THE SOCIALITE'S GUIDE TO SLEUTHING & SECRETS by S. K. Golden
The Third Pinnacle Hotel Mystery

Though she'd prefer to be in her room at the Pinnacle Hotel with just her pets as companions, Evelyn Murphy has agreed to eat lunch in the Gold Room with her friend Henry. While admiring a tiara that was just delivered to her, ladies at a nearby table ask her to join them. As the hotel owner's daughter, Evelyn graciously sits with them and is soon given a sales pitch from Lois Mitchel, leader of the Ladies Love to Sparkle. As Evelyn peruses their costume jewelry catalog, Lois suddenly collapses. While it looks as if Lois suffered from a deadly allergic reaction, Evelyn's first thought is murder. While Evelyn Murphy has great difficulty with many aspects of her life, one thing she does well is find things...and that includes murderers.

THE SOCIALITE'S GUIDE TO SLEUTHING & SECRETS brings readers back to the Pinnacle Hotel, a luxury hotel in 1958 New York City and home to the Evelyn Murphy. Still reeling from the departure of her lover, Evelyn has been backsliding, refusing once again to leave the hotel. But, when faced with another death, one where the woman fell right on top of her, she focuses on what she does best. It's fascinating to watch Evelyn's methods, her relationships with others, and her ultimate successes. I loved her plan to trap the killer!

In the first book in the Pinnacle Hotel Mystery series I found Evelyn Elizabeth Grace Murphy contrived, especially with her speech, thank you ever so much. However, she's growing and by this third book we can see the character she's cultivated slowly fading as she's slowly letting her true self out. She even is just Evelyn Murphy now. Of course, it's slow going, but she's trying to be a better person.

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 depth and more intrigue.

Humorous, yet imbued with pathos, THE SOCIALITE'S GUIDE TO SLEUTHING & SECRETS is a skillfully crafted mystery bringing 1950s style to a novel that's simply the ginchiest!

In 1950s Manhattan, hotel heiress Evelyn Murphy finds herself entangled in a dazzling yet deadly mystery in the third Pinnacle Hotel Mystery installment. During a luncheon, she unexpectedly receives a diamond tiara, drawing the interest of jewelry saleswoman Lois Mitchell. Moments later, Lois collapses in Evelyn’s lap—appearing to have had an anaphylactic response to something she ate. Meanwhile, the city buzzes about a Gentleman Thief, leaving red pocket squares at crime scenes. Determined to uncover the truth, Evelyn navigates a world of fake jewels, elusive criminals, and hotel intrigue. With sharp wit and relentless curiosity, she’s ready to crack this glittering, high-stakes case.

Pub Date: March 11, 2025

4.5 stars!

I loved this cozy mystery! It was fun and light hearted and easy to follow, which I'll be honest I struggle to keep the pieces of a mystery together. I'm too distracted by life to also have to keep track of all the threads, so thank you S. K. Golden for throwing your girl a bone! Evelyn Murphy is equal parts ditzy, glitzy, clever and observant. She is thoughtful about those who are in her inner circle, but gives her whole heart and attention to them once they're in. She uses her personality, her means and her quick wit to gather information to use toward solving two mysteries - the identity of the Gentleman Thief who steals precious jewels throughout the city, and the murder of Lois Mitchell who died in the Gold Room of Evelyn's hotel. Evelyn is the girliest, sassiest sleuth and I'm here for it. 

After reading this third installment, I will definitely be going back to read the first two, though I did not feel like readers needed to read the first two to read this one. The first book is The Socialite's Guide to Murder and the second book is The Socialite's Guide to Death and Dating. Such a fast and fun read - perfect for on the go, vacation or just a cozy weekend at home!

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this early gifted eARC!

Book 3 of the book puts heartbroken heiress Evelyn in the midst of a pyramid scheme / murder and a wicked thief.

Evelyn, as always, is a bit self-absorbed, but you can see her changing slowly through the books and being pushed beyond her boundaries. Her ever-present entourage is there to put her in her place, encourage her, and support her. I really missed Mac in this book.

The murder mystery was a little wacky, and the secondary plot with the thief interesting too. The ending definitely was a big SURPRISE!

Cannot wait for book 4.

Amaras narration was on point with her accents. You could definitely hear various emotions, Evies sadness, Poppy's anger, the detectives' wryness, and Colin's seductiveness.

#netgalley #TheSocialitesGuidetoSleuthingandSecrets

This latest in the series- which will be fine as a standalone- sees Evelyn, the wealthy agoraphobic daughter of a hotel magnate once again solve crimes with the help of an entertaining cast of characters. A ladies lunch at the hotel goes bad, a jewel thief is afoot and Evelyn has to take a deep breath. Good atmospherics for this novel at in 1958 New York. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I wasn't a fan of Evelyn in the past but she's grown on me and I suspect on others as well.

Evelyn’s personal growth is truly a joy to see. And the mystery was very cool to watch unfold. It took me a while to get accustomed to not seeing certain characters in this book but oh well, life goes on lol. The cherry on top for me will always be the side characters. I can’t wait to read more of this series.

A very enjoyable series. Evelyn Murphy, the socialite daughter of a wealthy hotel owner, lives in, and rarely leaves the Pinnacle Hotel in New York City. Along with her friends, hotel employees, and others, once again, she sets out to solve a murder, this time of someone who actually lands in her lap.

This is a fun, fast-paced series. Great characters and a terrific plot, once again. I love this series more and more with each passing book.

Highly recommended!!

The Socialite's Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets is book 3 in S.K. Gordon’s Pinnacle Hotel Mystery series but as someone who was not familiar with the series, I can confidently say that it’s easily read as a standalone.

The story is written in first person from the point of view of Evelyn Murphy, the daughter of a rich hotelier, and living in the fabulous Pinnacle Hotel in London circa 1958. Evelyn is attending a charity luncheon at the hotel when she is summoned to the table of a bunch of ladies, and shortly afterward one of them falls dead into her lap. Evelyn is determined to solve the crime in order to prevent the reputation of the hotel from being affected.

In the beginning of the book I found Evelyn to be a bit selfish, and unaware or uncaring of the feelings of some of the people she interacted with. Even later in the novel there were a few places where I felt like she was a bit self absorbed, but she did grow on me.

There were a number of people to serve as suspects in the murder of Mrs. Mitchell, and with a secondary mystery to solve, that of the jewelry thief, this mystery was quite an interesting read with a rather exciting ending.

I think any lover of cosy mysteries would enjoy this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Evelyn is back! Minus a beau but plus new friends and frenemies. The action begins right from the start, when she is invited to a table of ladies who lunch, only to end up with their leader passing out in her arms. When she eventually dies, the police call it an accident. Evelyn knows better. This is a book that benefits from reading the previous volumes, but just in case, I’ll try to avoid spoilers. This time, a character is missing and this forces Evelyn to rely more on other recurring characters, getting to know them better. There are also additions to the cast, including the dreamboat son of Mr. Sharpe, who brings some romantic tension to the plot, since Evelyn is also considering dating her attorney. This time I didn’t figure out whodunit and, even if I did predict one of the twists, the ending left me flabbergasted. I’m really intrigued by her Mother’s case, which we don’t get to find out a lot about, but hopefully will feature more prominently in the future. That said, what I like the most about this series is the main character. She is a spoiled, egocentric rich girl and yet, I like her so much! Her love for animals, the fierce loyalty to her friends and her remarkable intelligence (which she’s forced to hide) makes it understandable how everybody is willing to help her, beyond the obvious that she is insanely wealthy. So I just have one bone to pick with her: Marple over Poirot? Really? I can’t wait for the next volume. Five stars!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Crooked Lane Books.

“It’s a curious thing to know exactly where you are and still be lost. For example, I was at lunch.”
Here are reasons to read the Mystery book:

3rd in series - In this 3rd book in the series
Hotel - we continue to follow Evelyn as the heiress in residence/ owners daughter of the Pinnacle hotel
Guest - in which she has a guest literally turn purple and fall into her lap

While you don’t need to necessarily read the first two books to get context, it does help. At the beginning of this book Evelyn’s boyfriend Mac from the first 2 books has left her. And she is also slightly agoraphobic, so she regresses a bit when he leaves. But she is always down to solve a murder. The fun thing about this one is that it talks about pyramid schemes similar to other jewelry selling businesses. And considering it’s 1958 this is a really interesting topic. If you like cozy mysteries that aren’t too complicated, this one's for you.

I got so excited about the idea of an heiress going about her day as an undercover sleuth. It's like Nancy Drew meets Gossip Girl. There is just a little bit of hesitation in propelling the plot much faster. Overall a good book!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Focusing on the daughter of hotelier, Evelyn is anxious, clueless about life and often selfish. However there is something endearing about Evelyn, and I did enjoy the banter and sleuthing within the story. It didn’t blow me away but it was fun.

I didn’t realise going into this book that it is part of a series, it is totally readable without reading the rest of the books. However, I think I may have enjoyed the story more if I had read the previous books in the series.

Another fun Socialite's Guide by S.K. Golden. Evelyn is the feisty protagonist who is not without faults but she has a quick wit and notices every detail! The time period and physical setting is perfect for Evelyn's story and I have enjoyed every twist and turn that had me guessing to the very end. Some of Evelyn's romantic antics add a lot to the story but does not take away from the mystery! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

The Socialite's Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets, book three in the Pinnacle Hotel Mystery series by S. K. Golden, is a fun romp with two distinct mysteries for the main character, hotel heiress Evelyn Murphy, and her friends to solve.
The suspects for the first mystery, the death of an unscrupulous woman at the head of a pyramid scheme taking advantage of desperate women, are plenty, while the suspects for the jewel thief preying on the rich, are few and far between. Golden metes out the clues one by one, culminating in a tense situation for our heroine.
This is the first book of the series that I have read, and it stands well on its own. I initially found Evelyn unrelatable and even irritating in her privilege, but found myself warming to her slightly by the end of the book.
I was happy to receive an ARC of #TheSocialitesGuidetoSleuthingandSecrets from #NetGalley, and recommend the book for a fun, easy read.

Things that i love, the over, the premises, the time period, Love the main character very much. Also did not know that this was a part of series and surprisingly very easy to understand

Evelyn is back, doing what she does best, after a woman falls dead in her lap! There are two mysteries at the Pinnacle for Evelyn to solve this time, one being the dead woman and the second being a gentleman jewelry thief. The hunt for her mother's murderer also continues. This was a fun read, and I enjoyed the MLM aspect that the author brought in. I will be eagerly anticipating the next book after that double cliff hanger!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for access to this arc.

Evelyn Murphy is back (and having the ginchiest time!) in S. K. Golden's The Socialite's Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets! There's both a murderer and a cat burglar running around the Pinnacle, and she's determined to discover the identity of both, while continuing to avoid leaving the luxury hotel that is her home - and when her mother's long lost journals turn up, Evelyn has a third mystery on her hands!!! Loved it, and I'm so glad to return to the Pinnacle! 5 stars!!!

Evelyn Murphy, the daughter of the Pinnacle Hotel's owner, is invited to join a group of women dining at the hotel.
When the leader of the group suddenly has problems breathing, medical help is summoned. When it turns out
that the woman died due to a shellfish allergy, Evelyn is convinced she was murdered as there was no seafood
on the menu. Evelyn investigates the other women in the party, as well as the dead woman's husband, convinced
that one of them is the murderer. Enjoyable cozy read.
#TheSocialitesGuidetoSleuthingandSecrets #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

In this third installment of the Pinnacle Hotel mysteries, Evelyn is as charming and sassy as ever as she looks into the son of the hotel manager and has another murder case literally drop into her lap.

A tiara, a sudden death, and stolen jewelry … Evelyn’s on it

Book 3 in the Pinnacle Hotel Mystery series picks up right where the last one left off. Evelyn is heartbroken from Mac (Malcolm Cooper) leaving after her father threatened to cut her off financially. Poppy is Evelyn’s assistant in her role as hotel event planner. Former police detective turned private investigator Hodgeson is still looking into the death of Evelyn’s mom. Unfortunately, Evelyn has taken a step back, she has not left the hotel since Mac has left, despite the urgings of her analyst.

Evelyn has a murder literally fall into her lap, how could she not investigate it? Add to the mix the Gentleman Thief, adventures abound for Evelyn with the help of Poppy, Henry (dashing movie star), and Hodgeson.

This case is quite difficult when there doesn’t seem to be a motive. As Evelyn works to convince the authorities the death was not accidental, deal with the findings in her mother’s death and get over her heartbreak, it is an emotional minefield for her. As Evelyn navigates her way through we learn more about out how she became the person we met back in Book 1, The Socialite’s Guide to Murder.

If I am not mistaken, Henry is a bit more active in this mystery. Hodgeson is … well, Hodgeson and I love it. There are new clues to some new challenges ahead for Evelyn and I can’t wait to see how she handles them. She is a young heiress barely out of her teens who lives in her father’s hotel without much experience in the real world. I cannot wait to see what happens in Book 4.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.

Happy Reading!

Soclialite Evelyn Murphy is stunned when she receives a diamond tiara from an unknown sender. However, she is soon occupied when Lois Mitchel, a costume jewelry saleswoman, chokes and dies in her lap. As the city buzzes with news of a Gentleman Thief leaving red pocket squares at his crime scenes, Evelyn takes it upon herself to unravel the mystery of Lois’s death. With suspects ranging from jewelers to Robin Hood wannabes, Evelyn navigates a web of intrigue to crack the case and uncover the truth.

It was fantastic to be back with Evelyn once again. She’s still dealing with the heartbreak of the previous book and has retreated back to the Pinnacle Hotel as her safe zone. Slowly, though, Hodgeson’s investigation into her mother’s death and her own murder investigation draw her back outside. I love how she learned more about herself and accepts advice on how to be better “finder” of things.

For the most part, the plot moved at a good pace. There were a few occasions when it felt like just another conversation, repeating things we already knew, but not enough that it became annoying. The cast of characters was fun. Even when I guessed one of the culprits, it was enjoyable to watch Evelyn get to the answer.

Fans of the series are sure to enjoy this one!