Evelyn Murphy lives in a hotel with her dog and cat. She is an heiress with a penchant to solving crime. She also has a dislike or a phobia of stepping out of the hotel and spends her entire day in the hotel.

When one of her guests falls ill whilst dining and subsequently dies and Evelyn herself is a witness, the death is ruled as murder and Evelyn is determined to get to the bottom of it and clear Chef Marco’s name and the reputation of the hotel.

Set in 1958 the story is descriptive not just of the era, but also of this particular class of society. I enjoyed a book by this author before but there seemed to be a sameness to the style and story in this one as well.
There is a lot of the manner in which rich people of the time behaved which they thought perfectly normal. This grated after some time.

“𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝! 𝐒𝐨. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭? 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞?”

The Socialite’s Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets is a delight!

Hotel heiress Evelyn Murphy is distressed: her beau Mac left her behind for England, her therapist is after her to immerse herself fully into planning a fundraising gala, a thief is targeting the rich and stealing jewelry around the city, and to top it off, a woman dies in the dining room of the Pinnacle - making for multiple deaths at the hotel in a just few weeks! S.K. Golden has created just a fun cozy series with characters that you can’t help but love; Elle Woods-like Evelyn continues to show growth with her concern for others, and her unrelenting search for justice and truth. I adore the core group of characters that surround her too as a support system. Henry is featured so much more in this story, which I appreciated; I really felt his absence prior. I am also glad Golden has allowed he and Poppy to grow close, alongside adding lawyer Wally into the bunch. They remind me a bit of “Scooby gang” type with helping Evelyn solve all the mysteries that come her way. Hodgson and Evelyn’s relationship has grown as well; you can tell he cares for her well-being, becoming also older brother & sister-like. The central mystery isn’t quite as good as the last two books; it was a little hard to follow Evelyn's train of thought, and the core group of suspects didn't seem to have real motives for wanting Lois dead until quite far along in the book. The 1950s pyramid scheme of selling costume jewelry was excellent though - it made me chuckle and realize that some things don't ever change!

The Socialite’s Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets is another fun entry to this cozy glamorous series. After that ending, and knowing that Evelyn and Hodgson are still looking into the cold case of her mother’s murder, I’m very much looking forward to book #4! Thanks to Crooked Lane Books & NetGalley for the ARC!

"The Socialite’s Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets" by S. K. Golden is a delightful and sparkling mystery that whisks readers away into a world of glamour, gossip, and unexpected intrigue. This book offers a charming blend of high society antics and clever detective work, perfect for those who enjoy their mysteries with a dash of wit and elegance.
"The Socialite’s Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets" is an ideal read for anyone seeking a sophisticated yet cozy mystery that combines the allure of the social scene with the thrill of a good whodunit. If you're looking for an entertaining escape filled with charm, secrets, and a protagonist you'll love to follow, this book is a truly enjoyable pick.

Not my favorite in the series. I didn’t like Mac’s abrupt leaving, but I can honestly say I didn’t like Evelyn’s reaction to it. I also didn’t like the fact that she retreated back into never leaving the hotel. I was hoping she would be stronger than that.

The murder itself wasn’t interesting enough for me. It started out intriguing with the how but quickly was overshadowed with Evelyn’s thoughts and actions. I would have preferred if it had focused solely on Evelyn’s mother and maybe the thefts at the hotel. This extra mystery just didn’t have enough steam behind it for me to continue to care.

Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

This review is of the audiobook version:
I listened to the previous book in the series:The Socialite’s Guide to Death and Dating and enjoyed the tale.

Outwardly vapid leading ladies are not ones I usually engage with, but this particular series surprised me. Evelyn Murphy has more money than she could spend and this is a matter of fact with her, making her oblivious to a lot of other nuances to ‘normal’ people’s lives. It is also the narrative style I think, that brings the world to life. I do not know if just reading it would have been as entertaining, but the intonations used by the narrator have not stuck with me and I am sure if I read the next, I will still hear things the same way in my head.

Evelyn is trying to recover from catching a criminal and being ditched. There’s also the matter of her mother’s death that she’s trying to have investigated. In the midst of all this, to maintain her sanity, she has been asked to host a gala. The pyramid scheme of selling jewellery just happens to fall into her lap ( almost literally). The related death and investigation is supposed to be yet another distraction but I enjoyed it all the same.

I am not sure prior experience with the characters is required to appreciate and understand this book ( since I just jumped in with the previous one). The central mystery ( not of the mother’s death) was investigated well and I liked the twist which made sense in the bigger picture. I look forward to listening to another book as soon as possible!

I would highly recommend this book/series and especially in this format to fans of the genre.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

Evelyn is just trying to make it through life with agoraphobia. Plus, her paramour, Mac, took off at the end of the last book. But she's maintaining. At least until someone sends her a tiara. It's that tiara that attracts the attention of a group of ladies lunching at The Gold Room. Their leader appears to be a woman named Lois. And it's Lois who ends up dead.
While dealing with the fallout from that death, Evelyn is also working around the rumors of the Gentleman Thief. He robs the wealthy leaving only a red pocket square behind.
I enjoyed this book. I really liked that Evelyn is getting out of the hotel more often (whether by hook or by crook.) Didn't love the end of her foray into the city but I am excited to see what happens in the next book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 11, 2025
Follows The Socialite's Guide to Death and Dating
ARC kindly provided by Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

There is so much potential in this series and every book falls flat.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC but unfortunately this is not the series for me.

Evelyn Murphy is back, and she's not doing all that well. Mac's departure has left her sad, and again unwilling to leave the hotel.

During a luncheon, Evelyn comes to the attention of a costume jewellery sales team, whose leader Lois Mitchel urges Evelyn to get involved with the team. Unfortunately, Lois chokes and falls on Evelyn during the lunch, and is dead before the end of the day.

The papers, of course, point out that this is not the first death at the Pinnacle Hotel, angering Evelyn, who attempts to do damage control. But her words are twisted by a reporter, who points out that Evelyn lives a privileged, oblivious-to-reality life, and that the Gentleman Thief, a person who has been targeting New York City's wealthy, has turned his eyes to the hotel guests.

Evelyn knows she has to not only deal with a thief, but also find a murderer, and she begins poking into the lives of the sales team, including Lois'.

Meanwhile, the gruff detective Hodgson, who has agreed to look into Evelyn's mother's untimely death, grudgingly aids her with her inquiries.

Despite Evelyn's occasional descent into ditziness, she's smart, and much more observant than people give her credit for, seeing only her love of fashion and glittery things.

I listened and read this story, and Amara Jasper again does a wonderful job voicing the perky Evelyn. Jasper also ably captures Hodgson's grumpiness, and Evelyn's friend Henry's enthusiasm for helping her expose the perpetrators.

Of course Evelyn solves the two mysteries, but what was more interesting to me is her progress, or lack of progress, with her mental health. Her loneliness and sadness with Mac's leaving has set her back, but I love that Hodgson and Poppy, her assistant, keep pushing her, kindly, out of her comfort zone.

And that ending means that I must have the next book in my hands right away!

Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and to Dreamscape Media for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

Third book in the series, but can be read as a standalone as any important information from the previous books can be gleaned from context.

I've read books 2 and 3 back to back and I am still not a big fan of Evelyn, the poor little rich girl. I felt for her in this one though, she's become a bit of a recluse after the events at the end of book 2. But, as in the previous books, a new case literally drops into her lap during a lunch. Was it really just an allergic reaction or murder? And how can Evelyn stop the modern day Robin Hood stealing from the Pinnacle Hotel's guests?

Quirky secondary characters, like Poppy, Henry and Hodgson, kept me reading.

Semi reclusive hotel heiress, Evelyn Murphy, is back finding herself once again in the middle of trouble. When a hotel guest dies of an apparent allergic reaction right in front of Evelyn, she has her doubts, believing it was murder. Add in a mysterious cat burglar stealing jewelry from other Pinnacle Hotel guests and you have a cozy mysterious with a number of quirky characters.

