Murder at the Majestic Hotel

Newlyweds Lord and Lady Lyndhurst (Lyndy and Stella) travel to York, England, in 1905 to honeymoon at the ritzy Majestic Hotel. They are denied their reserved honeymoon suite because famous chocolatier Horace Wingrove has bribed the desk clerk to get the room, but they assist when the maid finds Wingrove's body the next morning. Wingrove's death is ruled accidental, but Stella can't get past the fact that pillows are missing from the room. She investigates to understand how and why Wingrove died, but two ransacked hotel rooms, a missing corporate secret, a second death, police indifference, and a group of anti-royalists in York determined to make a statement complicate her efforts. During all this, the sympathetic, independent, American-born Stella, whose marriage is a love match but whose fortune will save Lyndy's estate, works hard to fit into her new position in the aristocracy. This historical mystery, with multiple plot twists, vividly portrays the life and times of the Edwardian era.

McKenna's spirited fourth Stella and Lyndy mystery (after 2021's Murder at Keyhaven Castle) opens the day after the 1905 wedding of wealthy American Stella Kendrick and British viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst. When the newlyweds try to check in to York's luxurious Majestic Hotel, they find the honeymoon suite they've booked already occupied by Horace Wingrove, the founder of England's leading confectionery company. Lyndy and Stella settle into rooms across the hall and overhear an altercation at Wingrove's door. The next morning, a chambermaid discovers the confectioner's corpse lying peacefully in bed. The cherry-red color of his skin leads the police to attribute his death to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, but Stella isn't sure. Her suspicion that the death is murder deepens when Wingrove's room is rifled and the closely guarded formula for the company's signature chocolate turns up missing. McKenna nicely balances detection with romantic moments between Stella and Lyndy. Vivid evocations of Yorkshire and clever subplots enhance the smart, well-paced mystery. Fans of light British historicals will be well satisfied. Agent: John Talbot, Fortune Talbot Agency. (Nov.)

After a courtship marred by murders and family problems, Lyndy and Stella finally make it official through a marriage that confirms them as Lord and Lady Lyndhurst. Things start to go wrong as soon as the happy couple checks into York's best hotel in September 1905. Since the Honeymoon Suite they've reserved is occupied by chocolatier Horace Wingrove for one night, they reluctantly agree to take the Royal Suite. Lyndy tries to talk Wingrove into moving, but he refuses, asserting that it's where he and his late wife spent their honeymoon. The night is far from quiet, for Wingrove has visitors, and the next morning, a maid discovers Wingrove dead. Even though Dr. Bell, who resides in the hotel, declares the death an accidental case of carbon monoxide poisoning, the hotel manager still calls the police, and Bell volunteers to tell Wingrove's nephew, Morgan Amesbury-Jones, who's staying at the hotel along with Wingrove's secretary. Stella, realizing that most of the pillows are missing from Wingrove's room, suspects murder when feathers fall from the chimney. Wingrove's secretary and nephew, who inherits Wingrove's famed chocolate company, join Stella's meager list of suspects. Since the detective sergeant assigned to the case is mainly interested in protecting the royals who are visiting York for the unveiling of a statue, Stella must deal with thwarted romance, class differences, anti-royalists, and a missing chocolate formula while surviving her serendipitous honeymoon. The halcyon days of 1905 are both romantic and dangerous for the charming sleuths. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.