A Mrs. Kelly Mystery, Book Three
In the heart of Old San Francisco, Mrs. Kelly’s dream life as a confectioner in the opulent Palace Hotel takes a deadly turn when a man she once accused of murder reappears on New Year’s Eve. Reverend Olsen and his companions are enjoying the festivities in the grand dining room, blissfully unaware that one of Mrs. Kelly’s signature desserts will bring the year and their celebration to a shocking end. After eating it, the reverend collapses—poisoned.
Detective Fisher has his hands full after a freak snowfall hits town, but a hasty summons adds a midnight murder to his plate. Mrs. Kelly is not only the prime suspect, but holds key background information on the individuals at the table. With a tenuous but desperate trust, he invites her to team up to solve the case.
Is their killer the grieving wife who dreams of the stage? The silent, stubborn handyman-turned-secretary? The devoted elderly widow who knows more than she will admit? The prodigal son whose past years are a mystery? Or is it the aloof Madame Fabbri who holds a contract signed by the deceased?
As the web of suspicion grows, Mrs. Kelly finds herself at its center with a single sparkling earring as her only clue. With her future hanging in the balance, and the hotel’s reputation on the line, the clock is ticking.
And as the stakes rise, so does the threat: someone is willing to kill again to protect their secrets and no one in the Palace Hotel is safe.
You can leave a review for Murder at the Palace here!
This third book in the series is the best yet! Mrs. Kelly has to face her past as Minnesota comes to California. Many priorly hinted at puzzles are revealed as she solves murders past and present.
Good Read – grannylovestoread, Barnes&Noble ★★★★★
I like the strong lead female character but she has to prove her innocence. There are several twists and turns in the story that keep you guessing. Like the background and the setting of the story. There are some interesting characters in this story as well. It is not what you expect. In a good way. Good read.
Small town murder begets big city mayhem – ellehowe, Bookbub, Barnes&Noble ★★★★★
When Karine Kelly’s Norwegian delights bring her to the notice of a private New Year’s Eve party at the Palace Hotel, little does she know that her small town heartache has followed her from Minnesota to San Fransisco. A poisoned krumkake is ingested by Reverend Olsen, the pastor of her congregation back home, who soon expires – and there the true mystery begins. Karine has long suspected him of murdering her Aunt Mary, who seemingly guides her from beyond as a constant buzzing voice in her ear. Olsen, his new young wife, Olsen’s estranged son, the bitter widow Mrs. Berg, and a slow witted handyman-cum-church CFO, Mr. Nilsen are inexplicably entertaining a prima donna opera singer and her manager in lavish style. This is a far cry from their humble hometown, and the pursuit of who murdered the Reverend is soon waylaid by other deaths.
Our ever-resourceful Karine seizes the opportunity to investigate the why and who behind her aunt’s death, and becomes a sacrificial lamb – in part to save her friends’ livelihoods. This is one of many redirects and thrilling plot twists that I’ve come to appreciate in Jolie Tunnell ’s work. There are no weak links or unused characters here; everyone serves a purpose, and we’re even re-acquainted with a couple of Karine’s Chinatown contacts from book one in the series, Shadows in Chinatown . Of course Detective Fisher is the lead on the case, and he puts his neck on the line for her while acknowledging her keen sleuthing skills and respects her insider knowledge of the victims. I still think we’re seeing a very slow burn pairing here – we even hear about an amour of his who may now be out of the picture.
Murder at the Palace is a smart mystery and an engaging page-turner. All developments seem plausible, and there isn’t any “dead time”. Characters move from scene to scene and there’s a real sense of urgency throughout. There are no loose threads – Karine’s family tragedy is resolved, and we even learn the backstory behind her exquisite earrings, but have we heard the last from Aunt Mary’s ghost? I especially enjoyed the nascent romance between the Reverend Olson’s son and a courtesan-in-residence with a heart of gold, and wonder if we’ll meet up with them again.
I thoroughly enjoyed Murder at the Palace, and again look forward to the next installment in the series! I rate this 4.5*/5, rounded up to 5 for the ratings scale.
Friends and Enemies at the Palace – pwall55, Barnes&Noble ★★★★★
In Murder at the Palace in Jolie Tunnell all of Karine’s secrets are revealed while trying to solve a murder mystery that started in her small Minnesota town. This Mrs. Kelly Mystery Book 3 has twists, turns, several suspects and danger for Karine in more ways than one. Just when I think I know what will happen next, a character steps up and bring more details to light. I thought that Aunt Mary’s verbal presence would disappear, but I believe this late beloved member of Karine’s family is her to stay. I do hope that the guilty party’s trial is revealed in the next book. 4.5 Stars
Justice for Aunt Mary – katterfly66, Barnes&Noble ★★★★★
New Year’s Eve at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel finds Mrs. Karine Kelly’s traditional Norwegian desserts in high demand. Sent to bring her signature pastry to a guest, she stops short when she hears voices she thought she left far behind. Getting a passing waiter to deliver the dish, she hopes to escape detection. However, before she can escape, a man falls dead at the table. Detective Fisher believes in her innocence but the hotel wants the issue cleared up quickly. When a second murder occurs, and the fates of the hotel’s staff are on the line, Karine makes a shocking agreement to flush out the culprit. But first she’ll have to share the truth that sent her fleeing from home. Can she trust Detective Fisher and her instincts to solve this case and put the past behind her?
