Murder at the Ivy Hotel

By Author / Illustrator

Emily Hourican, illus Paola Escobar

Genre

Mystery & Detective

Age range(s)

Publisher

Scholastic

ISBN

9780702344558

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

12-02-2026

Synopsis

Two girls who live in a hotel are drawn into a murder mystery in this charming, classic-feeling cosy-crime children's debut from bestselling Irish author Emily Hourican - perfect for fans of Murder Most Unladylike, The Swifts and Enid Blyton.

12-year-old Meredith and 10-year-old Macy feel like the luckiest girls around. The Ivy Hotel in Dublin is old, beautiful and beloved, with a tight-knit staff that feel like family, and they get to call it home. Meredith and Macy's mum is the general manager, and their modest apartment is tucked away in a corner, but it has lots of perks.

The girls make friends with long-term residents - like Colin, the quiet little boy who plays piano, and Agatha, the eccentric older lady who stays in a plush suite with her dog, Milo. The girls love spying on fancy events, sneaky treats from the restaurant and knowing all the secret stairs and corridors that guests never see, where the staff move around invisibly, making sure everything runs like clockwork . . .

This is going to come in handy. Because within the cosy walls of the Ivy Hotel, there is also danger, intrigue and threat. Just as the hotel's new owners arrive, ready to sniff out any excuse to make cuts and fire staff, the girls are faced with their biggest task yet: a murder to solve.

A welcoming and super-cosy hotel setting with a loveable cast of characters and a dash of danger, perfect for mystery fans age 9-12. Alternating perspectives from two brilliant sisters - responsible and emotional Meredith and fierce, logical Macy. Full of suspense, sleuthing and twisting discoveries, as the kids take the lead, working to cleverly uncover the identity of a mysterious guest and his even more mysterious death...

"A deliciously cosy and clever mystery with buckets of charm, and a cast of characters you can't help but adore." - Hana Tooke, author of The Unadoptables

Reviews

Sue

Meredith and Macy live at the Ivy Hotel in Dublin, a much loved institution with a friendly staff, where their mum is the general manager. The girls love living here and enjoy plenty of perks and fun. However, when new owners more interested in profit than tradition appear, it seems as through everything might change. If their mum loses her job, the little family will have to leave the Ivy. As if this wasn't bad enough, something happens which could ruin the hotel's reputation beyond repair - the suspicious death of a guest. Can the girls solve the murder and save their home?

Well paced and with plenty of twists and turns, Murder at the Ivy Hotel is a very engaging whodunnit. Sisters Meredith and Macy are very different characters with different strengths. Add their new friend, Colin, into the mix and they make an excellent team for solving the murder. Meredith is very down to earth and thoughtful whilst Macy is far more impulsive. Both girls are endearing and, for all their differences, have a lovely warm relationship. Colin makes excellent notes, recording the things they know and those which they need to find out, keeping the investigation on track! Initially, the girls assumed that Colin did not want to be friends with them as he politely refused their invitations to join them and they thought him 'cold and unfriendly', but they quickly come to understand one another and form a firm friendship as they investigate and save the hotel.

The mystery is carefully plotted with plenty of clues and a sprinkling of red herrings along the way. Readers will enjoy trying to solve the crime themselves, perhaps adding to Colin's notes as they notice things! The strong sense community at the hotel and the close relationships that the girls have formed with other residents and members of staff both add to the urgency to solve the crime and make the children's insider knowledge of the hotel and how it works all the more important.

Perfect for those who love to solve a mystery, but who like their crime on the 'cosy' side, Murder at the Ivy Hotel is a great read!

304 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher