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Myriad Mysteries #1

Ring-A-Ding Dead!

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When Hector and Pamela Jackson walked into the posh Myriad Hotel, they never expected to discover a dead body! Not the ideal honeymoon ...

The Myriad Mysteries are light-hearted 1920's mysteries set at a fictional hotel in Chicago, Illinois.

143 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2019

60 people are currently reading
96 people want to read

About the author

Claire Logan

8 books31 followers

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5 stars
49 (45%)
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7 (6%)
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Karen (BaronessBookTrove).
1,121 reviews108 followers
September 22, 2019
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Ring-a-Ding Dead! by Claire Logan is a wonderful take on the 1920s world and city of Chicago.
Will Hector find the culprit in time?
Mr. and Mrs. Jackson
Hector and Pamela Jackson are our sleuths. Although the Jacksons hold as much mystery as the one that they are trying to figure out. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were recently married and have arrived it Chicago at the Myriad Hotel to enjoy their honeymoon. Pamela was widowed and has an arm that is in a sling. Hector is wealthy and has known Pamela for a while, but they don't act like honeymooners. They are running from something or someone. 
Myriad Hotel
The Myriad Hotel is beautifully exquisite, with everything that one would like it to have, including a library and a conservatory. Hotel's staff is friendly and does there best to accommodate every guest's wish. However, there are these nasty poisoning happening within the staff. This, to me, was the fun part trying to figure out who was committing the crimes. The manager asks the Jacksons to look into the death of the front desk clerk, and he would like to keep everything quiet.
5 Stars for the Ring-a-Ding Dead! by Claire Logan
There are so many characters staying and working at the hotel. It seems as they all could be added to the suspects' list. All the characters are well developed, and the story is delightful. I enjoyed the use of 1920s slang. However, the story as a whole is fantastic, and I am giving Ring-a-Ding Dead! by Claire Logan Five stars. I am also recommending this to cozy lovers out there.


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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Ring-A-Ding Dead! by Claire Logan. Check out the other stops and giveaway if you have time.

Until the next time,

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Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

4,389 reviews56 followers
July 2, 2020
3 1/2 stars. An entertaining and well developed mystery. The setting is perfect for an American historical mystery set in the 1920s, a upscale hotel in Chicago. Hector and Pamela are great partners and detectives. The problem is that Logan is a little heavy-handed at hinting at the mysterious past of these two. It is suppose to be enticing but ends up being a little annoying.
Profile Image for Chris Hall.
Author 7 books66 followers
December 17, 2019
This is a fun light read. A mystery within a mystery and three murders, all without any fighting, blood and gore.
We are thrown into the action immediately, presented with the first murder discovered by a newly-married couple who have a secret which only slowly emerges as the rest of the action picks up pace.
There is just enough intrigue to keep the reader turning the pages and not want to put the book down. Although one or two elements didn't totally ring true, the story is nicely-told and the conclusion satisfying, even if the identity of the murderer becomes pretty obvious well before the denouement.
A great book to while away a morning!
Profile Image for Dorothy  Scott.
919 reviews4 followers
October 16, 2019
Mr. and Mrs. Jackson hope to check into the hotel, but a surprising twist disturbs their honeymoon. There is much mystery surrounding their pasts, however, they must investigate what has occurred without putting themselves at risk. Claire Logan has created characters whom I cared about in a solid storyline. I will be looking forward to more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Melissa.
84 reviews
June 5, 2019
Ring-A-Ding Dead by Claire Logan is about a newly-wed couple who arrive in Chicago at the Myriad Hotel while on their honeymoon. Instead of being greeted by the hotel employees upon their arrival, they discover the desk clerk dead. Fortunately for the hotel staff, the couple--Pamela and Hector Jackson--happen to have some experience with private investigation and plan to help with the case.

While I love a good historical novel, I think my favorite thing about this novel is the characters, especially Hector and Pamela. Logan gives us just enough insight into the backgrounds and thought processes of these two to draw you in, but leaves you with a bit of mystery, wondering what they are all about and who they were before the novel begins. My second favorite is that the action is fast-paced, so you have have to be on your toes at times when trying to figure out the killer yourself.

I do admit, however, that I have gotten rather used to reading mysteries written in first person from the detective's perspective alone. This book is written in third person with up to 3 different points of view, though a little more time is spent from Hector's than Pamela's, and only a little on the Inspector's. I got used to this pretty quickly, though I would like to have seen more inside Pamela's head. I am hoping some future novels in this series will feature her perspective more.

I think fans of Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes might like this book.
481 reviews12 followers
September 17, 2019
This one is a page turner. Just a few lines in and the 1st victim is discovered!

The main characters Mr. and Mrs. Jackson stumbled onto and into multiple murders while on their honeymoon.

Not only is the reader turning the pages to figure it out along with the couple . . . there is another little mystery going on as well. It seems that the Mr. and Mrs. might just have something to hide themselves.

I have to admit this was a bit of a slow read for me. It took me a few days to get to the end but I am glad I finished it.

I enjoyed the plot(s). I enjoyed the characters and I suspect that the next one might just be even better.

Claire Logan spins a tale that keeps you interested and wanting to read more. There are a few clues that are easily found for the reader and well actually the murderer was suspected but there is an unexpected spin that makes Ring-A-Dead a really good read.

Historical novels are not my usual read and perhaps that is why it took me a bit to read this one but I think I just might be finding a another genre to explore at least with this series.

I am looking forward following Mr. and Mrs. Jackson on their next adventure.

I received a complimentary copy.
Profile Image for Susan.
7,254 reviews69 followers
June 5, 2019
Mr and Mrs Jackson arrive at the Myriad Hotel on their honeymoon, only to be confronted with the body of the front desk clerk. But this will not be the only body they discover as they start their investigation. Which will raise the suspicions of the police. And what secrets to this couple hide.
An enjoyable mystery
Received an ARC from the author
Profile Image for Pat Eroh.
2,618 reviews32 followers
November 17, 2019
This is a fun and compelling mystery with fabulous characters. I love Hector and Pamela. This book is well-written with plenty of twists to keep me guessing to the end. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Prathamesh Deshpande.
55 reviews8 followers
December 12, 2019
Format read - Ebook

Publication Date - Advance Reader Copy


Rating - 4.5/5

Wow!! I received an advance reader copy (ARC) of this upcoming murder mystery through a goodreads group. I usually do not opt for these ARC prompts because many a times the story/ writing is very raw or of a genre I seldom read and most of the times due to the time commitmment required. However, the premise of this story was very interesting and I opted for an ARC out of sheer impulse.

The storyline traces a couple (the Jacksons) who check in to Myriad Hotel for their honeymoon but get caught up in a mystery when people start dropping dead all around them. However, if you think that is the only mystery in the book then you are in for a joy ride. There is a lot of untold mystery and intrigue surrounding the couple whether it is their relationship, profession or even their back story . Add to this mix , the intrusiveness of an elderly couple which has made the hotel their home since the last 3 years and the fun just keeps piling on.

I am a big fan of Agatha Christie who was a master of murder mysteries set in holiday locations / hotels with atleast a handful of culprits having equally plausible motives. This book reminded me of a Christie novel and thats the biggest compliment I can pay the author.

The biggest feature of this book is the dialogue writing which I found to be funny, direct and also forces the readers to 'read between the lines'. Although this is a murder mystery there are some moments in the book which had me laughing especially how the couple lands up at almost all the crime scenes.

When you are reading a fast paced mystery such as this, you seldom expect to come across emotional moments between the characters but this book has a very beautiful scene towards the climax where the elderly guest (Dowager Duchess) , a widower who has remarried, helps Mrs. Jackson make sense of her own feelings of betrayal and guilt while expressing her love for Mr. Jackson whom she has married under similar circumstances.

This book has it all and also leaves some open ends which makes you feel that this will be a series in the making and not just a standalone mystery. Just like a Christie novel, if you pay attention to the dialogue you will be able to guess the culprit before it is revealed in the end. However, the book holds you till the very end irrespective of whether you guess the culprit and there isn't a dull moment in the narrative.
A word of advice to all the readers !! Keep reading carefully even after the culprit is caught because there is a moment which reveals something interesting about the couple.

