Murder at Hotel 1911
If you want to spend a night amid the luxury and charm of the early 20th century, book a room at Hotel 1911. You’ll find 28-year-old Ivy Nichols behind the reception desk. The hotel is Ivy’s only link to the family that abandoned her when she was a small child. Now, plagued by panic attacks, she pedals her sea-green Schwinn bicycle to work every evening, hoping desperately to hold on to her job.
When wealthy, imperious Ms. Swain arrives at the hotel and belittles Ivy, the young woman seeks consolation in the welcoming kitchen of George, the hotel’s chef. Despite her tormentor’s barbs, she dutifully informs George that Ms. Swain has a deadly allergy to shellfish. So when Ms. Swain collapses at dinner and dies, the police suspect that the chef made a tragic, inexcusable error. Desperate to save George’s career, Ivy sets out sleuthing. She learns that numerous people in and around the hotel had motives to contaminate Ms. Swain’s plate. Among them are Jeffrey Swain, the victim’s son, and heir; painter Rose Jewett; and British ex-pat Hemal Sandeep.
Even after the police find traces of shellfish in George’s kitchen, Ivy is determined to clear her friend’s name. But the stress of the investigation, in a hotel filled with suspects, threatens to precipitate another terrifying panic attack…or something more deadly.
Series: An Ivy Nichols Mystery – Book #1
Author: Audrey Keown
Genre: Cozy Mystery/ Hotel/Inn
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Page Count: 272
Publishing Date: September 8, 2020
Rating: 
Out September 8th, Murder at Hotel 1911 is the debut novel for author Andrey Keown. Unfortunately, this book is not set in 1911, which many readers will think, and the story could have benefitted from if it had been. The hotel itself sounds lovely, and having the staff dress in period costume is a fun extra.
Ivy is an unusual character. She is not one hundred percent sure of what she is doing most of the time, she has many issues mental and emotional in her life, and she has secrets that keep her on her toes. She is deceitful with her father, employer, and sometimes her friends, not that she has all that many. She is rude, pushy, and not overly smart but seems to think she is because she can quote Jung. She has the attitude of a teenager going through puberty. The hotel where she works used to be in her family, and why this needs to be kept a secret is never explained. Why she is lying to her father about where she works, her medication, and her therapy aren’t explained either. Overall, Ivy isn’t the type of character readers expect in a cozy or like.
On the other hand, the mystery of Ivy’s past and a current murder keep readers wondering and forces them to finish the book. Other characters were interesting, but more background for these individuals would have made the book enjoyable. The story could have benefitted from a better description of the historic hotel, and those who work there. Background is the main missing piece of this book, and hopefully, this will be rectified in subsequent additions.
Readers were left with no doubt as to whom the murder victim would be, or how the victim would die. Suspects were plentiful, but the perpetrator of the crime was never in doubt. The police are portrayed as bumbling idiots, which is insulting to real investigators everywhere. Many questions were left unanswered, and this made it challenging to like Murder at Hotel 1911. I can only hope that the author will grow along with her characters, and future books in this series will become more engaging and entertaining.
I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped, but I do believe that the author has a good base for future books if she can tweak her characters and make the stories tighter and more believable. I will welcome the chance to visit the Hotel 1911 again.
A couple of alternative historical hotel type cozies are Ellen Byron’s wonderfully intriguing “A Cajun Country Mystery” or the exquisite Erica Ruth Neubauer’s hotel historical “A Jane Wunderly Mystery”.
About the Author:
Audrey Keown set her mystery series in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the place she calls home. She lost her heart to the city in the early days of its downtown revival, and its bridges, breweries, parks, and people are its mixtape back to her. For ten years, Audrey wrote professionally for periodicals, sharpening her storytelling skills to cut into fiction writing. Now themes of redemption and connection to history always wriggle their way into her work. Like her impulsive protagonist in Murder at Hotel 1911, Audrey has battled anxiety and writes about mental illness in her fiction in hopes of helping lift the stigma.
Contact Andrey: audreykeownwrites@gmail.com
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