Murder at the Ivy Hotel

Meredith and her younger sister Macy feel very lucky to be able to live in the Ivy Hotel, where their Mum, Sally, is Manager, and they know all the staff, most of whom are nice, and the secret routes behind the scenes. They are not allowed to use Room Service, but their young friend Jake, training to be a chef, sometimes brings them his creations. They are also friendly with an older American lady, Agatha, who has lived in the hotel for a long time, and they take her little dog, Milo, for walks.  

As the story starts, the staff have recently found out that the hotel is soon to be sold and placed under new management. Various possibilities include automatic check-in (no need for a Receptionist) and doors (no friendly doorman), and the installation of vending machines: ideas that go completely against the principles and standards of the famous Ivy Hotel. It is also likely that the girls and their Mum would have to move, and that is just too awful to contemplate. They finally meet the only other child living in the hotel, Colin, whose parents come from Kolkata and are often away. The fact that there are always people around means that he can stay in the hotel on his own, but automation would mean that he, too, would have to leave. Odd things happen, and they wonder if the Events Manager, Celine, the only member of staff who actively dislikes the girls, is trying to sabotage the hotel.

A man checking in late, as Mr Smith, makes the girls think he might be a spy, checking up on the hotel and its staff, but when he is found dead in his room the next day, they realise that things are more complicated, and decide to investigate. Colin and the girls, with occasional help from Jake and doorman Bob, take some risks in finding useful information, but they finally solve the puzzle and unmask the murderer, and of course The Ivy is saved. 

The setting is Dublin, in a square rather like St Stephen’s Green, so there are opportunities to walk Milo, feed the ducks (with the appropriate food), and chat to Sean, who with his horse Flicker takes tourists for a ride in a carriage, and keeps an eye on the area, which proves very helpful indeed. Emily Hourican writes well, and there is a lot of humour in the characters and the interactions, so this is a very enjoyable story.