It is an Edwardian Christmas, and the Pennyfoot Hotel is all dressed up. But when one of the guests turns up dead, owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter realizes it is not only the Pennyfoot that is back in business—the hotel's Christmas curse is, too... The Pennyfoot halls are decked with boughs of holly, a magnificently decorated tree graces the lobby, and the hotel's bookings are finally looking up. Owner of the Pennyfoot, Cecily Sinclair Baxter is in high holiday spirits until disaster strikes, threatening to ruin yet another Yuletide. Her chief housemaid Gertie McBride has found a man's body in the hotel laundry room—with a woman's scarf wrapped around his neck and a note in his pocket from the hotel's new maid. Cecily is determined to track down the culprit, but with multiple suspects icing her out of crucial clues, she realizes this killer may be more slippery than most. With Christmas right around the corner, it is up to Cecily to prevent this holiday season at the Pennyfoot from turning out more fatal than festive. "The discovery of a body in the Pennyfoot Hotel's laundry propels Kingsbury's sprightly 22nd Pennyfoot Holiday mystery (after 2013's Mulled Murder ), set in Badger's End, England. When 14-year-old Mazie, a recently hired maid, is arrested by bumbling Police Constable Northcott for the man's murder, hotel owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter, despite her husband's reservations, steps back into her sleuthing role to prove Mazie's innocence and find the real killer. The victim turns out to be shady Lord Percival Farthingale, who, though not a guest of the Pennyfoot, was visiting the hotel's guests-only card rooms. Cecily's inquiries reveal an argument between Farthingale and Edwin Coombs, a hotel guest who admits he knew the victim but is reluctant to say more. Cecily's visit to Lady Farthingale reveals why the widow isn't too sorry about her husband's demise. Jealousy and secrets among the staff add tension, while Cecily comes close to meeting her maker solving this grand Christmastime mystery filled with plenty of new and familiar faces. Fans will hope they won't have to wait another six years for the next installment." - Publishers Weekly "It is Christmastime at the Pennyfoot, a hotel in the English countryside not far from London. Its owner, Cecily Baxter, is enjoying making preparations for a warm and memorable Christmas vacation for her elite guests in this carefree, pre-World War One season. Cecily cares for both her guests and her staff, so when a young and innocent new maid is arrested for murdering one of the guests, she feels compelled to intervene. This is not Cecily's first foray into the world of detective in the cozy mystery world of rural England. However, it brings her to great personal danger, as her guests are uncooperative, and one of them might even threaten her welfare. The novel is filled with memorable characters, from the faux French chef to the gambler, the would-be suffragettes, the half-asleep retiree manning the reception desk, and the unconventional wife of the doctor. Most notable is Phoebe Fortescue, whose annual ballet pageant can be expected to result in catastrophe. The lives of both servants and hotel guests are intertwined in this richly evocative presentation of lush Christmas displays against a background of murder, misunderstanding and cold snowy weather. It's a cozy mystery wrapped in the warm glow of Christmas at a time when the telephone is still a surprisingly convenient novelty and horse-drawn carriages are preferred to the noise and smell of motor cars. It is a world where elegant gowns are worn to dinner, retired colonels are reliably cantankerous, and your trusty coachman awaits you no matter the time or the temperature. Kingsbury is experienced in evoking a world beloved by mystery writers since Agatha Christie, and in this novel, she presents it vividly for readers of the genre. Christmas and the Phoebe Fortescue pageant are a bonus." - Historical Novel Society It took me six years to decide to open up the doors of the Pennyfoot Hotel again.  Cecily, Baxter and the entire staff kept begging me to write another episode in the saga, and when numerous fans chimed in, I could no longer resist.  Another holiday season is upon the inhabitants of the hotel, and once more the Christmas Curse threatens to disrupt the festivities.  But it's the private lives of the characters that keep me plugging away at the computer.  They are family to me, and I'm as anxious to see what happens next with them as I hope you will be.  Happy Holidays! Kate Kingsbury is a pseudonym for Doreen Roberts Hight, a full-time writer who lives near Portland, Oregon. She is also the author of the Manor House Mysteries and the Bellehaven House Mysteries (written as Rebecca Kent), the Raven's Nest Bookstore Mysteries (written as Allison Kingsley), and many romance novels written under her own name. Chapter 1   Pausing to catch her breath at the top of the backstairs, Gertie McBride shi