Shrouds of Holly

It's Christmastime and Cecily Sinclair Baxter is busy decorating the Pennyfoot Hotel for the holidays. She enlists the help of her husband Baxter and stable manager Samuel and sends them out to collect some holly. Much to her dismay, Baxter and Samuel don't return, but their horse and carriage does - with a dead body inside. Samuel soon turns up but Baxter is still missing and Samuel can't remember what happened. Cecily is determined to find Baxter, no matter what. Not only that, but she wants to find the killer of the body in the carriage. She's convinced she knows who the killer is but the local constable has his own suspicions and won't listen to her theory. Cecily is determined to bring the killer to justice even if it means putting her own life in danger. "Shrouds of Holly" is another nice entry in Kate Kingsbury's annual Holiday Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery series. The series is set in the early 1900's and Kingsbury does a good job of capturing that period of time (maid Gertie's longing to ride in a motor car is a perfect example). All the favorite Pennyfoot characters are here: housekeeper Mrs. Chubb; Gertie; "French" chef Michel; Cecily's friends Madeline Pengrath and Phoebe Fortescue (and her husband, Colonel Fortescue); Kenneth Prestwick; Samuel; Pansy; and of course Cecily and Baxter. There is a nice little subplot involving Gertie that made me smile and I'm looking forward to the next book to see what happens. There is a nice sense of humor throughout the book especially involving Michel who loses his French accent when excited, Colonel Fortescue, and Phoebe's annual Christmas Revue that always ends in a hilarious disaster. The mystery is well plotted and well written and the solution not as easy as it first appears. Without giving away the ending, I want to say I chuckled when the identity of the killer was revealed - kudos to Ms. Kingsbury for the solution. I always enjoy my visits to the Pennyfoot Hotel, I just wish it was more than once a year.

Cecily Sinclair Baxter returns in Shrouds of Holly to solve another murder. Her previous Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries are No Clue at the Inn and Slay Bells. It's Christmas and Cecily and her employees are decorating the Pennyfoot ballroom for a festive Christmas reception. With a staff shortage (primarily due to illness) Baxter, Cecily's husband, has reluctantly accompanied Samuel, the stable manager, to collect fresh boughs of holly to complete the decorations. While Mrs. Chubb, the Pennyfoot housekeeper, was out collecting eggs, the sleigh returned with a dead body (Gavin Hargrove) but minus Baxter and Samuel. Samuel turns up with a head injury and his only memory is of bending over Baxter's body. Is Baxter badly injured or is he dead? The only thing known for sure is that he has disappeared. With Baxter missing, the stable manager injured and a dead body outside her establishment, Cecily is determined to investigate. It's important to find the murderer but it's more important to find her husband. The deceased Gavin Hargrove seems to have had some enemies. He owed money to a London syndicate for gambling debts. His fiancée doesn't seem very upset over his death. What's that about? And his brother is dependent on Gavin's goodwill. With Gavin dead, he inherits his father's wealth. It's going to be a difficult task to find the murderer since the police think they know who killed Gavin but Cecily is not giving up. Her husband's life may depend on it. Kingsbury's historical Christmas novels are set in England and are delightful cozy mysteries. I love the laid back feel of the books. They are satisfying plots that keep you turning the page. FYI: Kate Kingsbury is Doreen Robert's pen name. Armchair Interviews says: For a good Christmas murder, Shrouds of Holly is a winner.

Kate Kingsbury is one of my very favorite cozy mystery authors. Shrouds of Holly finds Baxter and Samuel out in the woods looking for holly to help finish the decorating for the Christmas parties to take place at the Pennyfoot. They fail to return, but the horse and cart return with a dead body in it. Samuel finally shows up but the search for poor Baxter leads to alot of sinister activity with the family of the deceased. I always get caught up in her writing and the characters are so familiar and entertaining. If you love the English countryside with some mystery thrown in and entertaining and lovable characters - you'll love this charming Christmas read.

Have read and loved EVERY ONE of the series....am hoping there will be more. I felt like I lived there and knew each character personally and became attached to them. The stories moved fasr with no lulls and never any repeat situations from story to story.

In Badgers End, England Pennyfoot Hotel proprietor Cecily Sinclair Baxter praises Madeline Pengrath for decorating the ballroom for the upcoming Christmas holiday. To complete the décor, Cecily's husband and stable master Samuel went to the nearby woods to gather holly. However one of the horses returns too quickly without either man. Instead inside the trap to contain the holly is a dead stranger; Mr. Baxter and Samuel failed to come home. Cecily sends for Constable Northcott. However, when he makes no progress on the case, a frustrated, worried and determined Cecily begins her own inquiry into what happened to her spouse and stable master, and who killed the man in the trap. SHROUDS OF HOLLY is a delightful Edwardian whodunit starring an intrepid heroine who turns investigator out of fear for her husband as she believes the constable fails to understand time is running out. Fans of the series will enjoy this fun to read historical holiday cozy as the latest Pennyfoot Hotel mystery (see SLAY BELLS and NO CLUE AT THE INN) cleverly uses stereotypes of Pre WWI English to round out the entertaining amateur sleuth mystery. Harriet Klausner