The book answers the question of the killer but it leaves many questions unanswered like the background of the couple, their individual and collective motivations, the circumstances of their marriage, etc. I am sure there are going to be many books coming our way where each such layer will be peeled off slowly by the author and frankly I can't wait to read the next story.

Great work.. I am sure we have a bestseller on our hands..

Profile Image for Rebecca Douglass.
Author 25 books189 followers
Read
October 31, 2019
Ring-A-Ding Dead! is two mysteries for the price of one. While Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are investigating the murders at the Myriad Hotel, the reader, or at least this reader, is at least as interested in the mystery of the couple's past. It's an interesting way to design a book, with the main characters (the couple form an almost equal team, with just a little more attention paid to Hector) very much an unknown to the reader for much of the book. It kept me reading.

The setting is a great one--1920s Chicago offers a lot of scope for atmosphere, and the author handles it well. I did catch one or two linguistic slips that didn't feel quite in the era, though I can't be sure (and can't find them again). Overall, the speech, clothing, and manners fit the period well, suggesting the author has done her research.

I greatly enjoyed the story, and found the solution to the murders satisfactory, if not wholly unexpected. I did peg the murderer well short of the end, but the motives were a surprise for me. The mystery of the couple's past was given just enough explanation to keep me from dying of frustration. I hope that further books in the series will flesh out that story and satisfy my curiosity.

Although the ARC I received was an unedited proof, I found the writing to be clean and thoroughly edited, with few to no errors.

My Recommendation:
A good fun read for lovers of historical fiction. The story is clean and, despite multiple deaths, non-violent.
Profile Image for Karen Siddall.
Author 1 book114 followers
December 24, 2019
When the newlywed couple arrived in Chicago by train, they went to check in at their honeymoon suite at the luxurious Myriad Hotel. But, rather than a relaxing room, what greeted them was the corpse of the hotel clerk dead on the floor behind the front desk! Both husband and wife, former private investigators, are immediately drawn into discovering what had happened, and when another death and the attempted poisoning of other staff members soon follow, they are asked by the hotel manager and the owner himself to investigate.

Ring-A-Ding Dead! is a fun and lovely start to a new mystery series set in 1920s Chicago at the fictional Myriad Hotel. The lead characters, Hector and Pamela Jackson (assumed names), are as big a mystery as the murders, and remain so even after the final page of the book. Details of their former lives, before coming to Chicago as newlyweds, slowly unfolds throughout but the whole picture is never fully revealed. At times, this left me feeling confused and uneasy, but as the tale went on, I think the not knowing became half the fun. I recommend this book to cozy mystery readers that enjoy the look and feel and flavor of Prohibition Chicago. I look forward to reading more about the Jacksons at the Myriad.


Profile Image for Jojo.
102 reviews1 follower
March 16, 2025
Mmmm…I would say 3 stars. I did enjoy this book, but I didn’t really enjoy it until the last couple of chapters. It was a little bit slow, and felt pretty repetitive. It also went over the same pieces of information over and over, with little to no new revelations until the end. Ms. Jackson stayed in her room most of the time, and didn’t really help solve anything. I also found it a little bit weird that the couple stayed in the hotel even when murders were being committed left and right?


Overall though, I did enjoy this read 🙂 I was definitely impressed that it was self published. It was very clean. There were references to things, but younger readers would probably not pick them up, and the couple is married, so it is Biblical. I would still recommend it. When it comes to mysteries, I am normally pretty picky on plots-(thank you Agatha Christie 😆) Definitely recommend if you enjoy mysteries and aren’t picky on the plot :)
Profile Image for Sandra Lopez.
Author 3 books348 followers
February 18, 2020
A newlywed couple was at the commencement of their honeymoon. The last thing they anticipated was to find the clerk dead upon check-in.

