The Last Chance Hotel

First Title Value for Searching:

Personal Author:

Thornton, Nicki

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

321 pages ; 19 cm.

Series:

Seth Seppi mystery ; book 1

General Note:

"First published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by Chicken House." --title page verso.

Genre:

Magic realist fiction.

Horror fiction.

Detective and mystery fiction.

Summary:

"Seth is a kitchen boy at the remote Last Chance Hotel. His father has long ago left, leaving him imprisoned until he is old enough to set out on his own. If there's any hope he has, it's to be the greatest chef that ever lived... just like his father. One night, a band of magicians begin to arrive to participate in a secret meeting -- a Prospect Selection Procedure to determine the most talented magicians in the world, judged by their leader Dr. Thallonius. Seth has one task: to make Dr. Thallonius the greatest dessert he's ever tasted. Then, maybe he will help Seth find a way to freedom. But when the doors to the private meeting open, and Dr. Thallonius lay dead on the floor, the group blames the dessert, which means that it's Seth who will pay the price. But Seth knows he's innocent, and only has so much time to eliminate each suspect and prove his innocence." --Amazon.com.

Subject Term:

Orphans -- Juvenile fiction

Cats -- Juvenile fiction

Cooks -- Juvenile fiction.

Bullying -- Juvenile fiction

Hotels -- Juvenile fiction.

Audience/Lexile:

8-12 years.

3-7th grades.

Publication Info:

New York : Chicken House/Scholastic Inc., 2019.

Subject:

Orphans -- Juvenile fiction

Cats -- Juvenile fiction

Cooks -- Juvenile fiction.

Bullying -- Juvenile fiction

Hotels -- Juvenile fiction.

Magic realist fiction.

Horror fiction.

Detective and mystery fiction.

Chefs

Hotels, taverns, etc.

Inns

SAILS ISBN:

9781338323627

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Plainville Public Library	J THO	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Dighton Public Library	J THO	1:JTOWNHALL	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Bookmobile	J FIC THORNTON	BOOKMOBILE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... New Bedford Wilks Branch	J FIC THORNTON	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Raynham Library	JFICTION THO	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk Public Library	JFIC THORNTON	CHILDREN FICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Readers looking for an enchanting read, a story of overcoming the odds, or a tale of suspense will love this traditional Agatha Christie, who-dun-it mystery, matched and raised by a hint of magic.Seth is a kitchen boy at the remote Last Chance Hotel. His father has long ago left, leaving him imprisoned until he is old enough to set out on his own. If there's any hope he has, it's to be the greatest chef that ever lived... just like his father. One night, a band of magicians begin to arrive to participate in a secret meeting -- a Prospect Selection Procedure to determine the most talented magicians in the world, judged by their leader Dr. Thallonius. Seth has one task: to make Dr. Thallonius the greatest dessert he's ever tasted. Then, maybe he will help Seth find a way to freedom. But when the doors to the private meeting open, and Dr. Thallonius lay dead on the floor, the group blames the dessert, which means that it's Seth who will pay the price. But Seth knows he's innocent, and only has so much time to eliminate each suspect and prove his innocence.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-7-Seth Seppi maintains a pitiful existence at the Last Chance Hotel; he's an abused kitchen boy in the space where his father once ruled as chef before he disappeared. Now Seth chafes at scrubbing pots and avoiding the notice of Tiffany, the owners' cruel daughter, hoping against hope that his cooking abilities will someday take him away from this isolated hotel. When a famous guest, one of an odd group of magicians assembled at the hotel, dies during dinner, poisoned by the special dessert Seth made for him, Seth's fate looks dire indeed. He sets out to clear his name, aided by his cat, Nightshade, and several members of the magical community. Can they unravel the crime and find the guilty party in time to save Seth from arrest? In this delightful Harry Potter-meets-Agatha Christie adventure, readers are presented with a classic locked room murder complicated by magic. As Seth and members of MagiCon-the Magic Constabulary-investigate the murder, Seth learns about the existence of magic, and the tensions within the magical society over reforms instigated by the now deceased Dr. Thallomius. Red herrings and sinister suspects abound as Seth alternates between fear for his future and thrill at each piece of magical history and lore he learns; history which may hit closer to home than he ever could have dreamed. VERDICT A well-crafted middle grade mystery with a touch of magic enhancing its appeal. Fantasy fans will find a lot to love here.-Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor School District, Lancaster, PA © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

A parentless, put-upon kitchen boy is accused of murdering a magical hotel guest.Seth Seppi cooks brilliantly, but he'll never be a chef. Instead he's the overworked help at the Last Chance Hotel, abused by his "nasty bosses." Sometimes he sadly recalls the hotel's popularity in the dimly remembered days before his father's mysterious disappearance. Mostly, however, he washes dishes, even on nights like this, when some very special guests are due at the hotel. Tiffany, the daughter of Seth's employers (and Seth's chief tormenter) blackmails Seth into making a splendid dessert for the guest of honor, Dr. Thallomius, for which she'll claim credit. When Dr. Thallomius drops dead from poison, Tiffany promptly snitches: Seth made the dessert, so he must be the murderer! Seth's quest to clear his name is complicated by his realization that Dr. Thallomius and all the other guests at this bizarre party hail from a magical world. One of these odd peopleProfessor Papperspook in her multicolored, tentlike dress; tiny, scarred, dark-skinned Master Darinder Dunster-Dunstable; glamorous Angelique Squerr with her magical cane; or one of the othersmurdered the kindly doctor and pinned the blame on Seth. Thornton's prose can get clunky and characterization resorts to types, but the plot itself is a nifty, magical spin on the classic locked-room mystery. The book subscribes to the white default for characters not otherwise described.A charming, old-fashioned-feeling romp. (Fantasy. 9-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Seth is stuck working at the Last Chance Hotel as a kitchen boy for an awful couple and their daughter, Tiffany, who lives to torment him. He longs to fulfill his dream of becoming an amazing chef like his father. The night a group of magicians gather at the hotel could be Seth's opportunity to show off his cooking skills, but that chance slowly slips away when Tiffany makes him cook up a dessert for Dr. Thallonius, who ends up dead. Seth knows his dessert didn't kill Thallonius, but the magicians have deemed him the killer, and he has to find a way to prove his innocence. Thornton sets the story entirely inside the Last Chance Hotel, giving this closed-room mystery a twist of magic. Though it's his place of confinement, the hotel is also Seth's only home, and there are plenty of secrets buried in its foundation. The murder mystery, powerful magicians, and Seth's love of cooking will appeal to a wide readership. A magical adventure with many intriguing elements.--Elizabeth Konkel Copyright 2019 Booklist