By Emily Hourican (pub. Scholastic, February 2026)
Bob’s words hung in the air. It could be murder.
And suddenly, the giddiness went out of everything they had discovered. A chill descended over them all, and the satisfaction of tracing clues and finding pieces of the puzzle vanished. If it ever had been, this was no longer a game. There was, Meredith realized with shock, a big difference between thinking something was murder, and knowing it truly could be.
Meredith and Macy consider themselves the luckiest girls alive. They live in the Ivy Hotel in Dublin where their mum is the general manager, so they meet interesting people, sample treats from the kitchen, and sneak around the back passages to visit the staff or the library.
But trouble is brewing. The hotel’s new owners are talking about saving costs, and during their visit everything seems to be going wrong. Then an unknown man books in one night and is found dead in his room the next morning. It’s up to Meredith, Macy, and their new friend Colin to investigate – before it’s too late and things change forever!
Murder at the Ivy Hotel focuses on two young girls: 12-year-old Meredith, and her 10-year-old sister Macy. Like most of the staff and residents there, they love the hotel so are aghast at the changes the new owners have been considering. Vending machines and automated systems so they can cut back on staff – unthinkable!
While brainstorming ways to save the hotel (having joined forces with 11-year-old Colin who lives on the fifth floor), things seem to get worse and worse. The chef is ill right before the big ball, the clumsy new kitchen boy keeps dropping things, and objects – or people – are in places that they shouldn’t be.
Then the body turns up. Who is this mysterious man who checked in without any luggage? Did he have a heart attack, or was it something else? And is it anything to do with the potential changes at the hotel and the new owners?
Before things kick off, we get a cast of characters at the front so we can keep track of all the relevant people. Everyone features to an extent, but there’s not so many as to be overwhelming. I found that the different people kept things interesting, and I got the hang of who was who quickly!
The story takes place over just over a week, and is divided into days. Within these, the chapters are written from either Meredith or Macy’s point-of-view (in third-person). I always enjoy these two writing styles as it helps you keep track of how much time is passing, and allows you to see inside different characters’ heads.
And what different characters they are! Meredith and Macy are like chalk and cheese, if chalk and cheese actually worked well together…most of the time. Macy has a good memory and is incredibly smart, but is also precocious and stubborn. Meredith is more cautious, but loyal, empathetic, and dependable, with an emotional intelligence that Macy lacks.
It’s great to see how they approach situations differently, and to follow their thought processes as they both come to their conclusions. I really enjoyed the moments where you see them through each other’s eyes: how proud Meredith is of Macy’s intelligence, and how awed Macy is of Meredith’s calm and common sense.
The inclusion of Colin rounds the group out nicely. At the start, he and the girls barely talk, but it turns out that he hasn’t wanted to intrude and feels out of place. He’s a bit more grounded, like Meredith, which does well to balance Macy’s strong personality. He’s also organised, so he naturally begins taking notes, keeping all their theories and discoveries in order.
The kids are the main characters, but there are several adults who also play important roles in the story. There was a good mix between those who believe and “encourage” them, and those who would tell them off if they found out what they were doing (which includes their mum). I adore Agatha – she doesn’t want them to get in trouble, but she can’t help but egg them on a bit!
The hotel is gorgeous; a proper, grand old place, with (mostly) friendly and helpful staff. It’s opulent in a way that isn’t garish, but rather has a classic, old-world feel to it. It’s this old-fashioned style that gives it its charm, and makes the proposals from the new owners feel so horrific – to us, as well as the characters.
The story itself has a good pace, which I think in part is down to the daily divisions. All the children have school for example, which means that the revelations and action can be drawn out a bit, but it never felt like they were being stretched out unrealistically. There’s also a deadline for when the new owners will sign the final documents, so the kids can’t take too long!
I loved the central mystery – or should I say mysteries? Like all good cosy mystery books, there are red herrings, historical drama, unexpected reveals, and a motive that I didn’t see coming! There are also a few threads left unpulled and ends left loose, but it’s made clear that this is deliberate to set up for future adventures.
The press release that came with the book states that there will be more stories at the Ivy Hotel to come. This one isn’t even out yet but we can’t wait to see what Meredith, Macy, and Colin (and Agatha of course!) get into next!
Murder at the Ivy Hotel is the children’s debut from bestselling Irish author Emily Hourican, known for her compelling historical fiction. We received an uncorrected bound proof copy from Scholastic (thank you!); the final version comes out in February 2026, and will feature illustrations from Paola Escobar.
If you want to help solve the mystery, you can preorder a copy of Murder at the Ivy Hotel at the link below.
(Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.)
Looking for more mystery stories? Check out some of our previous reviews here.
