The Socialite's Guide to Death and Dating

October 11, 2023

The Socialite's Guide to Death and Dating

The Socialite’s Guide to Death and Dating (A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery)
by S. K. Golden

About The Socialite’s Guide to Death and Dating

The Socialite’s Guide to Death and Dating (A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – 1958 New York City
Crooked Lane Books (October 10, 2023)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639104852
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639104857
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BS2SG88V

Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver, the second Pinnacle Hotel mystery finds another murder that strikes too close to home, and hotel heiress Evelyn Murphy knows she’s the only one who can save the hotel before it’s lights out.

New York, 1958. Even though Evelyn Murphy has made progress conquering her agoraphobia by leaving the Pinnacle, she still feels most comfortable in her father’s hotel. With Malcolm Cooper, her new boyfriend and fellow employee at the hotel, Evelyn feels prepared for whatever happens next. In this case, it’s throwing a big fundraiser with the who’s who of New York City.

The night is a success, and Evelyn finally takes up Malcolm’s offer to finally visit his apartment in Yonkers. As the party ends, they sneak away to the garage to get Evelyn’s car. But Evelyn’s always been good at finding things, and she discovers the dead body of a guest, Judge Baker, in a car—with a needle in his arm.

Detective Hodgson and his new partner, Detective McJimsey, arrive on the scene, but before they can begin to question Evelyn, they are startled by another mysterious discovery: there’s a woman in the trunk of the car, and she screams as soon as she sees Evelyn’s face. Tangled up in the police investigation, Evelyn’s got another problem, too—her father insists she break off her relationship with Mac. The next day, her father is found attacked just like the judge, only this time the detectives find a dead woman nearby.

With Mac accused of the attacks and in police custody, Evelyn will have to find the killer on her own before she’s checked out of the hotel—this time, for good.

About S. K. Golden

S. K. Golden is the author of the Pinnacle Hotel cozy mystery series. Born and raised in the Florida Keys, she married a commercial fisherman. The two of them still live on the islands with their five kids (one boy, four girls — including identical twins!), two cats, and a corgi named Goku. Sarah graduated from Saint Leo University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Administration and has put it to good use approximately zero times. She’s worked as a bank teller, a pharmacy technician, and an executive assistant at her father’s church. Sarah is delighted to be doing none of those things now. Follow her across all platforms @skgoldenwrites.

Q&A With the Author:

What was your inspiration for writing this book?
For the first book in the Pinnacle Hotel series, I pitched it at Eloise at the Plaza all grown up and solving mysteries. This book continues that set up, and I did draw on some current day true crime stories for inspiration.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I really enjoyed writing Evelyn’s growing relationship with her mentor, Detective Hodgson. I don’t know if I particularly enjoyed writing about Evelyn’s anxiety and how she handles it, but as someone who has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, I’m grateful I can include it and talk about it in a hopefully helpful way.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?
Yes! I’m writing the third book in the Pinnacle Hotel series now. It will be published by Crooked Lane sometime in 2025. I’ve also got a crime caper in the workers and it’s about a retired con artist who has to come out of retirement to save her son. I’ll be announcing the details soon, so be sure to check out my website (skgoldenwrites.com)

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?
I’d like to write contemporary mysteries set in South Florida (where I live). I’ve also got a few sci-fi books in various stages of completion that I hope to publish one day.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Thank you so much for supporting Evelyn! I’m working on a free short story from Evelyn’s love interest’s point of view and, depending on when this publishes, might already be up for my newsletter subscribers. It should go live the same day that The Socialite’s Guide to Death and Dating releases, October 10th (you know, fingers crossed).