It’s 1953 and reporter Sydney Lockhart and her partner/boyfriend, PI Ralph Dixon, are hobnobbing at a swanky party at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. Before Sydney finishes her first martini, a gunshot sounds, and future gubernatorial candidate, Leland Tatum, is found dead in the Yellow Rose Suite down the hall. With wit and humor, Syndey finds herself embroiled in another hotel murder.

Sydney and Dixon have just opened their new detective agency when a high-profile case walks through the door. The sleuthing couple are hired by a campaign manager to discover what possible opposition research could ruin his gubernatorial candidate’s chances to win. But before they can begin their investigation the candidate is murdered in a room next to the Yellow Rose Suite in the famous Driskill Hotel.

The 1950s were seldom as exciting as in these fast-paced and funny mysteries, which are packed with action right to the end. What will bring you back to the next Sydney Lockhart novel, though, is the snappy dialogue and the cast of memorable characters. If you’re tired of the 21st Century, or just need a little break from it, pour yourself a martini and open Murder at the Driskill for the perfect escape.

-Karla Klyng

A no nonsense, tightly crafted page turner with laugh-out-loud moments. - Dan Andriacco