Publication October 11, 2022
What secrets lurk behind the walls of the Prohibition Era style luxury hotel? Will spoiled rich girl Evelyn be able to find them and the murderer of artist Billie Bell?
To be honest, if you'd asked me early on in the book, I'd have said no way. Evelyn, daughter of the mega rich hotel owner, comes across as rather an empty headed, Marilyn Monroe wannabe. She's all about the style and drama, from selecting the perfect outfit to playing along with photographers seeking photos of her with actor boyfriend Henry. She carries a Pomeranian mix with her seemingly at all times, Presley, who resembles a bear cub, and her hotel suite is, well, pink. Very pink. Pink with lots of fancy clothes and jewelry. In other words, she doesn't appear to be likely to solve anything other than perhaps how to fix a broken nail.
But, don't let appearances fool you. She's anything but empty headed. True, she's lived a sheltered, catered to life, and throws her money and name around to get what she wants, but there's a brain in that blond-by-choice head of hers. Although the hints are subtle at first, she's also faced trauma. She discovered the body of her murdered mother outside the hotel as a child. She considers the hotel her safe place, so to speak. Her sense of security is shattered when she discovers a bloody body in the hallway of what she considers her hotel, a man Henry had a rather public argument with earlier. When another hotel employee is arrested she should feel relieved but feels he is innocent and has the overwhelming need to help find the real murderer. How can someone who suffers from agoraphonia, however much she denies it to herself, and hasn't left the hotel in fourteen months going to solve a murder?
So, if neither the man arrested nor Henry killed artist Billie Bell, who did? Did they also steal the missing painting? What secret is Henry keeping? How about Mac, the man Evelyn is slowly beginning to realize she genuinely loves? Will he accept being a kept man? Heck, how will star Henry react to losing his girlfriend to a bellboy? Why is Mac dragged down to the police station? What habit may get Evelyn into trouble or worse, danger? Why is the mystery maid threatening Evelyn in a hallway? Could a Countess be guilty of murder? Who trashed Evelyn's, sigh, pink hotel suite? Could her day maid be a threat? Why doesn't Henry keep the expensive gift Evelyn gives him, in front of cameras, no less? And, oh, so much more for a book that I thought I wasn't going to particularly like initially. As it turned out, after the slow start I found myself unable to set it aside. Evelyn may be naive and spoiled but I liked her (and Presley). I liked Mac and his sister. Heck, even the police investigator was likable, even while dealing with spoiled Evelyn's horror of having to share a hospital room with someone else. Hospital, you say? Nope, not telling, you're just going to have to read the book.
Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for inviting me to spend some time at the lovely Pinnacle Hotel to get to know Evelyn. After rolling me eyes lots at her, I've become a fan and am looking forward to the next adventure.
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