The Luther Hotel is located on the Texas Gulf Coast in the small town of Palacios. You can walk out the front door across a lush, green lagoon and, a few seconds later, have your feet in the water.Â
In 1999, my husband and I hugged the coastline from Rockport to Galveston. When we drove through Palacios, the glittered water of the Gulf of Mexico and the shorebirds and wading birds held our attention. Not once did we turn our heads to the left to check out what was on the other side of the road. We repeated the trip a few months later, and that’s when we noticed the white wooden three-story hotel. How could we have missed it the first time? At the time, I was piecing together Murder at the Arlington and had the Galvez Hotel on my list as a future setting for the series. But this big, white hotel wouldn’t leave me alone. On that second trip, we met innkeepers Billy and Dolly Hamlin, who were living at the hotel and running it for Dolly’s cousin, Clare Joy.Â
Billy showed us every nook and cranny, boasting of the hotel’s intriguing history. Before we left, we had reservations for the next month. This time, Billy put us in the La Salle suite on the third floor because even after two trips, Billy told us we were family. Once, I attempted to calculate the total number of nights we stayed at the Luther, and I came up with close to fifty. The Luther Hotel was our home on the coast. The La Salle suite was our room.Â
Since my husband is an early riser, Billy taught him how to set up the breakfast room and make coffee in the huge urn. On a few occasions, Lloyd went to the local supermarket to pick up the hotel’s standing order of donuts and sweet rolls, which were part of the breakfast included in a night’s stay.
A year later, I told the Hamlins I was working on Murder at the Luther. They were ecstatic. A lot has occurred between that announcement and the book’s release. Billy and Dolly retired, and Clare Joy passed away, leaving the hotel to Jack, who was living near Houston. Another family cousin ran the
hotel. When the book was released, I contacted the local bookstore, Main Street Books, scheduled a book signing, and I made reservations for several nights at the Luther. To my surprise, Jack came for the weekend to meet me and attend the event. I arrived the day before and went into the bookstore to meet the owner, Jan Pierce. She asked if I had any copies of the book with me. Panic set in. I thought it was understood that she would order books from my publisher to have on hand. She assured me that she had ordered several boxes, but she’d already sold out. I brought her the few copies I had, and we took orders for several more. It was one of the most successful book signing I’d ever had. Jan told me my signing was more successful than Liz Carpenter’s when she was there promoting her book. Carpenter was the executive assistant for LBJ and later Lady Bird’s press secretary.
After the event, Jack hosted a wine and cheese reception for me at the hotel and presented me with flowers. Jack and I became good friends, and he soon moved to Palacios to take over running the hotel himself. Sadly, Jack passed away in 2020, and the future of the Luther Hotel was destined for the wrecking ball. As of this writing, the Luther is closed but still standing. The story of the hotel’s possible demise and its stay of execution is one that could easily find its way to the big screen. The save-the-farm movies of the 1990s pale in comparison to the true-life story of the locals who rallied to save the Luther Hotel. The Luther is in the early stages of remodeling. As soon as the vacancy sign is up, I’m booking a long stay in the La Salle suite, a room Jack often referred to as the room where Sydney Lockhart stayed when she solved the murder in the mystery Murder at the Luther.Â
Released day: September 29, 2024.Â
Now available for pre-order
Thanks, Debra, for having me as a guest today. I’m so excited that the Luther Hotel has a new owner and will soon be restored to its former glory! For those of you who haven’t visited this part of the Texas Coast, you must put the location on your travel list. It’s a small, quaint paradise.
Kathleen
Appreciate you blogging today. The hotel and the mysteries sound equally intriguing.
76kschusterty@gmail.com or message Luther hotel.ive been trying to get a hold of you.plz message me .if your coming down plz let me know..open srms ate here for you!!would love to meet you!!
Karmen schuster
Hi Karman,
Thank you for your comment. I am coming to Palacios in early November. I will certainly look you up. I just emailed you and would love to send you a copy of the reissued Murder at the Luther.
Kathleen
Glad you two were able to make contact with each other — especially about the White House you both love.
Kathleen, I loved learning the backstory to this hotel and how the locals have embraced you. Great post!
Thanks, Lois! I feel like part of the family.
As you can see from the comments, hotels like this have special significance to people and they open their arms to other lovers, like Kathleen.
Wow, Kathleen. You really did come upon and build a ‘found’ family. Lovely, lovely story about your book’s setting. Thanks for letting us know about it, Debrah.
Thanks for reading, Pamela!
Pamela,
Thanks for visiting today. Kathleen’s story is marvelous!
Kathleen, what a lovely story about your connection to the Luther Hotel. I live in Massachusetts and your description reminds me of something going on in my community. In our case, it’s “The Pink House.” The house is located at the edge of a salt marsh and wildlife sanctuary, on land owned by the federal government. It has become a community icon, especially with local photographers and is scheduled for demolition. A community effort has tried everything to save it. There is so much lore around the house that reading your story makes me want to learn more and write my own story about it. Congratulations on your book and the news about the hotel’s future and am hopeful that our Pink House will also find a second life.
I will look up The Pink House. My niece lives in Swampscott, and I’m always looking for an excuse to visit.
It’s not far! Google: Pink House Plum Island. Enjoy!
I certainly will, Sally. I’ll be in Swampscott next spring.
Thanks for telling us about the pink house. Like the White House, there is so many other beautiful hotels/buildings that need TLC instead of the wrecking ball. Thank goodness for the community pulling together to try to save it.
Murder at the Galvez has always been a favorite, but after reading this post, I must read Murder at the Luther! I love the way your life’s journey has intertwined with your writing.
I never thought of it that way, Saralyn, but you are so right. All of these hotels have become part of my life. Each one is dear to me.
What fun. The place sounds fabulous!
Anne Louise,
I thinkKathleen’s involvement and books increase the fun.
Thanks for reading the post, Anne!
We drove by the Luther on a road trip to Rockport a couple of weeks ago. I can’t wait to see it restored. Mr. Bryan did an excellent job on the Bryan Museum in Galveston and I enjoyed visiting the Gage when we stopped in Marathon on our way to Big Bend in April. Palacious looked to be getting ready for some updating. The waterfront there is so nice. Now, I need to read the book.
The books do the Luther justice .. hopefully M.r Bryan will do it equal justice.
Palacios is a hidden little paradise—there are many of those in Texas. I’ve been to the Gale and have considered putting it on my list. I also have another hotel in mind, one that is very close to Marathon.
This is a fabulous story. What an awesome connection to a building with such character and history.
Thanks, Valerie! It always felt like a second home.
What’s so interesting to me is how Kathleen has captured the beauty of the building in her writing.
That is a wonderful compliment, Debra. Thanks so much.
I loved Murder at the Luther! I read it while working as Jacks Assistant Manager.
I hope to have you sign when you do return.
It’s fascinating how many people the Luther has meant something important to or involved in its running or saving.
Hi Debra,
I am so happy to enjoyed Murder at the Luther. I will be there in early November. I hope to meet you then.
Kathleen