Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton, lady of the Manor House in the quiet village of Sitting Marsh in World War II England, has a wealth of suspects to choose from when she sets out to investigate the death of a boy-crazy teenager.

Meet Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton. She’s the house-rich, money-poor keeper of the Manor—and keeper of the peace. In World War II England, the quiet village of Sitting Marsh is faced with food rations and fear for loved ones. But Elizabeth, lady of the Manor House, stubbornly insists that life must go on. Sitting Marsh residents depend on her to make sure things go smoothly. Which means everything from sorting out gossip to solving the occasional murder... In the thick of the Allied invasion, Elizabeth is sick with worry for Major Earl Monroe. To make matters worse, people and things keep going missing from the manor—namely Martin, the elderly butler, and ladies’ knickers from the washing line. Before Elizabeth can track either down, a man is found shot dead. Few will miss bad-tempered Clyde Morgan, and the police are ready to call it a suicide. But Elizabeth’s not so sure...

It is an Edwardian Christmas, and the Pennyfoot Hotel is all dressed up. But when one of the guests turns up dead, owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter realizes it is not only the Pennyfoot that is back in business—the hotel's Christmas curse is, too... The Pennyfoot halls are decked with boughs of holly, a magnificently decorated tree graces the lobby, and the hotel's bookings are finally looking up. Owner of the Pennyfoot, Cecily Sinclair Baxter is in high holiday spirits until disaster strikes, threatening to ruin yet another Yuletide. Her chief housemaid Gertie McBride has found a man's body in the hotel laundry room—with a woman's scarf wrapped around his neck and a note in his pocket from the hotel's new maid. Cecily is determined to track down the culprit, but with multiple suspects icing her out of crucial clues, she realizes this killer may be more slippery than most. With Christmas right around the corner, it is up to Cecily to prevent this holiday season at the Pennyfoot from turning out more fatal than festive.

Book a room at the Pennyfoot Hotel this holiday season for a charming mystery that “combines the feel of an Agatha Christie whodunit with a taste of Upstairs Downstairs”(Cozy Library). A merry hustle and bustle heralds the holidays at the Pennyfoot—and this year is doubly busy. Even as Cecily Sinclair Baxter prepares for the holidays, she’s also helping her friend Madeline plan her impending wedding. This year, Cecily has a cracking holiday surprise for her guests—gorgeous Christmas crackers handmade for the Pennyfoot. And once the crackers pop, one lucky guest will discover a beautiful pearl brooch. But things soon turn less than jolly. A mysterious fire breaks out in an upstairs room, killing the mood—and two guests. And at the bottom of it all: a missing Christmas cracker. Who would deliver such a murderous gift? Cecily’s dead-set on solving this mystery before another deadly present turns up, and Madeline’s nuptials come unwound...

A murder and a missing husband make for a humdrum Christmas for Cecily Sinclair Baxter in this Pennyfoot Hotel mystery. While preparing the Pennyfoot Hotel for Christmas, Cecily Sinclair Baxter sends her husband and stable manager into the woods for some fresh boughs of holly. When their horse drawn carriage returns unmanned, it bears the holly—and the unwanted gift of a dead body. Now Cecily is determined to solve the mystery and find her missing husband. After all, it’s a season of celebrating with friends and family, and Cecily means to reunite hers—even if a killer leads her in a merry measure...

Despite promising to take a break from investigating, Cecily Sinclair Baxter probes a series of pre-Christmas murders in Badger's End where the victims are left with a gold angel on their foreheads.

Original publication and copyright date: 2012.