The year was pegged to be in the 20’s or 30’s, so the era made the old fashioned language fitting; however, this had the making of a classic cozy mystery. I have to say that the story moved rather slow for me. It didn’t progress as well or as quickly as I wanted. I’m sure mystery buffs would find enjoyment in this, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought.
12 reviews
July 24, 2020
An Entertaining Mystery Set During an Interesting Era

Well written and entertaining, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read others in the series. They only thing was the confusion f relationship between the main characters. I kept thinking I missed a prologue or something that explained things more. But, I have come to believe it was the author 'a intent as later in the book some explanation was given--but still not the whole story. Perhaps we'll learn more as the series progresses?
1,769 reviews23 followers
October 19, 2020
Off to a Deadly Start

An amazing array of events to traverse ,fabulous caracters, vibrant twists and turns page after page keeping one enthralled wishing to figure out the clues ahead of everyone else but just keeping one step behind. A wanderfull clean cozey murder mystery that you don't want to miss out on. Aquier "Ring-A-Ding Dead "so you yourself can enjoy reading it as much as I have. 😮🤔🙄😏☺😊Kat
Profile Image for HAL.
425 reviews3 followers
October 11, 2022
What a Delicious Surpise!

This was a nice who-done-it without stooping to the use of meaningless, offensive swears and sex scenes. I found the constant use of "Mr Jackson" "Mrs Jackson" a bit stilted and strange, though even that is somewhat explained later on in the story. This wasn't a hard mystery to solve but the twist at the end surprised me a bit. Any age could read this and the historical setting was nicely done. Read it and enjoy.
Profile Image for Terri Borkgren.
790 reviews6 followers
April 6, 2023
Ring a Ding Dead(The Myriad Mysteries Book 1

A beautiful historical cozy. A couple visits the Myriad along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Mr & Mrs Jackson arrive to enjoy their honeymoon and death enters the hotel. Together this couple bring the true killer to justice. Pieces of their story is scattered throughout-sorrow, mob connections and eventually their love The reader will enjoy this first book. I know I did.
Profile Image for Lesley Hewitt.
832 reviews7 followers
December 7, 2019
A lovely cozy mystery

What a nice read this book was. The newly married Jackson's are staying at the Myriad hotel when there is a series of poisonings. They help the police solve the mystery. There's no swearing or guts and gore in this book.
510 reviews2 followers
August 7, 2020
I have mixed feelings about this book. The mystery about Mr. and Mrs. Jackson overshadowed the plot. Thankfully it was semi explained at the end of the book. I figured out the murderer about half way through. I expected more historical detail.
70 reviews3 followers
December 26, 2022
In an age when books tend to start out with something dramatic – a shooting or a bombing or a kidnapping – this gentle book eases you into the main characters, with an occasional hint of something sinister in the background. We are in a time when manners were gracious, when phones were occasional and computers not even a dream for the future. We gradually learn about the main characters as the central fold unfolds and the mysteries of the plot and the several characters parallel one another.

I confess the tale starts slowly and I wondered if this was going to be a story I would stay with. But I learned to like the characters, I found myself trying to unravel the mysteries and I rather enjoyed the slower pace of life in those days, and in the pace of the book.

It is a gentle tale, well-told, with characters of depth and an unusual relationship. I would like to read more of their adventures and if you need a break from the 21st century, this is the place to go.
49 reviews
December 11, 2019
Good

I enjoyed reading this book. It was most interesting. There were many things that you wouldn't normally known about plants. I recommend this book.
4 reviews
January 7, 2020
Great book!!

Excellent book!!! Good moving plot, a lot of twists and turns. Suspense right up to the end.I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Dolly Macfarlane.
136 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2021
A mystery within a mystery

Murder and mayhem in the swank Chicago hotel, but people are dropping dead. Who is Mr. Jackson and what is his new wife”s secret? Enjoyable book.
Profile Image for Mari.
3,114 reviews2 followers
February 22, 2022
I had a really hard time getting into the writing style and while I absolutely liked the story, it took me days do get through this book.
4,417 reviews43 followers
October 15, 2022
Who killed the clerk and why??? And then the librarian and others??? Flowers??? I enjoyed this story and recommend the book.
Profile Image for Laurel .
1,349 reviews5 followers
December 11, 2019
This was a very difficult book to read. I had to take many breaks from it, in order to finish. I should have just given up.
Profile Image for Naticia.
812 reviews17 followers
June 23, 2020
Drawn-out with strange hints and poor characterization. I feel like I got to know the hotel better than any of the characters, and the plot was a bit haphazard.
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