December Online Book Club: The Hotel by Pamela Kelley

The Hotel by Pamela Kelley

I’d heard of Pamela Kelley’s several mystery series set on Nantucket and have always wanted to try one of her books. The Hotel did not disappoint!

There are many mysterious things in this book, but I wouldn’t call it a classic mystery plot. It’s more like a Hallmark channel combination of sweet mystery and romance. One big question is why does the grandfather of a family who owns an exclusive hotel on Nantucket promote his granddaughter who is an accountant while moving his other granddaughter to a position with less authority and responsibility. One obvious answer is she’s not very good at her managerial job, but of course there’s more to the story.

Every cousin, aunt, and uncle works at The Whitley–named after their large family–in some capacity and lives on the sprawling property in their own little cottages. Throw in additional secrets in the form of a romantic comedy movie star hiding out at the hotel for several months, a consultant who’s supposed to evaluate everyone and suggest ways to improve the property and there are a lot of things going on at once. With each chapter the plot gets more complicated and the lies and secrets pile up.

I enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes workings of a luxury hotel. Like a small town, everyone has secrets or gossips about the others. Plus I liked reading about the gourmet food and fancy rooms. Just like a Hallmark movie, the story moved along and the ending was satisfying. I can imagine this as a series where each new book will focus on another family member’s story.

Pamela Kelley has written many, many books in mystery, romance, and suspense. I look forward to reading more and plan to start with one of her Nantucket Inn mystery books because I liked reading about Boston and Nantucket.

Let me know if you try it!

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CHRISTMAS READ

Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke

Every December my in-person book club reads a Christmas-themed book and this year we are reading this fun one in the Hannah Swensen series. I’m listening to the audiobook on Hoopla, and it’s also available from Amazon. We all agreed that one of our favorite things about this series is the recipes, and one member even brought some home-maked samples to our meeting! (Full disclosure: there are crumbs on my keyboard …)

If you like visiting Lake Eden, Minnesota, during Christmas, you will enjoy this story too. The holidays have arrived, and Hannah and her good pal Lisa have agreed to provide all the goodies for the town’s annual production of A Christmas Carol.

Of course, bah-humbug! There must be a murder and Hannah will be in the thick of discovering whodunnit all while baking and hanging out with friends and family. It’s a predictably fun way to spend a cozy holiday afternoon. Bring your own cookies and cocoa.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas with friends or family, full of good cheer, and a huge improvement over last year’s dampened celebrations.

See you again in 2022!!