Death in Disguise by Sally Spencer

There's a dead American in one of the suites of the Royal Victorian Hotel.  Not only that, but it's murder.  The hotel manager is astounded and wants it resolved as soon as possible and without putting his facility in the limelight.  He wasn't much concerned about the victim...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read and review this book (thank you).  It will be published August 1st.

Monika is expecting a straight forward case.  It will take some investigation to find out who visited her in the suite but it should be doable.  The problem is that no one saw anything, she didn't talk to anyone at the hotel, and she's traveling under a false name.  She grew up in the states and wrote books about famous people with lots of dirt from the past revealed.  No one knows what she was working here in England.

From here, the story gets even more complex.  The person they think they've uncovered from the false identity is not that person either.  The secrets go back for years.  The moneyed families involved have died out but the evil history still exists.

To solve this crime, they have to solve the murder from years ago.  With certain facts brought to light and a box that holds secrets they finally get answers.  The killer was a real surprise to me but hatred is a strong motivator.

This was a good read but Ms. Spencer always makes her stories a bit dark.  Be prepared to meet evil.