A thoroughly engrossing historical mystery with an intricately plotted and layered story. The third in the series, but can be enjoyed without having read the prior books. Compelling characters and well researched material keep you immersed in the narrative as the plot twists and turns. Karine and Detective Fisher are building trust in each other and I love the banter between them as they navigate being colleagues. I look forward to seeing their connection grow in the future. I also liked how accurately Karine’s fear of the freak San Francisco snowstorm was depicted and how it tied in with her aunt’s death.
Great world-building – lornavianna85, Bookbub ★★★★★
In this installment the reader finally learns about Mrs Kelly’s infamous aunt and what drove her to leave her home town. Unfortunately, this involves her being placed as a number one suspect in a murder. The other suspects are all intriguing and quite a few red flags are thrown into the tale. I would say this is perhaps the best installment of the series.
I enjoyed the fact that many characters are now familiar faces for the readership. The relationship between her and the inspector is also slowly developing as they ‘try’ to work as a partnership. I did however think that the true murderer was discovered more by accident than anything, which was a little disappointing. However that is a small point.
I greatly look forward to the next book in the series.
A Great Story– Deb74, Barnes&Noble ★★★★★
Mrs. Kelly is sure in trouble. The detective is spread thin and not sure if he can solve this great mystery. I really enjoyed the mystery with all the twists and turns and the history between Mrs. Kelly and the victim. A great story.
A New Year– eseals1, Bookbub, Barnes&Noble ★★★★★
Absolutely loved it. Each one of these books in this series are just getting better. Full of mystery, murder, friends, action, secrets and so much more. You have the return of fantastic group of characters. Mrs. Kelly is at the Palace Hotel, making desserts for the party goers on New Years Eve. Pearl sends her up stairs as some of the guests wanted to wish their chief a thank you. Standing outside the door when she hears voices that she knows. All of a sudden she hears Rev. Olsen fall over dead and lots of screams. Called in to figure our what happened is Detective Fisher and his team. So together they go thru the hints that is left at the scene, talking to the guests who were at the same table and just gathering evidence. Keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. Hope there’s another one of the books with them, really can’t wait. Would strongly recommend to everyone.
Unpredictable– Bluejeangirl, Bookbub ★★★★★
I absolutely love this series, and I think this book may be the best yet. Karine Halvorsdatter Torkelson Langland Kelly has gotten herself in deep in this installment. When she’s called upon to personally deliver one of her signature desserts to a Palace Hotel patron on New Year’s Eve, she’s brought to a stop when she hears familiar voices from home. What she doesn’t expect is that while she’s standing there, that patron will suddenly collapse. His collapse brings Detective Fisher into the picture, and Mrs. Kelly isn’t happy to be a prime suspect.
I loved how Karine and Detective Fischer work together so well. This time around, Mrs. Kelly helps solve multiple murders, including that of her beloved Aunt Mary. In doing so, she puts herself in grave danger in order to find the killer in order for her friends to go back to work. If she and Detective Fisher aren’t successful, then Karine will be off to prison, maybe worse.
This was an interesting and involving cozy mystery. The characters are what make this series work, and they didn’t disappoint in this book. I’m hoping that there are more books starring Mrs. Kelly to come. Her investigating skills are getting better and better with each volume. It’s also wonderful to “watch” 1880s San Francisco, for it’s as much of a character in this book as any human. If you couldn’t tell, I enjoyed reading this book very much, and I highly recommend it.
Realistic – perrin, Bookbub, Barnes&Noble ★★★★
In the third book of the Mrs. Kelly Mystery series, once again Karine Kelly is embroiled with a death. Having Detective Fisher on her side helps her as she is looked at as the prime suspect for poisoning some ‘friends’ from back home in Minnesota! When a second murder happens and it is again due to poisoning, Karine is once looked at as a suspect. Karine and Detective Fisher must now work together to try to figure out this mystery!
I love historical mysteries, especially ones that give you such great background on what was happening during that time in history. That it’s set in San Francisco was extra fun for me since I’m close to The City and have stayed and dined at The Palace Hotel!
Well written and well researched. I just wonder if we’re going to see the detective and the pastry chef get closer…romatically!
Wonderful characters– siawilin, Bookbub ★★★★★
My biggest problem with the Mrs. Kelly books is that it is so hard to put them down and go to bed. This latest continued to contribute to neglected sleep, but was such a delightful way to stay up late. Once again, Detective Fisher and Mrs. Kelly vibrate between romance, protectiveness, and total frustration as Mrs. Kelly’s past seems to have caught up with her. Since I like humor and a touch of romance mixed into murder stories, this author always proves top notch. While there are a few swear words, I really appreciate that the books are without lurid violence or sexual encounters. Now I’ll impatiently await the next in the series.