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Murder at the Menger
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2022
8 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Kaska
37 books77 followersGrowing up in West, Texas during the 1950s, my average-American parents and the nuns at St. Mary’s School instilled in me“good girl” values, leaving an indelible stamp on my character. For respite from this engrainment, I began writing my Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series—set in historic hotels during the fifties, of course—to say and do things I would “never try at home.”
I write the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series, which is available in bookstores, on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble online.
I also write the Classic Triviography Mystery Series. My Alfred Hitchcock and Sherlock Holmes trivia books were finalists for the 2013 EPIC Award in nonfiction.
When not writing, I spend much of my time with my “pilot,” traveling the country’s back roads and byways; bird-watching; and looking for new locales for my mysteries. It was my passion for birds that led to The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story (University Press of Florida 2012).
When too road weary, I split time between my two favorite places, the Pacific Northwest and the Texas Coast. It’s tough though, having been born with the original sin of wanderlust. Nonetheless, my laptop is nicely stowed in my bag, and a bird reference book and binoculars are always on the front seat.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in physical anthropology, I taught middle-school science for 25 years. I was a staff writer for AustinFit magazine from 1997-2002. My articles have appeared in Cape Cod Life, Marco Polo, Agatha Christie Chronicle, Texas Now, and Home Cooking Magazine. I am an occasional contributor to Texas Highways magazine.
On a different note, while working as the marketing director for Cave Art Press, my 5-Minute Writings Tips blog posts were published in book form called Do You Have a Catharsis Handy: Five-Minute Writing Tips?
I write the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series, which is available in bookstores, on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble online.
I also write the Classic Triviography Mystery Series. My Alfred Hitchcock and Sherlock Holmes trivia books were finalists for the 2013 EPIC Award in nonfiction.
When not writing, I spend much of my time with my “pilot,” traveling the country’s back roads and byways; bird-watching; and looking for new locales for my mysteries. It was my passion for birds that led to The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story (University Press of Florida 2012).
When too road weary, I split time between my two favorite places, the Pacific Northwest and the Texas Coast. It’s tough though, having been born with the original sin of wanderlust. Nonetheless, my laptop is nicely stowed in my bag, and a bird reference book and binoculars are always on the front seat.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in physical anthropology, I taught middle-school science for 25 years. I was a staff writer for AustinFit magazine from 1997-2002. My articles have appeared in Cape Cod Life, Marco Polo, Agatha Christie Chronicle, Texas Now, and Home Cooking Magazine. I am an occasional contributor to Texas Highways magazine.
On a different note, while working as the marketing director for Cave Art Press, my 5-Minute Writings Tips blog posts were published in book form called Do You Have a Catharsis Handy: Five-Minute Writing Tips?
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 17, 2022
I really enjoyed this mystery. The characters were fun, and the dialogue was great. Sydney follows a man to San Antonio where he is murdered. As she is trying to find out who murdered him, everyone she talks to lies to her. The guy wasn't a good person and seemed to make everyone who knows him want to kill him. Then another man is dead, and Sydney is a suspect. She is also hit over the head and thrown into the river. When she comes to, she can't remember anything. What is she doing here? Who is she? A few things come back to her slowly, but nothing about her life before she arrived in San Antonio. Can she find the killer before she gets killed?
September 14, 2022
I have read three of the Sydney Lockhart mystery books and this one is the best yet. Sydney is in San Antonio on her latest PI case. When the subject of her investigation is killed in the neighboring hotel room, Sydney must crack the case before she is arrested as the killer.
As with all the Sydney Lockhart books, it's fun of fun and sometimes frightening characters. I love the writing style which is fast paced, witty and full of twists. Murder at the Menger is especially full of twists. I highly recommend Murder at the Menger and all the Sydney Lockhart books to all mystery lovers.
As with all the Sydney Lockhart books, it's fun of fun and sometimes frightening characters. I love the writing style which is fast paced, witty and full of twists. Murder at the Menger is especially full of twists. I highly recommend Murder at the Menger and all the Sydney Lockhart books to all mystery lovers.
September 18, 2022
In Murder at the Menger, we find Sydney
Lockhart staying in San Antonio at the
Menger Hotel while she trails a bookie
there. The year is 1953.
Sydney is staying in the hotel room next
to the bookie who is with a lady friend.
Then the bookie is murdered. Sydney
must solve the murder before she lands
in jail as a murderer.
Fast paced story with twists and turns.
It takes you from San Antonio to New
Orleans and back to San Antonio.
Sydney has her car stolen, gets thrown
off a bridge, suffers a concussion with
partial amnesia, her cousin gets
kidnapped, befriends Taco who is an
Irish taxi driver plus has many more
out of the ordinary happenings.
The cast of characters is well rounded,
realistic with faults, redeeming qualities,
some quirky, some creepy but it is easy
to connect with their ways of life.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the cast and
was drawn into the story immediately.
Besides suspense and mystery, add
humor and a touch of romance for a
good read.
I volunteered to read Murder at the Menger.
Thanks to the Cozy Mystery Review Crew
for the opportunity. My opinion is voluntary
and my own.
Lockhart staying in San Antonio at the
Menger Hotel while she trails a bookie
there. The year is 1953.
Sydney is staying in the hotel room next
to the bookie who is with a lady friend.
Then the bookie is murdered. Sydney
must solve the murder before she lands
in jail as a murderer.
Fast paced story with twists and turns.
It takes you from San Antonio to New
Orleans and back to San Antonio.
Sydney has her car stolen, gets thrown
off a bridge, suffers a concussion with
partial amnesia, her cousin gets
kidnapped, befriends Taco who is an
Irish taxi driver plus has many more
out of the ordinary happenings.
The cast of characters is well rounded,
realistic with faults, redeeming qualities,
some quirky, some creepy but it is easy
to connect with their ways of life.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the cast and
was drawn into the story immediately.
Besides suspense and mystery, add
humor and a touch of romance for a
good read.
I volunteered to read Murder at the Menger.
Thanks to the Cozy Mystery Review Crew
for the opportunity. My opinion is voluntary
and my own.
September 11, 2022
When I started this book, I wasn’t sure I would like it. But by page ten I was hooked. The writing style pulls you in and doesn’t let you go until the last page. I’m not sure if it was the slightly loony characters (both good guys and bad guys) or the setting near the Alamo in San Antonio Tx. and in New Orleans. Whatever I really liked this book and I think you will too.
September 11, 2022
Murder at the Menger is the latest Sydney Lockhart adventure. Full of characters that leap from the page Ms. Kaska has written a mystery that will have you glued to the page until you finish. With locals that are described better than some pictures you will be whisked from the Alamo to the French Quarter. And with a villain that is just to easy to despise. But the real villain remains a secret to the end. Everyone is a fan of Sydney's needs to read this. I am eagerly awaiting the next adventure with Sydney, Ruth, Dixon and company.
August 28, 2022
Great story set in a different time. It was a fast paced story. I loved all the twists and turns. The ending has me waiting for the next book! Great read!
May 28, 2022
Murder ~ San Antonio ~ New Orleans ~ Austin ~ 1950s ~ Mystery ~ Menger Hotel ~ Crazy cousin/sidekick ~ Sydney Lockhart Mystery series
Good mystery story but there were too many little errors that should have been cleaned up prior to release (examples: it is the Austin American Statesman not Statesmen; they are rearview mirrors not review mirrors, etc.). These errors just left a bad impression. This book doesn’t even show up in Goodreads?!?
I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Good mystery story but there were too many little errors that should have been cleaned up prior to release (examples: it is the Austin American Statesman not Statesmen; they are rearview mirrors not review mirrors, etc.). These errors just left a bad impression. This book doesn’t even show up in Goodreads?!?
I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
September 25, 2022
WOW! I couldn't put this one down. PI Sydney was hired to find and follow a man who stole from her client. She trails him to the Menger Hotel in San Antonio and takes the room next to him and his girlfriend, Nora. There's a shot and he is dead and the girlfriend is gone. Not wanting to be a suspect, she gets back into her room before the police arrive. Now she is looking for the girlfriend and why this bookie was killed and it seems there wasn't anyone who didn't hate this guy. When clues lead her to a seedy motel, there is another dead body, shot the same way. She had to get away and the taxi driver, Taco who helped her get away. Continuing to investigate, she gets knocked on the head and thrown into the river. After being rescued, she has amnesia and doesn't remember anything. This is when her new friend Taco helps along with her pushy, out-there cousin helps her to continue the investigation, but she still doesn't remember anything from before she came to San Antonio. Will she find the missing girlfriend? Can she solve the two murders while staying out of the way of the police who make her a suspect for both? Will she get caught? With some crazy antics, help with her cousin and Taco and a new surprise friend, and not knowing who Dixon is can she recover her memory, find the girlfriend, Nora and get her arrested for murder? And then we have a really surprise ending and now I have to see what will happen next! This was a great book with well drawn characters and location descriptions. I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
September 21, 2022
A classic noir mystery with a bit too jagged of an edge.
This is my first foray into Kaska’s writing style. She borrows from Spillane and Hiassen, and her main character is quite engaging, as is her well-rounded supporting cast. The action is swift and fast-paced.
Where is style eludes me is in her scene shifts mid-chapter, which are often abrupt and confusing. And there are many references to what I assume are happenstances from earlier novels, but without any context to those of us who haven’t read them, felt like a private code that only served to diffuse the story line rather than enhance it.
Another drawback was the ARC I received was riddled with grammar errors, which made the read choppy at best.
I think the author has a good gimmick, she just needs a stern editor and a solid polish to make the diamond in the rough shine through.
This is my first foray into Kaska’s writing style. She borrows from Spillane and Hiassen, and her main character is quite engaging, as is her well-rounded supporting cast. The action is swift and fast-paced.
Where is style eludes me is in her scene shifts mid-chapter, which are often abrupt and confusing. And there are many references to what I assume are happenstances from earlier novels, but without any context to those of us who haven’t read them, felt like a private code that only served to diffuse the story line rather than enhance it.
Another drawback was the ARC I received was riddled with grammar errors, which made the read choppy at best.
I think the author has a good gimmick, she just needs a stern editor and a solid polish to make the diamond in the rough shine through.
July 16, 2025
As I stated before in other reviews, I’m really not sure which number in the series this is but it may be read as a standalone. Sydney is tracking Nora Jasper and her partner/boyfriend, Johnny Pine, to San Antonio. Pine winds up dead in the room across from Sydney’s. Nora is the prime suspect. There are plenty of secrets, lies, and twists and turns throughout the story. At one point, Sydney is injured and develops amnesia. The complications are terrifying to her.
I loved Taco, the cab driver. I was happy to see her cousin, Ruth, there trying to help out.
The ending took me by surprise. Can’t wait for the next one in the series.
I was given a review copy and am not required to leave a positive review.
I loved Taco, the cab driver. I was happy to see her cousin, Ruth, there trying to help out.
The ending took me by surprise. Can’t wait for the next one in the series.
I was given a review copy and am not required to leave a positive review.
June 28, 2022
A new, to me, author and series
I’m not a big fan of period pieces and had no clue this was set in an earlier time, but was pleasantly surprised. I always get a kick out of a woman in what was typical a man’s job at one time and this one knocked that out of the ballpark on that front. A solid whodunit full of red herrings and suspects.
While this was the first I have read in this series, I quickly knew why there was some awkwardness going on. Not sure if that’s because it was following the logical line of my thought or I’ve just read too many mysteries and knew it was coming. Either way, it was a good read and I would read another in this series.
I’m not a big fan of period pieces and had no clue this was set in an earlier time, but was pleasantly surprised. I always get a kick out of a woman in what was typical a man’s job at one time and this one knocked that out of the ballpark on that front. A solid whodunit full of red herrings and suspects.
While this was the first I have read in this series, I quickly knew why there was some awkwardness going on. Not sure if that’s because it was following the logical line of my thought or I’ve just read too many mysteries and knew it was coming. Either way, it was a good read and I would read another in this series.
July 29, 2025
Volume 5 of the Sydney Lockhart Mysteries takes us to San Antonio and New Orleans as Sydney and her cousin work to determine who killed the man she was tracking and why. There are many twists and turns to the story as the reason behind his killing is revealed. The book leaves us on a cliffhanger leading up to the next volume. I enjoy her series and I am not normally a fan of period pieces.
July 22, 2022
The Mrs. Maisel of the mystery world, Sydney Lockhart, takes you on a thrill-ride around San Antonio as she searches for the next killer.
She’s at it again, Sydney Lockhart is trying to solve a murder in another famous hotel while avoiding being locked up for the very crime she’s investigating. Bribes, fixed races, dirty money and unkempt places. A string of illicit deeds that trails from San Antonio to New Orleans and back again. Be it plane, train or automobile, Sydney will get to the bottom of this case in her own determined style.
