Untimely Death

September 7, 2015
What could have more charm than a cozy set in the Catskills? Why, a cozy about a Shakespearean theater company at a vintage resort in the Catskills, of course. This appealing series launch from Agatha Award–finalist Duncan is perfectly accessorized with a has-been British actor, Brian Prentice; his imposing wife, Lady Deborah; and costume mistress Charlotte Fairfax, who turns amateur sleuth after her college-age assistant, Aaron Jacobs, becomes the chief suspect in the poisoning and fatal stabbing of Lauren Richmond, the theater company’s ingenue. Could the real killer be Prentice, with whom Charlotte shares a complicated history? Or Lady Deborah? Or maybe it’s young Aaron after all? Amid the bucolic backdrop of springtime in upstate New York, Duncan (The Cold Light of Mourning and five other Penny Brannigan mysteries) drops just enough clues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing whodunit to the end. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency.

September 1, 2015
A costume mistress helps solve a dastardly murder. British-born Charlotte Fairfax's romance with actor Brian Prentice ended, along with her stint as a designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company, with his announcement that he was marrying Lady Deborah, an aristocrat with the right connections. Now Charlotte's made a home for herself and Rupert, her beloved corgi, at the failing Jacobs Grand Hotel in the Catskills, where she runs the costume department for the hotel's annual Shakespeare festival. Coincidentally, new director Simon Dyer has been able to hire Brian on the cheap for his latest play because the actor has a reputation as an unreliable drunk. Brian's already celebrated by starting a romance with Lauren Richmond, the arrogant, young, and foolish actress playing Juliet to his Romeo. When the unpopular Lauren is found comatose, Charlotte learns from her assistant, the hotel owner's nephew Aaron Jacobs, that Lauren had driven his cousin to suicide. Lauren recovers from her overdose of Tylenol just in time to get stabbed to death as she awaits her next scene on the balcony improvised for dress rehearsals. Although the state police are in charge of the case, Charlotte insists that her boyfriend, Walkers Ridge Chief of Police Ray Nicholson, needs her help. Charlotte's snooping leads to more questions than answers, but she finally figures it all out. In a departure from Wales and her Penny Brannigan series (Slated For Death, 2015, etc.), Duncan introduces a charming new sleuth and plenty of quirky characters sure to appeal to her base and to cozy fans in general.

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September 15, 2015
Fortysomething Charlotte Fairfax works as a costume designer for the Catskills Shakespeare Theater Company, located at the now-shabby Jacobs Grand Hotel. As rehearsals begin, she is trying hard to avoid Brian Prentice, who is the star of this summer's productions. Brian, a once-promising actor, dumped Charlotte for the daughter of an earl. When the actress who is to play Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Lauren Richmond, is found dead, Charlotte's intern, Aaron Jacobs, nephew of the hotel's owner, is one of the suspects. Other suspects include Brian, who was having an affair with Lauren; Brian's wife, Lady Deborah; and the owner of the hotel. Although Charlotte's current boyfriend, Walkers Ridge Chief of Police Ray Nicholson, is careful not to share details of the investigation, Charlotte and Aaron work to solve the crime on their own. Sympathetic, well-drawn characters and fascinating details on Shakespeare's plays and costume design add to what is a satisfying mystery. Pair this one with Jill Paton Walsh's The Bad Quarto (2007).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)