In the midst of her preparations for a festive holiday celebration at the Pennyfoot Hotel and her friend Madeline's upcoming wedding, Cecily Sinclair Baxter must turn sleuth when a mysterious fire breaks out in a upstairs room, killing two guests, and Cecily's only clue is a pair of missing Christmas crackers.

After a footman and a new maid are seen kissing under the bough and then turn up dead afterwards, the downstairs staff at the Pennyfoot Hotel is convinced a serial killer is among them ... perhaps the mysterious guest known only as J. Mortimer. It's up to Cecily Sinclair Baxter and her staff to discover the murderer.

"Cecily Sinclair Baxter could use a Christmas miracle. Mrs. Chubb, the Pennyfoot's housekeeper, must travel up north for a family emergency, and Cecily needs a temporary replacement. The agency doesn't have much to offer on short notice during this busy time of year. But they have someone--Beatrice Tucker--who turns out to be more of a curse. She fights with just about everyone, including Archibald Armitage. Star of the London stage, Armitage is staying...

"It is an Edwardian Christmas, and the Pennyfoot Hotel is all dressed up. But when one of the guests turns up dead, owner Cecily Sinclair Baxter realizes it is not only the Pennyfoot that is back in business--the hotel's Christmas curse is, too... The Pennyfoot halls are decked with boughs of holly, a magnificently decorated tree graces the lobby, and the hotel's bookings are finally looking up. Owner of the Pennyfoot, Cecily Sinclair Baxter is in...