Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries Books In Order

Publication Order of Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries Books

The Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery series is a series of cozy mystery and historical novels written by the popular British author named Kate Kingsbury. This series is comprised of a total of 21 mystery books, which were released between the years 1993 and 2013. Author Kate Kingsbury has set the series in Badger’s End in England during the Edwardian Times. Each and every book of the series features the chief protagonist in the form of Cecily Sinclair, who is described as the owner of the Pennyfoot Hotel, located near the seaside. Author Kate Kingsbury began writing the series in the year 1993 and released the first novel of the mystery series in the same year. It was titled as ‘Room With a Clue’. Over the years of his writing career, author Kate Kingsbury has finished publishing well over over 20 novels successfully. Currently, author Kingsbury is busy with the plot development of the latest book in the series, which is about to get published soon in the coming months. This indicates that the series is still going on. One of the initial novels released in the Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries series was published under the title ‘The Clue is in the Pudding’. This book was published by the Berkeley publication in 2012. The start of the book shows that the kitchen staff at the Pennyfoot Hotel are busy doing the preparations for the arrival of guests on the occasion of Christmas. They seem to be toiling away to make the finest meals to entertain the important guests.

One of the dishes in the menu is the plum pudding, which is quite popular from the Pennyfoot Hotel and it is something the people would die for to have a taste of it. The owner of the hotel, Cecily Sinclair Baxter thinks of using the Christmas miracle to turn the tables in favor of the business of her hotel. But, one of the housekeepers from the hotel named Mrs. Chubb, needs to travel to the north in case of a family emergency. Due to this, the load on Cecily to finish the preparation of the meals increases. She needs a temporary replacement of Mrs. Chubb quickly. But, the job agency of housekeepers is not capable of offering any replacement on such a short notice. They too seem to be extremely busy with their workload during that particular time of the year. However, they suggest Cecily Sinclair to take Beatrice Tucker, who becomes available at the last minute. Having left with no other options, Cecily decides to hire her. But, she turns out to be more problematic than helpful in everything that she does. Beatrice Tucker often indulges in fights with other kitchen staff about almost anything. She even fights with the guests staying at the hotel as well as the visitors, including Archibald Armitage.

Archibald is a popular stage artist from London. He chooses the Pennyfoot Hotel to spend his holiday season. The presence of Archibald proves beneficial to the hotel’s business, but also a blessing in many ways. On once occasion, he saves the dog of the stable manager from getting drowned in the icy duck pond. However, it appears that not everyone living in Badgers End is a follower of the popular actor. Very soon, he is found dead on his dining table after being served with plum pudding by Beatrice Tucker. Due to her violent nature, everyone thinks that she is the culprit in the murder of Archibald Armitage. When Cecily decides to do the investigation on her own, the number of suspects with possible motives to kill Archibald keeps in increasing in her list. Cecily realizes that solving this complicated case might not as easy as making a pudding or a pie. But, she does not lose hope and continues to look for clues as the reputation of her hotel and the life of an innocent staff member is at stake. She even knows that the killer might try to make her a target because of her interference in the case, but she won’t stop until she puts the culprit behind the bars.

One of the other books published initially in the Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries series was titled as ‘Mistletoe and Mayhem’. This book was released in 2010 by the Berkeley publishers. The central plot of the book shows a holiday season in the Pennyfoot hotel, where a murder takes place under the mistletoe and causes growing tensions among the staff and guests at the hotel. The beginning sequence of the book shows that the holiday season has caused a huge inflow of guests at the Pennyfoot hotel. A large number of family members, guests, and friends gather at the hotel to share their joys of the holiday season. As a result of the increased workload, Cecily Baxter and her staff members are bustling and hustling more than they ever have to entertain the guest as well as look after their hospitality. The arrival of one of the best friends of Cecily Baxter named Madeline makes the occasion even more special for Cecily. Madeline comes with her new born baby and adds a blossoming bough to the colorful decorations. Seeing things going as per the planned order makes Cecily Baxter believe that the holiday season could not have gotten off in a better way than this.

Soon after, a new maid and a footman are found kissing each other under the bough by the staff members and the guests at the hotel. But, when they turn up dead, everyone becomes certain that there is a serial present among the ones staying at the hotel. Cecily circles down a mysterious guest named J. Mortimer, whose actions seem quite questionable to her. Later, she comes to know that Madeline’s baby has gone missing. This makes her desperate as she tries to search for the lost child at every nook and corner of her hotel. Cecily faces the tough challenge of catching the killer as soon as possible in order to prevent the joyful occasion of the holiday season turn into sadness. For a few times previously, Cecily Baxter has faced similar situations. Therefore, she knows how to deal with it. She relies on her investigative skills and wit to face any situation that comes her way. Her determination and dedication leads her to confront the killer in person and then with the help of her a few of her staff members, she becomes successful in catching him and then allowing the police do the rest.

One Response to “Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries”

1. clara: 3 years ago

   I just finished Merry Murder and loved being back at the Hotel with all of my friends. Cannot wait to find out if Gertie and Archie get together and if Henry admits to being a girl. Such a great cast of characters.

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