Murder at the Pontchartrain (The Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series Book 6)
Release date: June 30, 2023
Subgenre: Historical Mysteries
The Mrs. Maisel of the Murder Mystery World
By Kathleen Kaska
Each story takes place in an actual historic hotel where protagonist Sydney Jean Lockhart, a reporter, arrives to cover a story and soon finds herself embroiled in a murder, often as a suspect. Too outspoken and impertinent for her own good, Sydney makes her situation worse before solving the crime. Assisted by her wealthy, fashion-conscience cousin, Ruth Echland, the two modern women make nuisances of themselves while trying to stay one step ahead of the killers.
While researching my books, I spend
time at each hotel where I interview the concierges or general managers, who
can usually dig up juicy tidbits for me. Then I visit the local newspaper
offices and the libraries to read back issues and find out what was happening during
that time.
The Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs,
Arkansas, the setting for the first Sydney Lockhart mystery, has a history
display that dates back to the hotel’s inception in 1875. The Luther Hotel in
Palacios, Texas (location of the second book), owned by the same family since
the 1930s, had an entire room of scrapbooks, photos, and other memorabilia,
like letters from Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, who stayed there often.
Palacios also has a museum, which provided me with some excellent information. My
research for Murder at the Galvez was
easy because I spend a lot of time in Galveston, Texas. My husband was born on
the island, so I picked his brain about what he remembered about life in the
1950s.
Murder
at the Driskill (Austin) was easy to write because I lived in Austin for
twenty-five years, and the Driskill Hotel bar was a swanky place to hang out.
Here’s
some background on Sydney. She is twenty-nine-years-old and grew up in Houston,
Texas. She moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas. As a young
college student during World War II, Sydney began admiring the young, brave
women who became the backbone of the country’s workforce. A Women Airforce
Service Pilot (WASP) poster hung in her dorm room, and when she wasn’t
elbow-deep in science-education classes, Sydney attended women’s rights
rallies. She vowed to stay single and independent, having turned down her first
marriage proposal at age eighteen. Having two wacky parents as marital role
models also kept Sydney away from the altar. After graduation, Sydney landed a
job as a travel writer for the Austin
American. She discovered she was much better at solving crimes and
eventually hooked up with ex-police detective Ralph Dixon. They joined forces
and opened their own detective agency. In case you’re wondering, they are
romantically involved.
Since the first book, Sydney has
grown and changed a lot in a short time. In book number five, Murder at the Menger, she’s questioning
some of her personal and professional decisions. She begins to doubt herself
and doubt Dixon’s loyalty. And for this case, Sydney starts out working alone
in an unfamiliar city, San Antonio. To make matters worse, she is attacked and
left for dead. She survived the incident, but her head injury resulted in
amnesia, causing her to remember only snatches of the case she was working on
and why she was in San Antonio. But her life back in Austin is a complete blur,
and she doesn’t know who she can trust.
I’ll keep writing Sydney mysteries
as long as I enjoy them and people enjoy reading them. I have a list of hotels
I plan to use. Murder at the
Pontchartrain will be out in June. It takes place at the Pontchartrain
Hotel in New Orleans, one of my favorite cities.
Now, I’ll let Sydney tell you more
about herself and Murder at the
Pontchartrain:
My name is Sydney Lockhart. I solve murders, most of which I’m the primary suspect.My boyfriend/partner, Ralph Dixon, and I came to the Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans to get married. Instead, Dixon’s in jail for a double murder. I’m in a swamp, spying on the KKK. Helping me untangle this mess is my bubble-headed cousin Ruth who’s undercover as a chef at the Pontchartrain. My twelve-year-old charge, Lydia LaBeau, dressed as a voodoo queen, is looking for clues at Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter. Rip Thigbee, a ghost detective, is my only hope.
I’m not making any of this up. This is my life and this is what I deal with, like it or not.
So, mix yourself a Hurricane and join me in the Big Easy for another historic hotel murder case.
Amazon | Anamcara Press
About Kathleen Kaska:
Kathleen Kaska is the author of the award-winning mystery series: the Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series. Her first two Lockhart mysteries, Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus books for the Pulpwood Queen Book Group, the country’s largest book group. She also writes mystery trivia. The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book was published by Rowman & Littlefield. Her Holmes short story, “The Adventure at Old Basingstoke,” appears in Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street, a Belanger Books anthology. She is the founder of The Dogs in the Nighttime, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Anacortes, Washington, a scion of The Baker Street Irregulars.
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