Book Review: The Priscilla Tempest Mystery Series by Ron Base and Prudence Emery
Canadian publisher Douglas & McIntyre must be aware of my love of cozy mysteries, because they very kindly sent me all four books in the Priscilla Tempest Mystery Series, including the most recent, published only a few months ago, Curse of the Savoy, by Ron Base and Prudence Emery. I gobbled up all four books in a row, enjoying my trip to the swinging 60s of London set within the glamorous and world famous Savoy Hotel. This series is great fun, featuring a protagonist and amateur detective with a habit of finding herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Luckily her celebrity run-ins always seem to come in handy at the last possible moment, always upping the entertainment factor in the process.
Plot Summaries
Priscilla Tempest is Canadian, and has managed to land a noteworthy job that she is underqualified for as the head of the press office at the Savoy Hotel. Despite her underwhelming qualifications she is an extremely hard worker, but this doesn’t protect her from the constant threat of losing her job, pressed upon her by the managers who don’t feel a woman is deserving of this powerful role. Luckily, Tempest has quite a bit working in her favour, including a bevvy of famous friends who vow to protect her and her job as best they can. It also helps that she’s stunningly beautiful, which is even harder to ignore when she attracts rich and famous men like Cary Grant, Gordon Scott, Pierre Trudeau, and an assortment of less famous, but equally handsome other men. Each book’s plot is much the same; a dead body (or two, or more) is discovered within or connected to the Savoy, and Tempest is ordered to keep the Savoy’s reputation as polished as possible while the investigation continues. Somehow she is always tied up in the ensuing drama, either as a suspect herself, or as a confidante to the suspects. Often, she is forced to do favours for those involved in the crimes, either through blackmail, coercion through her superiors, or through her sometimes friend, sometimes enemy Percy Hoskins, a lauded local reporter who comes to Tempest’s aid (and she his) when the going gets tough. Like all the best cozies, those who are murdered are typically a minor character or an awful person who had it coming, and the fun of following along on Tempest’s adventures quickly overshadows any opportunity for sadness or regret.
My Thoughts
Each book follows a similar plot pattern, and in almost every case Priscilla is considered a suspect, but she’s ALSO always tasked with the PR clean up. Many smaller mysteries and secrets are revealed along the way, enough to distract the reader (and Priscilla) from the original crime. Layers upon layers of problems are heaped upon her until the bad guys are revealed, either through Priscilla’s pressing, or simply circumstance. The mystery itself always takes a back seat to the real fun of these books, which is simply following along in Priscilla’s frantic footsteps.
Her glamorous job is based in reality; co-author Prudence Emery (who very sadly passed away during the writing of the fourth book) was a press and publication relations officer at the Savoy Hotel many years ago, so although the plots are over-the-top, Priscilla’s high pressure job paired with her party lifestyle still rings true. And even though Tempest is a work of historical fiction, she inhabits many modern day sensibilities, including a strong dislike of marriage, a willingness to jump into bed with multiple men in a single week, and an independence that a young woman in 2025 can admire.
These book aren’t meant to scratch the itch of a murder mystery lover; they are too silly (in a good way) for that. Tempest’s antics often take center stage to whatever crime was committed at the beginning of the book, so analyzing the possible suspects and motivations for the murder isn’t necessary. Suspend your disbelief, grab yourself a martini, and indulge in this delightful and scandalous series of Canadian mysteries.