It’s 1953, and detective Sydney Lockhart finds herself solving another murder. The victim is a slick bookie named Johnny Pine who had his dirty fingers in pies from Texas to Florida. Sydney tracks Pine to the Menger Hotel in San Antonio where she discovers he’s been murdered in the room next to hers. And as usual, Sydney is a suspect. With her partner, Ralph Dixon, handling the case from Austin, or so she believes, Sydney is working alone in unfamiliar territory.
To make matters worse her car is stolen, and she elicits the help of an Irish cab driver named Taco and a bouncer named Rip. Soon she’s on the trail of Nora Jasper, a harlot jazz singer and Pine’s girlfriend. Corpses start to pile up, a string of illicit deeds surface and Sydney’s home life goes south. But the investigation takes a bizarre turn when Sydney is whacked over the head and thrown into the river. She surfaces with a faulty memory, uncertain of whom she can trust. Her only choice is to find the killer before the killer finds her, or before she gets arrested.
A cozy mystery with lots of humor and a few creepy creatures that crawl, you will find yourself on an entertaining goose chase until the very end.
Entertaining. Sydney is not your goody-two-shoes that often shows up in sitcoms from the 1950s but she isn't a gun moll either. She's a plucky young woman who had decided to make an unusual profession her career and she is determined to be as good at it as any man. (But she's no man hater.)
Her latest case has her in San Antonio with a lot of unique characters and plenty of danger. I loved her cousin who shows up to help her. She is a hoot. This is the first book I've read in this series and Sydney has partial amnesia and a concussion though a lot of the book so I don't know how much of her behavior and personality is true to the other books. I don't expect her to be retiring but she is a bit rash. I hope she is a little better at taking calculated risks at other times than being just reckless.
It's a good mystery with plenty of action, humor and twists. The author has done a good job of giving this a 1950s feel.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.
She’s at it again, Sydney Lockhart is trying to solve a murder in another famous hotel while avoiding being locked up for the very crime she’s investigating. Bribes, fixed races, dirty money and unkempt places. A string of illicit deeds that trails from San Antonio to New Orleans and back again. Be it plane, train or automobile, Sydney will get to the bottom of this case in her own determined style.
It’s 1953, and detective Sydney Lockhart finds herself solving another murder. The victim is a slick bookie named Johnny Pine who had his dirty fingers in pies from Texas to Florida. Sydney tracks Pine to the Menger Hotel in San Antonio where she discovers he’s been murdered in the room next to hers. And as usual, Sydney is a suspect. With her partner, Ralph Dixon, handling the case from Austin, or so she believes, Sydney is working alone in unfamiliar territory.
To make matters worse her car is stolen, and she elicits the help of an Irish cab driver named Taco and a bouncer named Rip. Soon she’s on the trail of Nora Jasper, a harlot jazz singer and Pine’s girlfriend. Corpses start to pile up, a string of illicit deeds surface and Sydney’s home life goes south. But the investigation takes a bizarre turn when Sydney is whacked over the head and thrown into the river. She surfaces with a faulty memory, uncertain of whom she can trust. Her only choice is to find the killer before the killer finds her, or before she gets arrested.
A cozy mystery with lots of humor and a few creepy creatures that crawl, you will find yourself on an entertaining goose chase until the very end.
Entertaining. Sydney is not your goody-two-shoes that often shows up in sitcoms from the 1950s but she isn't a gun moll either. She's a plucky young woman who had decided to make an unusual profession her career and she is determined to be as good at it as any man. (But she's no man hater.)
Her latest case has her in San Antonio with a lot of unique characters and plenty of danger. I loved her cousin who shows up to help her. She is a hoot. This is the first book I've read in this series and Sydney has partial amnesia and a concussion though a lot of the book so I don't know how much of her behavior and personality is true to the other books. I don't expect her to be retiring but she is a bit rash. I hope she is a little better at taking calculated risks at other times than being just reckless.
It's a good mystery with plenty of action, humor and twists. The author has done a good job of giving this a 1950s feel.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.
July 14, 2022
Whoa! I loved the twist at the end. Set in Texas, year 1953, the book has a fun, fast plot starring gun-toting PI Sydney Lockhart and her cousin Ruth. Its characters are quirky: some lovable, some not. Although I normally read non-fiction, I’ve enjoyed all of Kaska’s mysteries.
August 31, 2022
I enjoyed this book. Light but entertaining and complicated enough to be intelligent and keep you guessing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews