"Never waste good rum on a bad night." - Teddy Lawless, February 1926.There are many bad nights ahead for Teddy. Shortly after she arrives at the newly opened Vinoy Hotel in Saint Petersburg, she comes face to face with her ex-fiancé, Ansel Stevens, in the dining room. Cue the slap that was thirty years in the making. Unfortunately, her ex-fiancé dies during a yacht race shortly thereafter. Conclusion of the authorities: poison. His family closes ranks, leaving Teddy as the prime suspect. Worse, Teddy's hair comb is found on the deck of Ansel's boat, leading to her swift arrest. Can Cornelia Pettijohn and Uncle Percival save fun-loving Teddy before she goes from the grand hotel to the big house?
Things are going well until Teddy runs into her ex-fiancé, Ansel Stevens, from thirty some years ago in the Vinoy's dining room. The man ruined her and her family's reputation when he told lies about their breakup, and Teddy hasn't forgotten or forgiven. Walking up to him in the dining room, Teddy slaps the man and in the process loses her hair comb. When Ansel is challenged to a yacht race by his daughter's suitor things get out of control. Ansel drops dead at the end of the race, and it is determined that he was poisoned by nicotine in his hat brim. His family immediately closes ranks and manages to get Teddy arrested and incarcerated for his murder. Can Teddy survive incarceration without her daily "hooch" and freedom?
Cornelia is an Army nurse on furlough and Teddy's closest friend having served together in The Great War. Can Cornelia and Uncle Percival find the real murderer and save Teddy? They start to investigate and find many other suspects, but which one is the right one? As they scour St. Petersburg for clues, they are hampered by the murder victim's daughter who is determined to make Teddy the one who killed her father.
This was a delightful and fun read. I enjoyed the chase thru speakeasies, hotels, hair salons, and the developing countryside of St. Petersburg. The author caught my interest from the opening paragraphs and never lost it. The characters are well drawn and will keep you laughing and turning the pages. The historical background was fun and entertaining. I highly recommend this book to all cozy fans who enjoy a historical mystery.
It's 1926 and Saint Petersburg, Florida, is booming with new homes, new restaurants, new resorts and a million dollar pier. In Murder at the Million Dollar Pier by Gwen Mayo and Sarah E. Glenn, Cornelia Pettijohn and her uncle Percival are joined by Teddy Lawless on a visit to the Sunshine State.
Uncle Percival's obsession with engineering has led them to the construction site known as the Million Dollar Pier. They decide to stay at the luxurious Vinoy Hotel overlooking the Bay so Uncle Percival can observe and film the construction. But trouble seems to follow the trio as they encounter Teddy's former fiance Ansel Stevens
Thirty years of pent up animosity towards the abusive Stevens manifests itself in a hard slap across his face by Teddy, then as he manhandles anther woman, a kick to the Achilles heel. Everyone is agog, but Teddy returns to her table to finish her dinner.
Once back in the room, Cornelia finagles the story from Teddy. Turns out she was engaged to Stevens when she was 17, but when she asked to be part of the decision making, he started to beat her. When her parents insisted she marry him anyway, Teddy fled to her grandmother's house in New York. Stevens spread the rumor that Teddy was pregnant with another man's baby and ruined her reputation and that of her family. No surprise she felt the need to slap him.
But days later when Stevens dies from nicotine poisoning during a boat race and Teddy's hair comb is found on board, she is arrested. Cornelia and Percival are determined to clear her, but Stevens' daughter Evelyn is just as determined to convict Teddy.
The intrepid Percival and the diligent Cornelia work to find evidence to clear Teddy. A riotous adventure featuring three gutsy characters.
