Review
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By S. K. Golden
The Second Pinnacle Hotel Mystery
With her father tasking her to actually work at the Pinnacle Hotel where she lives, Evelyn Elizabeth Grace Murphy has succeeded in organizing a fundraiser for the mayor. While neither Rockefeller nor her father deign to show up, the event is a success, replete with New York City bigwigs. As the party winds down Mac convinces Evelyn to leave the hotel and go to his apartment in Yonkers for the night. But as she's about to get into her Rolls-Royce she notices a shadow in a nearby car. Unable to let it go, she goes to investigate only to find Judge Baker dead in his car, a needle sticking out of his arm. An accidental overdose? Or murder?
THE SOCIALITE'S GUIDE TO DEATH & DATING is a book about loss and how you deal with it. Evelyn Elizabeth Grace has had a lot of loss in her life. She has created a persona to help her deal with it, although she still suffers its effects, her "teensy bit" of agoraphobia and her belief that she can use money to get out of every bad situation, for example. She's also self centered and spoiled, but not near as dim as some make her out to be. But as events continue to rock her world, she's growing.
I enjoyed the second Pinnacle Hotel Mystery with its complex mystery and challenging characters. There are some characters you love to hate, Evelyn's father and the new Detective McJimsey. Even Evelyn can be annoying. I'm also unsure people in 1958 spoke like her, continually saying "ever so much". Yet, you can't help but feel for her and grudgingly like her. She's a bird in a gilded cage, trapped by her own mind and the social and gender inequity of the time. But, ever so slowly, she's finding her own way out.
Though humorous THE SOCIALITE'S GUIDE TO DEATH & DATING is unexpectedly moving with surprising twists and emotional upheaval. I look forward to seeing Evelyn continue to grow and wonder just what she will have to face next!
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The Socialite's Guide to Death and Dating (A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery) by S. K. Golden
About The Socialite's Guide to Death and Dating
Historical Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - 1958 New York City
Crooked Lane Books (October 10, 2023)
Hardcover: 336 pages
Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver, the second Pinnacle Hotel mystery finds another murder that strikes too close to home, and hotel heiress Evelyn Murphy knows she’s the only one who can save the hotel before it’s lights out.
New York, 1958. Even though Evelyn Murphy has made progress conquering her agoraphobia by leaving the Pinnacle, she still feels most comfortable in her father's hotel. With Malcolm Cooper, her new boyfriend and fellow employee at the hotel, Evelyn feels prepared for whatever happens next. In this case, it’s throwing a big fundraiser with the who’s who of New York City.
The night is a success, and Evelyn finally takes up Malcolm’s offer to finally visit his apartment in Yonkers. As the party ends, they sneak away to the garage to get Evelyn's car. But Evelyn's always been good at finding things, and she discovers the dead body of a guest, Judge Baker, in a car—with a needle in his arm.
Detective Hodgson and his new partner, Detective McJimsey, arrive on the scene, but before they can begin to question Evelyn, they are startled by another mysterious discovery: there’s a woman in the trunk of the car, and she screams as soon as she sees Evelyn’s face. Tangled up in the police investigation, Evelyn’s got another problem, too—her father insists she break off her relationship with Mac. The next day, her father is found attacked just like the judge, only this time the detectives find a dead woman nearby.
With Mac accused of the attacks and in police custody, Evelyn will have to find the killer on her own before she’s checked out of the hotel—this time, for good.
About S. K. Golden
S. K. Golden is the author of the Pinnacle Hotel cozy mystery series. Born and raised in the Florida Keys, she married a commercial fisherman. The two of them still live on the islands with their five kids (one boy, four girls — including identical twins!), two cats, and a corgi named Goku. Sarah graduated from Saint Leo University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Administration and has put it to good use approximately zero times. She’s worked as a bank teller, a pharmacy technician, and an executive assistant at her father’s church. Sarah is delighted to be doing none of those things now. Follow her across all platforms @skgoldenwrites.
Author Links:
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Sounds like a great story.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a book I want to buy!! Thank you!!
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