicious teatime mystery with just the right atmosphere and a charming cast of characters." ---The Literary Times "Combines the feel of an Agatha Christie whodunit with a taste of Upstairs, Downstairs." ---Cozy Library "Kate Kingsbury is the Queen of English cozy mysteries."---Fresh Fiction
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1998
25 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Kate Kingsbury
84 books568 followersKate Kingsbury grew up in London, England, and at a very early age began telling stories to her school friends during the London Blitz of WW II while huddling in bomb shelters. Kate moved to the U.S. in the early sixties, and had passed her 50th birthday when she published her first book. Writing as Doreen Roberts, (her real name at the time) she published 26 romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouette. In 1991 her first Pennyfoot Hotel book was published and since then Kate has written 35 mysteries, including the Manor House mysteries, the Bellehaven House mysteries(written as Rebecca Kent) and the Raven's Nest mysteries, (written as Allison Kingsley.) Her new series, The Merry Ghost Inn Mysteries debuted in January, 2017 with Dead and Breakfast, featuring a B & B on the Oregon coast. She has one son, Regan, and lives with her husband, Bill, in the beautiful state of Oregon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 21, 2013
This is the 11th book in the Pennyfoot Hotel series, following Death With Reservations. The story picks up about four months after the conclusion of the 10th book beginning with a magician’s performance at the hotel that goes lethally wrong.
This particular novel is written with the same period style and expertise as all of Kate Kingsbury’s previous novels in the series. But there are several subtle differences.
First, the book starts off from Phoebe’s point of view while viewing the magician’s performance that she has arranged for the hotel. Cecily and Baxter, our main protagonists, are barely mentioned or even seen for the first few chapters.
Secondly, there are more sections devoted to the observations of Phoebe and Fortescue than have been written in previous novels of the series. For what seems like the first time, we get first person POV from both of these characters. In fact, the sections where we hear what Fortescue is thinking are absolutely amazing – not to mention, hilarious.
Thirdly, there is a more somber tone to the book. Cecily is far more subdued regarding the cultural changes of the era, circa 1910. And this time she truly realizes that not telling Baxter where she is going or why is not the correct thing. It doesn’t stop her but she does not pursue the steps of the investigation with such a blithe sense of independence as in previous novels.
And finally, this story was originally intended as the penultimate novel for the series. Thus the reader can sense that plot threads that have carried through previous novels are being tied up.
Because this novel is, at this time, 15 years old and out of print, it is not readily available at libraries nor is it inexpensively available at bookstores, used or otherwise. It has just this month become available as an e-book; therefore, I had to read it out of order. Now that I have read the book, the events that take place in the next novel, Maid to Murder, make so much more sense and feel less contrived.
Therefore, the old reader’s caveat remains intact: try never to read, out of order, a book that is part of a series.
This particular novel is written with the same period style and expertise as all of Kate Kingsbury’s previous novels in the series. But there are several subtle differences.
First, the book starts off from Phoebe’s point of view while viewing the magician’s performance that she has arranged for the hotel. Cecily and Baxter, our main protagonists, are barely mentioned or even seen for the first few chapters.
Secondly, there are more sections devoted to the observations of Phoebe and Fortescue than have been written in previous novels of the series. For what seems like the first time, we get first person POV from both of these characters. In fact, the sections where we hear what Fortescue is thinking are absolutely amazing – not to mention, hilarious.
Thirdly, there is a more somber tone to the book. Cecily is far more subdued regarding the cultural changes of the era, circa 1910. And this time she truly realizes that not telling Baxter where she is going or why is not the correct thing. It doesn’t stop her but she does not pursue the steps of the investigation with such a blithe sense of independence as in previous novels.
And finally, this story was originally intended as the penultimate novel for the series. Thus the reader can sense that plot threads that have carried through previous novels are being tied up.
Because this novel is, at this time, 15 years old and out of print, it is not readily available at libraries nor is it inexpensively available at bookstores, used or otherwise. It has just this month become available as an e-book; therefore, I had to read it out of order. Now that I have read the book, the events that take place in the next novel, Maid to Murder, make so much more sense and feel less contrived.
Therefore, the old reader’s caveat remains intact: try never to read, out of order, a book that is part of a series.
February 1, 2018
Not fond of Magicians!
Boy, was this story full of twists and turns.
Cecily Sinclair had her hands full trying to solve this one. Even Phoebe got involved with an illusion gone bad.
There was murder, bad assistant, vengeful ex-assistant, a manipulative magician, and a scorned wife, WOW!!!!!!!
There was a major search party for a missing person that is well known around the hotel. The young squire of the Manor made an appearance, things are starting to change at the Pennyfoot Hotel.
You got to read for details, there is too much to try to explain without ruining the book.
YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!
Boy, was this story full of twists and turns.
Cecily Sinclair had her hands full trying to solve this one. Even Phoebe got involved with an illusion gone bad.
There was murder, bad assistant, vengeful ex-assistant, a manipulative magician, and a scorned wife, WOW!!!!!!!
There was a major search party for a missing person that is well known around the hotel. The young squire of the Manor made an appearance, things are starting to change at the Pennyfoot Hotel.
You got to read for details, there is too much to try to explain without ruining the book.
YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!
August 24, 2024
Phoebe Carter-Holmes, the stuck up want to be aristocrat, arranges a magic show at the Pennyfoot Hotel. It ends in disaster, as do many of her shows, with a murder. She also is so desperate for a man that she starts to think the crazy Colonel Fortesque may not make a bad match. Ugh! Love the colonel, don't love Phoebe. Cecily Sinclair, Baxter, and Gertie are my favorite characters.
Another cute read. Again, I would recommend this book to others.
Another cute read. Again, I would recommend this book to others.
November 4, 2017
At long last the romance is heating up. I love this dear couple and am hoping that Baxter will finally declare just how much he loves Cecily. He keeps hinting at it enough.
September 3, 2018
Great read.
Good story well told. I like bed the story and characters. Very exciting and interesting in all aspects. I recommend to mystery lovers.
Good story well told. I like bed the story and characters. Very exciting and interesting in all aspects. I recommend to mystery lovers.
February 5, 2019
Well, Book #11 and therefore 11 muders in Badger's End all solved by Mrs. Sinclair! So very unlikely but I still enjoy the characters and my visit to the Pennyfoot Hotel!
August 3, 2022
Love this series
October 19, 2016
I enjoyed this installment of the series quite a bit. I was happy that I didn't guess the killer until right before they were revealed. I have to admit I honestly thought it was the wife because of her actions, attitude and behavior in certain scenes. But then I realized that would've been too obvious. I was glad Phoebe was less her uppity self in this book. I still dislike her though. I think Samuel was mean trying to scare the others with the stories of evil spirits in the woods. I like Gertie she always makes me laugh. I was sad to see Doris leave the hotel, I hope she will be back. Colonel Fortescue got on my nerves real bad in this story, he seems to get more outlandish with each book. I'm enjoying the relationship between Baxter and Cecily. I look forward to the next book.
May 19, 2014
While I enjoy the character development changes in this book, the mystery didn't capture my attention and I feel like Baxter has been pushed aside to become a secondary character. Once her became a partner in the hotel I thought he would have a e en bigger role, but the opposite appears to have occured. I hope future installments make him a more essential part of Cecily's sleuthing instead of him simply being her protector after the fact.
July 14, 2010
Another fun visit to the Pennyfoot. This book is second to last in the series (before the annual Christmas books begin) and Kingsbury begins to tie up personal stories of the staff. As usual, the mystery is really second to the story of the people of the Pennyfoot. This one did keep me guessing until the end.
June 28, 2015
3.5 stars!
It figures that now, when I'm nearing the end of the free books of this series,(with Kindle Unlimited), that the mystery in this one was quite good, and I'm very invested in Gertie, Doris, and Ethel, as well as Phoebe and the Colonel's storylines. And maybe Madeline and the doctor's as well. Still don't care about Cecily and Baxter though.
Ah, well. Two more free books to go first! :)
It figures that now, when I'm nearing the end of the free books of this series,(with Kindle Unlimited), that the mystery in this one was quite good, and I'm very invested in Gertie, Doris, and Ethel, as well as Phoebe and the Colonel's storylines. And maybe Madeline and the doctor's as well. Still don't care about Cecily and Baxter though.
Ah, well. Two more free books to go first! :)
February 20, 2015
Phoebe's "girls" get stupider and stupider.
April 15, 2015
Neat and tidy
Just when you think everything was going on a straight path another diversion. Phoebe and the colonel really? Doris going to sing Russ coming back another story ahead
Just when you think everything was going on a straight path another diversion. Phoebe and the colonel really? Doris going to sing Russ coming back another story ahead
July 18, 2017
I adore this series. Set in England at a seaside hotel in the early 1900s, its a fun glimpse into the past. Each book gets better and better and we learn more and more about each character.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews