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Kate Kingsbury
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Room With a Clue (Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Kate Kingsbury (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 879 ratings
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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.

ROOM WITH A CLUE
Lady Eleanor Danbury thoroughly enjoyed the view of the ocean from the rooftop garden of the Pennyfoot Hotel, until someone pushed her over to fall four stories to her death. In order to keep secret the goings-on of her illustrious guests, Cecily takes on the task of tracking down a killer. There are no shortage of suspects, since Lady Eleanor managed to alienate everyone with whom she came in contact. That includes the downstairs staff of the hotel, the fellow aristocrats staying at the hotel, and even her own husband. Since Inspector Cranshaw of Scotland Yard is bound and determined to shut down the Pennyfoot and put a stop to all the hanky-panky, Cecily must work fast and be terribly discreet, or she might lose her home and her livelihood….

There are twenty-one books in the Pennyfoot Hotel series, including seven Christmas Editions.

The twenty-first and final Pennyfoot book, MULLED MURDER, one of Kingsbury’s beloved Christmas editions, was published in November 2013 by Berkley Books.
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  1. Book 1 of 21
    Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery
  2. Print length
    227 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    September 29, 2016
  6. File size
    825 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

A description of the Pennyfoot hotel series in pink on a floral wallpaper background

A Cozy Library review in red font

"Kate Kingsbury is the national bestselling author of over 60 books!"

A Publishers Weekly review in red font

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kate grew up in London, England, and at a very early age began telling stories to her school friends while huddling in bomb shelters during the Blitz of WW II. She moved to the U.S. in 1963 and published her first book in 1987. Since then she's written over sixty romance and mystery novels. She lives in Oregon with her husband, Bill. Her "upstairs/downstairs" mysteries appeal to fans of Downton Abbey. The Pennyfoot books are set in Edwardian England, while the Manor House books take place in an English village during WW II. Watch for Kate's brand new series, The Merry Ghost Inn Mysteries, debuting in January 2017, where murders abound at the bed and breakfast inn on the Oregon coast. You can find Kate's website at www.doreenrobertshight.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LX295P1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kingsbury Publishing (September 29, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 29, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 825 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 227 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 879 ratings

About the author

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Kate Kingsbury

Kate Kingsbury

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Kate grew up in London, England, and at a very early age began telling stories to her school friends while huddling in bomb shelters during the Blitz of WW II. She moved to the U.S. in 1963 and published her first book in 1987. Since then she's written over sixty romance and mystery novels. She now lives in Oregon with her husband, Bill and Bella, a feisty chihuahua mix. Her "upstairs/downstairs" mysteries appeal to fans of Downton Abbey. The Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries are set in Edwardian England, while the Manor House series takes place in an English village during WW II. Her new contemporary series, The Misty Bay Mysteries, features an English tearoom on the Oregon coast. The first book in the series, In Hot Water, will debut on October 12th, 2021. You can find Kate's website at www.katekingsbury.net

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
879 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Drebbles
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this series
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
Still mourning the loss of her husband, Cecily Sinclair is doing her best to keep the Pennyfoot Hotel running - not only because her husband loved the hotel but because she needs the money. It has been hard but she is succeeding with the help of the ever loyal Baxter. The future of the Pennyfoot is threatened, however, when one of the guests falls to her death and it wasn't an accident. Plenty of people disliked Lady Eleanor Danbury - Cecily just needs to find out who hated Lady Eleanor enough to kill her.

“Room With A Clue” is the nicely done first book in Kate Kingsbury's Pennyfoot Hotel cozy mystery series. Although the series has sadly been discontinued, I am thrilled that the earlier books in the series have been released as e-books and I enjoyed revisiting the Pennyfoot from the beginning once again. Kingsbury did a great job with the setting of the series - the Pennyfoot Hotel is a great place filled with all kinds of guests and secret rooms. The fact that there are always different guests at the hotel means there will always be plenty of suspects and chances for murder which is the case in this book. Adding to the fun in the book are Cecily's friends Madeline and Phoebe as well as various members of the household staff - it was interesting to see what they were like at the beginning of this series (Madeline in particular grew as a character throughout the series and Gertie’s life had many twists and turns throughout the series). The mystery itself is well plotted with more than one surprise and readers will have fun trying to figure out who the killer is.

“Room With A Clue” is a fun cozy mystery.
9 people found this helpful
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Holly
4.0 out of 5 stars Charming
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2012
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I was participating in a discussion board about a year and a half ago here on Amazon and the topic was cozy mysteries set at Christmas time. The yearly holiday books from this series kept coming up and many, many people recommended them. Since I have found that most mysteries are better if read in order, I went back to pick up this first one, "Room with a Clue". Having just finished it last night, I must say that the discussion group did not steer me wrong.

Set in southeastern England in 1906, Cecily Sinclair is the owner of a seaside hotel called the Pennyfoot Hotel. She is the sole owner of the hotel after becoming a widow six months previously. She has a manager, Baxter, who plays a heavy role in running the hotel but his idea of what a proper lady should do is different from Cecily's. She is very progressive in her ideas about women's equality and that doesn't' necessarily set well with the more conservative manager's ideas. The hotel has been discovered by Society and many of the upper-crust come to stay for brief visits to get away from London for a while. When Lady Eleanor Danbury is discovered dead on the grounds with a bash-in head, Cecily is not only concerned about what happened to her but also concerned about how this might impact her business. She and Baxter get involved since the local police officer isn't particularly equipped to handle the investigation --- he is willing to call it an accident and then head on home.

A charming cast of characters (the staff is full of amusing folks), a charming sea-side setting, and bit of a mystery add up to quite an enjoyable read. This is truly a cozy mystery as the "mystery" largely plays a back seat to the setting and characters which populate this novel. If you enjoy slash and gore suspense, this book isn't for you. If you enjoy curling up on the couch with a cup of tea and a meander through a slower-paced, more gentle story this would be just the ticket.

Bottom line: Enjoyable and fun. Giving it 4-stars but I can see where the series has the potential for 5-stars in the future as the characters become more fleshed-out and developed.
26 people found this helpful
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Sandra Epperson
5.0 out of 5 stars such a wonderful series
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2023
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Of all of Kate Kingsbury’s mysteries, the Pennyfoot Hotel will always be dearest to my heart. The characters are rich and appealing, the plot is beautifully worked out, and her grasp of the time. He’s clean and uncluttered.
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Cheryl
3.0 out of 5 stars Fun cozy mystery
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2023
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I liked the premise of the book: a death occurs at an exclusive hotel populated with a host of colorful characters. Not sure if I liked it enough to continue with the series. It’s almost like there was too much going on in the book.
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Texanne
4.0 out of 5 stars A LIGHT FROTHY MURDER - IF THERE IS SUCH A THING
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
The Pennyfoot Hotel is a place where the posh people come to escape London in the early 1900's. It is run by Celia and her talented, competent staff. Celia is a widow who inherited the concept for this hotel from her late husband.

She still mourns for him, but she is so busy and involved with the day to day of the hotel, she is slowly moving on in her life.

There is a murder. The victim is the kind of person who needed to be killed. She was a Lady who ruled her world with an acid tongue and a cold heart.

There are several people who would enjoy having this woman dead.

Celia and her manager, Baxter, do some investigation. The main reason is to protect the name of the hotel. Everyone wants to protect the hotel, because after all they make their living there.

I like this book very much, and will find the next books in the series in order to follow the stories of these characters.

The plot is well developed. The aspect of history seems to be spot on for those of us who enjoy British historical works. The characters are defined in such a way that the reader can determine who each of them truly are and how they will grow as the books progress. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery.

In fact, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book which entertains and provides a puzzle to be solved.
One person found this helpful
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Sheri W
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2023
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Nice cozy yesteryear in a time of social and technological changes. I enjoyed all the characters and even Henry the python!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Christy
5.0 out of 5 stars fun and entertainment
Reviewed in Spain on September 11, 2023
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light reading of the kind that puts a smile on your face throughout! Highly recommendable to feel lighter. I am already on the sixth book of the series and I feel the same so I am going to continue until I read all twenty
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Sonja
5.0 out of 5 stars A mystery in a simpler time ... perhaps
Reviewed in Canada on January 12, 2018
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I like mysteries set in the past with interesting characters that tell tales of their time. This was a pleasant read that worked for me.
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars RAS
Reviewed in France on September 8, 2019
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Pour le lire
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Jeanne
5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery,mayhem and old-fashioned manners!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2017
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A truly lovely story, The main character trying to come to terms with bereavement while having to cope with the running of an hotel and then the "murder mystery " unfurlls. Very entertaining reading.
One person found this helpful
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Gelegenheitsleser
4.0 out of 5 stars Konventioneller Krimi in England im Jahr 1906
Reviewed in Germany on December 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
Ich bin erstaunt, dass ich die erste Rezension für diesen 1. Teil der 21 bändigen Reihe schreibe, da für andere Teile bereits welche vorliegen.
Erstaunt deshalb, weil ich der Ansicht bin, dass man diese Reihe, so sie einem gefällt, wirklich bei Band 1 beginnen sollte, da neben dem Krimi-Plot die Beziehungen der Personen, die im Pennyfoot Hotel tätig sind, mindestens ebenso wichtig sind - wenn nicht wichtiger.
Der Krimi-Plot ist recht konventionell erzählt und riss mich nicht vom Hocker, obwohl die Lösung am Schluss logisch nachvollziehbar und überraschend war.
Was mir jedoch viel mehr gefiel, war das Beziehungsgeflecht der im Hotel lebenden und arbeitenden Menschen, die liebevoll von der Autorin beschrieben sind. Und die Zeit zu Beginn des 20. Jhdts. in England ist von der Autorin sehr gut recherchiert und überzeugend dargestellt worden. Besonders geht sie auf die Situation der Frauen ein und auf das Wirken der Sufragetten.
Mir hat dieser 1. Band so gut gefallen, dass ich mich bei "kindle unlimited" für einen Monat angemeldet habe und nun schon weitere sieben Bände kostenlos ausleihen konnte. Wenn man viel Zeit zum Lesen hat, spart das ganz schön Kosten!
Ich empfehle zumindest diesen ersten Band, obwohl ich die folgenden dann etwas schwächer fand.
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