Review by Booklist Review
Tasha loves running the costume shop in the Eastbrook Playhouse, which is known for showcasing Broadway talent. As she and the cast get ready for Annie Get Your Gun, fading actor and leading man Kurt acts up as a demanding prima donna. When he threatens to quit, Tasha knows that his name is needed to fill seats and keep the theater and neighboring restaurant in business. So she convinces Kurt to stay--but is stunned when he ends up murdered on stage later that same night. As she starts talking to everyone involved with the production and the people in the community, she realizes there might be more at stake than one successful show. She uncovers real estate developments, threatening letters, conflicting motivations, and more in this fun debut cozy from Greene. The pace and characters move through the story as if they were on stage. Readers may identify the killer, but the theater atmosphere and details are worthy of an encore.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Tasha Weaver is passionate about the Eastbrook Playhouse. She grew up in the regional theater and is now the head of the costume shop. Although Kurt Mozer, the leading man in the new production of Annie Get Your Gun, is disliked by the director and the other actors, Tasha knows how much the theater needs him. He may no longer be a Broadway star, but his name is selling tickets. When Kurt disappears, amid rumors that he quit, Tasha tracks him down and massages his ego, and he agrees to return. When he's killed that same night in the theater, she feels guilty. Now the theater she loves is threatened again, and one of her friends might be a murderer. Tasha realizes she must turn amateur sleuth to save her friends and the Eastbrook Playhouse. It's what Tasha does, being a fixer who loves the theater. VERDICT Playwright Greene brings his love and passion for musical theater to this new series. Theater fans will appreciate the behind-the-scenes knowledge, along with the small details so essential to the atmosphere of this cozy mystery.--Lesa Holstine
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Murder derails a struggling Connecticut theater troupe's best shot at a comeback. The folks at the Eastbrook Playhouse have more or less become Tasha Weaver's family. Under the steady hand of artistic director Arthur Winston, the players have delighted Tasha since she was barely old enough to sit through a show. After Tasha's mother died of cancer, the sad teen sought solace in the Playhouse's costume department. While her high school friends went off to college, she stitched gowns and tuxedos that helped make the magic happen. Now, as wardrobe manager, she hopes a revival of Annie Get Your Gun featuring Broadway stars Kurt Mozer and Olivia Grace can boost the Playhouse's flagging attendance before developer Garrison Miller turns the historic theater into a shopping mall. Mozer goes wobbly on the production, fussing, fuming, and threatening to go back to New York. But before he can bail, someone shoots the temperamental star, triggering a new crisis. Though it's not clear how solving Mozer's murder will save Annie, Tasha feels an unstoppable urge to investigate. Sifting through the rivalries, jealousies, and general bad behavior that led to the star's demise takes patience and perception. Who better than detail-oriented Tasha, who clothes mighty choruses one stitch at a time, to tackle the tangle of a male diva's death? Greene's deep dive behind the scenes will tempt mystery fans and theater buffs alike. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
