Friday, December 13, 2019

BLOG TOUR - Murder at the Dolphin Hotel


Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Murder at the Dolphin Hotel by Selena Dixon.


DESCRIPTION:

A room with a view… to murder
June 1933. Independent young Kitty Underhay has been left in charge of her family’s hotel, The Dolphin, on the tranquil English coast. She’s expecting her days at the bustling resort to be filled with comfortable chatter with chambermaids as they polish the mahogany desk and glittering candelabras of the elegant foyer. Everything must be perfect for the arrival of a glamourous jazz singer from Chicago and a masked ball that will be the cultural highlight of the season.

But when several rooms are broken into and searched, including Kitty’s own, she quickly realises that something out of the ordinary is afoot at the hotel. Soon rumours are flying in the cozy town that someone is on the hunt for a stolen ruby. A ruby that Kitty’s mother may well have possessed when she herself went missing during the Great War. And when the break-ins are followed by a series of attacks and murders, including of the town’s former mayoress, it seems the perpetrator will stop at nothing to find it.

Aided by ex-army captain Matthew Bryant, the Dolphin’s new security officer, Kitty is determined to decipher this mystery and preserve not only the reputation of her hotel, but also the lives of her guests. Is there a cold-blooded killer under her own roof? And what connects the missing jewel to the mystery from Kitty’s own past?

A classic page-turning murder mystery! Fans of Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Edmondson and T.E. Kinsey will love this unputdownable whodunnit.

Buy Link: https://geni.us/B07XLM3SM6Social


MY THOUGHTS:


Title:   Murder at the Dolphin Hotel
Author:  Helena Dixon, Nell Dixon
Series:  A Miss Underhay Mystery #1
Genre:   Cozy Historical Mystery
Publisher:  Bookouture
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   264
Date of Publication:   December 11, 2019
My Rating:   5 Stars

In one of my favorite genres, cozy mysteries, Murder at the Dolphin Hotel introduces readers to a new amateur detective as well as a new series.

The very first thing that I enjoyed about this book is the setting. It is 1933 and is in Dartmouth, England. Kitty Underhay is suddenly manager of her grandmother's hotel.  Kitty is new at her job, and her grandmother, lovingly called Grams, also hires ex-captain Matthew Bryant to watch over things as she has to deal with an emergency in Scotland and is very concerned with Kitty's safety.

This is in large part to the fact that Grams had received threatening notes. What is more is the fact there might be a missing treasure of sorts in the hotel. So, Kitty and Matthew become aware that several rooms are being searched. Kitty even notices that her room was searched as well. Kitty has more than one near miss with her life, so she and Matthew become extremely vigilant to sort out what is going on.

Sadly, several townspeople are murdered and some are attacked. Everything going on points to the Dolphin Hotel. One more layer of this entertaining story is that Kitty has not seen her father in years, yet it seems that he is indeed around and has been spotted by a couple of the hotel's guests.

All of these factors work very well together to create a nice, enjoyable start to this series. Both Kitty and Matthew are likable characters. Add to this excellent prose and you just might see why I read this book in one sitting. This novel is one that I am glad to have read and I do look forward to continuing in this series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nell Dixon was born and continues to live in the Black Country. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, a crazy cockapoo and a tank of tropical fish. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. Her addictions of choice are coffee and reality TV. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 with her book Marrying Max, and winner of Love Story of the Year 2010 with her book, Animal Instincts. She also writes historical 1930's set cozy crime as Helena Dixon.

Author Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.nelldixon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nell.dixon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NellDixon



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