Murder in Luxury

 Murder in Luxury (1981) by Hugh Pentecost (Judson Philips)

Murder takes over the exclusive Hotel Beaumont once more and its legendary manager Pierre Chambrun and Mark Haskell, his publicity manager and right-hand man, are going to have to stop it in its tracks. When a drug pusher/pimp is found shot to death in the apartment of Valerie Summers, her lawyer (a friend of Chambrun's) presumes upon his old friend to give the lady a place to stay. Valerie had come to New York to escape publicity and bad memories after her beloved husband had died in a fire. She's the lonely, rich heiress of the McCandless fortune who just wanted a place where she could be anonymous and forget the past. But now she finds herself suspect number one in the murder of a man she says she's never seen...and she's beginning to think she carries a load of deadly bad luck for anyone she comes in contact with. Her mother died giving her life. Her husband died in a fire. A friend and her son died in a plane crash after Val gave them the money to fly. And now this. And the man in her apartment isn't the last. Another man is found dead in her hotel room and then the policeman assigned to guard her room is killed. Lieutenant Keegan, the police detective in charge of the case, is sure that Val is mad killer behind that beautiful face. The only problem is--he and another officer and her lawyer were all with her when that police guard was killed. And if she didn't kill him then maybe she didn't kill the other two. But if not...then who did? Chambrun and Haskell are determined to find out.

*************Slight Spoiler Ahead***************

The entire time I was reading this I had a feeling of déjà vu. I can find no indication that I have read this one before (not even in the days before blogging), but the ending felt especially familiar. Maybe I read it and just forgot to log it. Anyway...the ending spectacular--mostly due to Mrs. Victoria Haven, the 81-year-old permanent resident of one of the three penthouse suites at the top of the hotel. She comes bursting into the grand finale and does everything she can to get the killer to break his hold on Valerie and Mark. Her time on the stage is well worth the price of admission. The mystery is pretty middle of the road--the culprit isn't well-hidden because, quite frankly, there just aren't many suspects to be had. Especially if you know (as anyone who reads even one of the series will know) that if Chambrun and Haskell are protecting someone in one of their hotel rooms, then that someone didn't do it. But the build-up to the finale is good and I thoroughly enjoy Chambrun and his world. So, overall a good solid read. ★★★ 

First line: Looking back at the many stories I've written about murder and violence at the Beaumont, New York's top luxury hotel, people might get the notion that that gracious and elegant establishment is not a place to stay in safety.

Last line: "I'm sure as hell going to try, ma'am," I said.
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Deaths = 8 (four shot; one natural; one fire; two plane crash)