Murder at Millar's Hotel

Lady Ellen Investigates, Book 1

By: Kelly Mason

Narrated by: Frances Butt

It’s 1924. Lady Ellen of Ashcombe Hall is on a relaxing hotel break to recuperate. Her nemesis is found dead in the restaurant, face down in his pea and ham soup. Can she confront her past to solve the mystery?

Lady Ellen seeks respite in the charming seaside town of Branden Bay, whilst her home, which was used as a convalescent home for war veterans, is being refurbished to its former glory. Her peaceful break takes a dark turn when she unexpectedly crosses paths with her arch-nemesis, the enigmatic Major Albert Coltrane. Major Coltrane is found lifeless, his face submerged in his own soup after a heated and public confrontation with Ellen who finds herself accused of murder.

Determined to clear her name, she forms an unlikely alliance with Lottie Penny a hotel chamber maid and Captain Ernest Hamilton, a former patient at her convalescent home.

With her faithful Irish setter, Prince, by her side, Lady Ellen embarks on a riveting journey through hidden alley bars and the opulent music hall of Branden Bay. They strive to unravel the threads of the mystery, in race against time to expose the real killer before Lady Ellen becomes the next victim.

If you love the glitz and glamour of the era and a twisty plot, then step back in time to the roaring 1920s, where jazz-filled evenings and clandestine secrets collide. Murder at Millar’s Hotel is the first book in the Lady Ellen Investigates series.

©2023 Kelly Mason (P)2024 Kelly Mason

First Time Reading This Author/ Listening to Narrator. Worth the Listen!!

I truly enjoyed this. Just enough of everything for a cozy mystery! Worth the purchase.

Well Done

In my search for intelligent but fun cozy historical mysteries, I found this gem. These characters are well developed, and Lady Ellen is an interesting protagonist. It may be 1924, but Lady Ellen is no Bright Young Thing. She is a war widow with a history, but she is moving forward, as evidenced by the ongoing restoration of her family home, her extended stay at a luxury hotel, and her welcoming new and old friends into her life. The mystery in this book is well done. I was taken completely by surprise, and that does not happen often. I look forward to more of Lady Ellen, Lottie, and Captain Hamilton.

Frances Butt does a pleasant job of voicing these characters.