Orphan Elizabeth Somers's malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms-most notably its massive library. It's not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel's secrets, the more Elizabeth starts...

Back at the Winterhouse hotel for another holiday season, Elizabeth and Freddy, who love puzzles, dig deeper into the mystery surrounding a hotel guest who left behind odd artifacts, including a magical book that evil Gracella Winters once attempted to use to gain destructive power over the entire Falls lineage.