Dust to Dust: An Ivy Nichols Mystery

A puzzling murder at a historic Beaux Arts hotel sets the stage for a mesmerizing mystery, tailor-made for fans of Louise Penny.

The opulent furnishings and period theming of Hotel 1911 invite guests to experience the charm of the early 20th century. But for hotel clerk Ivy Nichols, the mansion also harbors secrets about her past and the family she never knew. When the Pittsburgh chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies checks in for their national conference, Ivy is intrigued to learn that one of them has connections to her family.

The group plans to kick off their event by touring the historic graves thought to be on the hotel grounds. But they didn't plan to find one of their fellow members strangled to death afterwards. The police point the finger at the hotel's loyal manager, Mr. Fig, since no one else could have reached the victim's room. Ivy has other ideas. She believes Mr. Fig is innocent, and desperately wants to prove it. The inexplicable appearance of strange drawings, an old book, and a wig lead Ivy to a bizarre connection between the grave-obsessed guests and the murder. And when Mr. Fig confesses a long-held secret, Ivy fears she has put herself in the sights of not only the murderer but another dangerous criminal too. Who else had the opportunity to commit the crime? And is Mr. Fig all he seems to be?

Amidst a growing list of suspects with secrets of their own, and an unraveling riddle from her past, Ivy is in a race to catch a killer--and decipher a truth more earth-shattering than she could have imagined.

Author: Audrey Keown
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Published: 08/10/2021
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781643857343


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2021
Library Journal 08/01/2021 pg. 52

About the Author
Audrey Keown set her mystery series in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the place she calls home. She lost her heart to the city in the early days of its downtown revival, and its bridges, coffee shops, breweries, parks, and people are its mixtape back to her. For ten years she wrote professionally for periodicals, sharpening her storytelling skills for cutting into fiction writing. Themes of redemption and connection to history often find their way into her work. Like her protagonist, she has battled anxiety and writes about mental illness in her fiction in hopes of helping lift the stigma.