In this third book in the series, I found the plot a bit slow and the writing repetitive, however the final showdown of the murderer's reveal was fun and satisfying. As the 'author blurb' on the front cover explains, it is as if Eloise in the Plaza Hotel has grown up and moved to London.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun story in a perfect timeline! This was my first read with the author and this series, and I absolutely loved it. I would be happy to read future books by this author or in this series.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for a review.

Back to the Pinnacle Hotel in the 1950s! I love this series. And this is my favorite one of the series so far. I was laughing constantly. Evelyn is a favorite. I love how her mind works. The way Golden writes her is so enjoyable. Evelyn is still full of kindness and still throws her money around but I love her all the more for it. (She has an adventure on the subway that was very funny.)

I enjoyed the mystery. There’s another murder at the Pinnacle and now a thief is on the loose. Evelyn, of course, has her usual well timed one liners. I laughed out loud many times. I think she is such a great and memorable character. I appreciated the progress of information in Evelyn’s mother’s murder. Another intriguing mystery that expands in each book.

Evelyn and Poppy are planning a gala (Evelyn can never remember who benefits and it makes me smile every time) and someone is killed a few days before. People keep getting robbed at the Pinnacle and my favorite socialite, who is so good at finding things, stops at nothing to solve them. Hodgson, Sharpe, and Henry (yay!) are around too. This is a great cast of characters.

I am hoping for many more books in this great series.

I received a NetGalley approval for the ebook and the audio book. Thank you to the publishers!

I had the opportunity to receive an advance copy of "The Socialite's Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets" by S. K. Golden. As someone who hadn't read the other books in the series, I found it somewhat challenging to get into the story initially. It felt as though the author assumed familiarity with the backstory, which wasn't extended to new readers.

Overall, the book was an okay read, but it didn't particularly stand out for me. While there was some good character development, I often found the main character difficult to relate to, which impacted my engagement with the story. This book might cater more effectively to those who are already fans of the series and familiar with its characters and their histories.

After some initial confusion about what decade the book was set in (that cover looks Art Deco to me and there was a diamond tiara, so I jumped to a wrong conclusion until a couple of references had me check the book's description) I really enjoyed this book. Evelyn is an intriguing protagonist and even though I haven't yet read the first two books in the series there's just enough backstory for me not to feel completely lost. The Pinnacle Hotel is an fun setting and the mystery itself invovles an early multi level marketing company.

A new series to me that I found very entertaining. Usually I prefer historical time periods in early 1920's but this was a very different setting, 1958

The heroine is amusing and has a fear of going outside which is unique, especially as she tries to unravel a murder!

Sit down and enjoy this cozy mystery and look forward to more!

S K Golden brings the reader another cozy Pinnacle Hotel mystery for Evelyn Murphy, heiress of the Pinnacle Hotel fortune, to solve in The Socialite's Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets. 1958 New York at the Pinnacle Hotel Evelyn is surprised by the gift of a diamond tiara as are a table of ladies who are lunching at the Pinnacle in honor of their sales of costume jewelry. Mrs. Mitchell, one of these ladies, choked on her food and died later that day. Someone poisoned her food with shellfish to which she was allergic. Whodunit? Who is robbing the rich of their jewelry throughout Manhattan? Evelyn is on the trail while putting up with hotel problems and her own foibles. Great reading.

The mystery was complex with multiple moving parts. a possible murder, a jewel thief, and a journalist looking to start trouble. The search to discover more about her mother's murder adds more intrigue but this series is just OK for me I just can't seem to warm up her although it being set in the 1950s is a little different to the normal and this was perhaps just better than the first two, 3.5 stars. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read to in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series so much! A cozy mystery series with real characters and problems. I especially appreciate how there is character growth from one novel to the next all while still being independent mysteries in each one. I recommend this series a lot for someone looking for a cosy mystery series that doesn't quite follow the pun titled cozies that are so prevalent.

