Grounds for Murder

This book seemed to get back on track after the disappointment of the previous book (Check Out Time). I love the characters in this series, and this book lets us get to see them a lot more. Of course the maid Gertie is my favourite, but I love to watch the interplay between Cecily and Baxter as well. Cecily and Baxter are trying to solve another mystery that seems to involve their hotel. Young gypsy women are being murdered in the woods beside the hotel, and they are being discovered without their heads. And an axe seems to keep going missing from the hotel's woodshed. This is a fun series with wonderful characters set in the Georgian time period. I would recommend it to anyone who likes cozies.

For those who enjoy the excellent Pennyfoot Hotel mystery series by Kate Kingsbury (and new readers too!), GROUNDS FOR MURDER is a must-read. Not only for the mystery itself; what's excellent about this latest installment is, as always, the development of the characters! A new maid, Doris, is introduced, but there's something very peculiar about her. Could she be the link in the latest murder in Badgers End? And what about the mysterious attack on the harmless and hapless Colonel Fortescue? And for those of us who read the series mainly to follow the relationship between the two protagonists, Cecily Sinclair (widow, owner of the Pennyfoot and amateur sleuth) and her manager Baxter, this book is indispensable. It's the landmark installment where Cecily FINALLY begins to realize her true feelings for her faithful, compassionate, ever-stuffy manager. He is her employee, and the year is 1908; with all the restrictions of protocol during that time, can there be any hope for a relationship between them? Class restriction was very strict, and the "forbidden" aspect to their feelings definitely adds spice to the story. So in other words, highly recommended. Buy the book--in fact, buy all the books in the whole darn series because it's so good. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, you really shouldn't miss out!