The Savannah Gambit: The De Soto Hotel and the Mystery of a 1920s Murder (Echoes in the Lobby: Historic Hotel Mysteries of America’s Hidden Past) Kindle Edition

Savannah in the 1920s is a city where elegant hotels, quiet squares, and private rooms often hide more history than the streets outside. In 1923, Charles Whitaker leaves his home in Augusta seeking rest at the Hotel De Soto after a bitter divorce and a stubborn case of writer’s block that has silenced his work. He expects little more than quiet days and a chance to clear his mind.A few evenings into his stay, Charles meets Clara Ashford at the hotel bar. Their easy conversation quickly grows into a deeper connection. As their relationship develops, Charles begins sharing lingering questions about the unexplained death of his father a few years earlier.Soon the pair discover that clues tied to the past seem to appear in the most unexpected places. Some of the hints come through a mysterious chessboard that reveals strange patterns and messages that neither of them can easily explain.Together they follow these fragments through Savannah’s historic streets and quiet back rooms. Between 1923 and 1926, their search slowly uncovers a long buried mystery surrounding Charles’s father. Read more