When a famous guest goes missing from one of San Francisco’s most luxurious hotels, mayhem and murder ensue in this witty historical mystery. This second book in the Murder Most Fowl Mysteries is perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building.

San Francisco, 1905. Renowned for its daily duck parade, the Grand Mallard Marquee hotel now has an equally celebrated resident: Mark Twain. Saul Niffler, the Marquee’s “Duck Commandant,” is glad that Mr. Twain’s presence is drawing new visitors. If only the ever-curious writer would stop grilling him about a recent grisly murder. Saul and elevator man Henry Gallagher simply want to keep working and leave their detecting days behind.  

Their fellow sleuth, penthouse guest Kitty Rossi, feels quite differently. An aspiring Pinkerton detective, she’s intrigued by rumors of an unhinged criminal nicknamed The Innkeeper roaming the city. That is, until a meeting between Mr. Twain and Kitty’s famous father ends with her father unconscious and the author missing.

The hotel’s manager is incensed. Police involvement would be disastrous for business. He insists that Saul, Henry, and Kitty solve the mystery without ruffling any feathers. But where could the brilliant author be? And is the kidnapper the same fiend who’s pilfering the hotel’s prized mallards?

As they navigate a maze of suspects—including a suspicious vaudeville performer, enigmatic twin sisters and the eccentric hotel owners—the trio must scramble to get their ducks in a row…or they could become the next victims.

For fans of:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Historical Cozy Mystery
• Twisty-Turny Whodunits
• Turn-of-the-Century Settings