Murder at the Dolphin Hotel: A Gripping Cozy Historical Mystery

A Miss Underhay Mystery, Book 1

By: Helena Dixon

Narrated by: Alex Tregear

A room with a view...to murder

June 1933. Independent, young Kitty Underhay has been left in charge of her family’s hotel, The Dolphin, on the tranquil English coast. She’s expecting her days at the bustling resort to be filled with comfortable chatter with chambermaids as they polish the mahogany desks and glittering candelabras of the elegant foyer. Everything must be perfect for the arrival of a glamorous jazz singer from Chicago and a masked ball that will be the cultural highlight of the season.

But when several rooms are broken into and searched, including Kitty’s own, she quickly realizes that something out of the ordinary is afoot at the hotel. Soon, rumors are flying in the cozy town that someone is on the hunt for a stolen ruby. A ruby that Kitty’s mother may well have possessed when she herself went missing during the Great War. And when the break-ins are followed by a series of attacks and murders, including of the town’s former mayoress, it seems the perpetrator will stop at nothing to find it.

Aided by ex-army captain Matthew Bryant, the Dolphin’s new security officer, Kitty is determined to decipher this mystery and preserve not only the reputation of her hotel, but also the lives of her guests. Is there a cold-blooded killer under her own roof? And what connects the missing jewel to the mystery from Kitty’s own past?

A classic murder mystery! Fans of Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Edmondson, and T. E. Kinsey will love this whodunit.

©2019 Helena Dixon (P)2019 Bookouture

A pleasant listen.

The storyline was light and interesting and had enough twists and turns to be engaging. Sometimes things fell into place a bit too neatly, a bit contrived. The narration was very good. The reader’s voice was pleasant and she conveyed the characters quite well. I’d listen to other books she narrates. This is a good book to use as filler between darker, more complex stories.

Narration needs work

Enjoyed the audiobook except sometimes it was difficult to distinguish between the voices of the two main characters. Hopefully book 2 solves the issue.

"I don't understand"

The catchphrase for Kitty, the main character in this story, and I stopped counting how many times she said it when I got to 40.
Honestly there is a difference between cozy and simpering. I did manage to finish this, which at one point I thought I might not. The mystery elements were quite well done, there just needed to be less budding romance and less fainting females.
Good ending, if you don't mind simpering females and budding romance the next books will probably be good.

Exactly as advertised

it was a wonderful read
I loved the performance, each time she did a different voice I could easily tell which character it was. Tones and inflections were spot on!

the story itself was quite gripping, even if the main character is not as strong as I wanted her to be.

all in all it was definitely a cozy little murder mystery, excellent and perfect to listen to on a chilly, rainy day.

A Great Mystery

Mystery, romance, adventure and a good plot. This book also has good unfoldment, not too slow or too fast. Just enough emphasis on background scenery to set the stage, just enough history to reveal the characters, and accurate history of time and place. Loved it!