Death at the Savoy: A semi-romantic detective story with mysteries at play

Disclaimer! There will be spoilers contained in this article. Discretion is advised.

Introduction

Picking a book in the bookstore can be pretty challenging for those who want to find a great novel that is often not popular amongst the book community. This can involve online book communities such as BookTok, or it can be your local bookstore or library (even your book clubs). When I was trying to find a novel to read in the nearest bookstore around me, my goal was to read a novel in a genre that I would not normally read.

As such, I walked towards the nearest ‘mystery’ section and started to search. It would not be long before I would encounter a perfectly colorful cover with interesting illustrations. It was called Death at the Savoy. With much debate in my head, I decided to bring it home with me. It only took me 5 minutes in total for me to formulate a good opinion of the novel, and I ended up enjoying it a lot. With that, this review lists the parts I liked about the novel and why you should read it.

Death at the Savoy: What is it, really?

Death at the Savoy is a mystery novel written by Ron Base and Prudence Emery. In the beginning of the novel, we are already given the circumstances of the entire novel: a rich patron mysteriously passes away in one of London’s most famous hotels, the Savoy Hotel. Soon afterwards, the main character of the story, Priscilla Tempest, is quickly judged as the main suspect due to her circumstances with the deceased individual.

With that, she is left to solve the murder that took place in the hotel to clear her name and the Savoy’s reputation. Not only is it quick to point out the circumstances of the hotel, but it is through this quick chapter that we ended up learning more about the Savoy and its importance through the novel. It is also important to learn about the main protagonist (and hero) of the story, Priscilla Tempest.

While the story frequently shifts to different perspectives throughout the novel, we usually observe Tempest from a third-person point of view, as well as access to her inner thoughts throughout the novel. It should be noted that the entire story takes place in 1960s London, England, which gives the overall atmosphere of the entire novel as some sort of invigorating and sensual feel.

Priscilla Tempest

It would not be a thorough book review without the critique of the main character. Priscilla Tempest is a charming, cunning, and intelligent heroine who is very unique in her own right. One of the things that I do find hilarious is the idea that the people in London find her suspicious due to her high position in the Savoy, as well as her being Canadian. That little information made me laugh a little.

The other thing that I do appreciate about the novel is Priscilla’s interaction with her fellow employers, as well as her friends. Not only does she heavily rely on them, but her friends do love her and want her to stay safe and healthy. Her friendship with Susie, her co-worker, is refreshingly great due to their complete trust in one another, as well as their co-dependence on each other.

Outside of friendships, the characters in the novel are very well-written and likeable (or unlikable), and their interactions with one another do feel normal and well-written. Despite Priscilla encountering life-threatening situations to demanding duties from irritable employers, her resilience to survive and thrive is commendable and inspiring.

Other Characters in The Savoy

One of the things that captivated me throughout the entire novel was the utilization of famous people and blending them into the novel. One of the more famous persons mentioned throughout the novel is Princess Margaret of Wales. Not only does she play an interesting role in the novel, but other famous people are often mentioned throughout the novel who do play minor roles within the story.

Famous people such as Bob Hope and Elizabeth Taylor are also included in the story. What strikes me as incredibly well done was the usage of these famous figures and giving them a backstory and reason for why they are in the story. I am not a big fan of the use of excessive mentions of famous figures in historical novels, but both Base and Emery have done a great job in doing this.

Tropes found in The Savoy

Lastly, one of the things that I also observed in the novel is the action-romance tropes that the authors instill in this book. When reading this novel, the romance trope does remind me of those classic mystery action novels. Despite these tropes, the book does surprise me for one reason.

In this book, Priscilla does have multiple love interests. While her options in men are available to her, one of the reasons why I do like Priscilla as a character is her ability to be bold in the choices of her friendships, as well as her relationships.

She does not immediately choose a love interest on a whim, but focuses on herself and her friendships. While I find most murder mystery novels to centralize in romance, Priscilla’s character does not indulge much in romance.

Despite it being offered to her multiple times by different characters, we see the independence of Priscilla characteristic. In fact, she choose her own path in solving the mystery, despite the many opportunities to not do so, due to her strong character. It is also in her choice as well to do this, and her strong will to still persist in solving the case, despite many outside actors persuading her to not pursue on the actual murders.

It is through her strong-willed and courageous character that she ended up getting the things that she wanted in the beginning of the story.

Last statement

Overall, it’s a great book. I should note that this book is not a difficult book that is packed with literary references. You will love the characters in the book, as well as the relationships that these characters have.

It is an easy book to read, and it is also a pretty fun book. I should also say that this book is the first installment of a series. As such, you should also read the next installment of the book if you happen to like this novel.

Cover Art by Mikyla V.