There has been another murder at the Pinnacle Hotel. Evelyn Murphy, the owner’s daughter, was invited to join the Ladies Who Love to Sparkle at the hotel’s restaurant. As she looks over their catalogue of costume jewelry, champagne is served. Lois, the group’s leader, suffers an allergic reaction and later dies. The police call it an accidental death, but Evelyn is sure that it was murder. Lois was allergic to shrimp, which the restaurant did not have in supply. As Evelyn gets to know each member of the group she discovers that each one was hoping to make money from the sale of the jewelry. At that point, however, Lois was the only one who was profiting from their activities. Suffering from agoraphobia, Evelyn never leaves the hotel. She is still dealing with her boyfriend leaving her and she is responsible for organizing a charity ball. Luckily, she has Poppy, her assistant, to organize things for her. There is a journalist whose articles have been covering the murders associated with the hotel as well as a gentleman thief, who has been targeting wealthy clients of the hotel. To protect the hotel’s reputation, Evelyn calls on a retired detective who she originally hired to look into her mother’s death years earlier. She has provided a room at the hotel for his office and has daily meetings with him to discuss his progress and ask his advice on her investigation. He has finally discovered information about her mother that may require her to leave the hotel to follow his leads.

Evelyn’s life centers around her small dog, her wardrobe and her comfort. She may appear pampered and flighty, but people underestimate her. She has always had an uncanny ability to find things, including solutions to murder. As the charity ball approaches, S.K. golden brings all of the story lines together and provides a surprise appearance that will have you eager for Evelyn’s return. This was an entertaining mystery that brought smiles as Evelyn’s problems kept growing while she handled them in her own unique fashion. I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this book.

This adorable series continues to be both adorable and thoughtful. The heroine, hotel heiress and agoraphobe Evelyn Murphy, dresses almost completely in pink and dyes her hair blonde like her idol, Marilyn. It’s 1958 and Elvis rules, as does Evelyn’s spoiled pom, Presley. Evelyn’s almost boyfriend Mac has taken off for parts unknown, and so she’s entertaining ideas of other suitors throughout the book.

The main story, however, centers on the “Ladies Who Love to Sparkle”, women who sell costume jewelry, Tupperware party style. As Evelyn enjoys tea in her hotel’s dining room, one of the sparkle ladies asks her to join them. They share their catalogue, and all share a glass of champagne. So far so good, but then the leader of the group collapses in Evelyn’s lap and later dies in the hospital.

Evelyn, who never leaves the hotel, decides that this death is a murder, not an accident, and using the many tools she has at her disposal – including a private detective she keeps on hand – she begins her sleuthing. The sleuthing does involve her actually leaving the hotel. I’m not exactly sure how Evelyn’s agoraphobia would have been viewed or treated in the 50’s – my reference here is Betty Draper’s treatment in Mad Men, where her doctor reported her progress back to her husband. But Evelyn does have a doctor who is encouraging her to change her routine and try and get outside the hotel. And she does.

Those moments are a triumph, and it certainly aids Evelyn’s sleuthing for her to meet her suspects on their home turf. She’s often escorted by Henry, a movie star, who is secretly gay and often uses Evelyn as a beard. The two are genuine friends, however, and Henry is another useful member of Evelyn’s sleuthing arsenal.

Golden is good at keeping her story percolating, including a possible romance with a lawyer and the new hotel piano player, who is very dashing. Evelyn and her assistant and friend Poppy are also putting together a gala for charity which is more or less the denouement of the novel, in classic golden age style.

While Evelyn appears fluffy and dumb, she really has good instincts and ways of figuring out what’s happening. She reminds me a bit of Joan Coggin’s creation of Lady Lupin, who marries “down” (a vicar) and makes her way through village life with a startling amount of perception and humor. Evelyn shares Lady Lupin’s style and charm.

The mystery part is also quite clever and while the suspect pool is pretty small, Golden manages to create suspense and a bit of a thrill at the end of the novel which also includes a cliffhanger, making any reader more than ready for the next instalment.