Trouble at The Winston Hotel...A Mouse Mystery is the charming new children's book by author J. S. Keim.

Theodore takes a job working at the Winston Hotel to help support his mom and thirteen siblings after his dad dies. Strange things begin happening to guests at the hotel, and there is a possibility that the bad publicity will close it down. Determined to keep the hotel open, Theodore sets out to investigate what is really happening. Will he be able to solve the mystery and prevent the hotel from closing?

The story that unfolds is entertaining, charming, and full of mystery. Even though this is a children's book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I received an ARC from the author and NetGalley. My views are my own and are in no way influenced by anyone else.

Theodore is working as a doorman at an upscale hotel. He is a mouse and he 'mans' the mouse entry to the hotel. Unknown to most humans, many travel with secretive, but supportive mouse companions. Theodore's grandfather is the head mouse doorman and he is trying to make Theodore into a top-notch doorman. But Theodore gets sidelined into helping a guest's mouse companion. Together, they try to solve a mystery about why some of the big stars are getting ill. At the same time, they have to outsmart dogs and cats, also traveling with hotel guests, as well as alley cats.

This is a cute story about the mice working together and becoming detectives in order to protect the humans that they care for.

Trouble at the Winston Hotel is a sweet and clever middle grade mystery with heart, humor, and just the right amount of whiskers. Theodore, the brave little mouse with a big heart and even bigger responsibilities, won me over from the start. His determination to care for his family, chase love, and crack a mystery at a swanky mouse-run hotel made for an unexpectedly charming read. I genuinely enjoyed how it balanced fun adventure with real emotion—especially the themes of family and courage.

This is a delightful mouse mystery! Theodore our main mouse is adorable. I felt he was naive and grew a lot through the story. The plot was a murder mystery, mice trying to keep themselves hidden yet also work in a hotel (difficult to do) and also some romance. The plot was slightly unbelievable, but this is just some fun fantasy at the end of the day!
Aimed at children, I would say that a murder mystery could be a bit dark at times put there are plenty of other things going on to distract.
If you enjoyed The Rescuers then this is essentially the same, just they work in a hotel with all sorts occurring.

This book was CHEESY (pun intended) and not in a good way. The book is written oddly, as if the author expects everyone to speak perfect, proper English. There are no contractions to be found. It felt stilted a bit stuffy.

Theodore has become doorman at the Winston Hotel, at the mouse sized entrance. Humans and mice co-exist at this hotel, as long as the mice remain unseen. Celebrities are coming to the hotel to film a new movie and Theodore greets each of their four-footed companions as they enter (except for Fifi, the dog, who is too big to fit through the mouse entrance, not to mention extremely impolite). Why celebrities would travel with mice is the least far-fetched thing in this book of far-fetched things. Anyway, the celebrities keep turning up in unfortunate situations and Theodore decides he has to investigate.

This book has so many subplots it got almost obnoxious. There is not just one whodunit. I feel like the mouse setting makes this seem like a book for kids, but the crimes Theodore is investigating could be scary for young readers. I thought the mouse world created in the story was cute but on the whole I thought this was a terrible book, regardless of age. If you have a young kiddo who loves to read "scary books" I would recommend James Howe's stories over this one.

Thanks to Wild Quail Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

Hold my cheese—this book is ADORABLE! 🧀✨ I didn’t know I needed a mouse detective with thirteen siblings and a crush until Theodore strutted into my life with his tiny bow tie and massive heart. I was hooked from page one! It's got mystery, mouse romance (yes, really!), hotel hijinks, and more tiny tuxedos than you can imagine. If you love big drama in small packages, Trouble at the Winston Hotel is your next squeak-worthy read. 💼🔍🐾

Mystery, Mice, and Movie Stars—Oh My!

Who knew a pint-sized mouse in a bow tie could deliver big laughs, big love, and even bigger detective skills in this whisker-twitching tale of hotel hijinks?