Book#242, International Collection, Themes: The Amateur Sleuth / The Dying Clue / The Closed Circle / Whodunit, Keywords: Hotel Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Transgender Detective, Bangalore, Locked Room Mystery, Family Secrets, Inheritance Plot, Whodunit, Cozy Mystery, Hannah Brown
The hotel was ready for a party. It wasn’t ready for a murder.
Hannah Brown loves the quiet rhythm of her job at the Queen’s Court Hotel in Bangalore. As a trans woman who fought hard for her peace, she values order above all else. But when the wealthy and cruel heiress Arlene Rainford is found stabbed in her suite during a masquerade ball, Hannah’s carefully constructed world is thrown into chaos.
Arlene’s dying words—”Glass beads”—seem to point directly to an elderly guest with a grudge. But Hannah, whose life has taught her to look past the surface, senses a deception. Why did the victim’s brother look relieved? Why is the husband’s grief so perfectly rehearsed? And what is the quiet, loyal maid hiding?
Teaming up with a weary police inspector, Hannah must peel back the layers of a dysfunctional dynasty to find a killer who is as skilled at performance as she is. But when a suspect threatens to expose Hannah’s own past to stop the investigation, she must decide: retreat to safety, or claim her identity and catch a killer?
(A smart, atmospheric mystery introducing a unique new detective.)
[CONTENT WARNING] Contains themes of: Murder, Blackmail, Family Dysfunction, Classism, and Transphobia (threats of outing/deadnaming by a villain). Note: This is a mystery novel, not erotica.
Heat Level (1-5) 1 (Clean / Mystery) There is no sex. The focus is entirely on the puzzle, the characters, and the setting. It is safe for a wide audience.