MYSTERY

The Last Line

by Scott Lyerly
Crooked Lane. Jul. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781639108213. $29.99. M
COPY ISBN
DEBUT The play Murder in a Teacup might just save the Kaleidoscope Theater. The owner of the Kaleidoscope, Ellie Marlowe, knows that Reginald Thornton IV, the former Broadway actor, is the reason ticket sales are booming in her small community playhouse, but she doesn’t realize the overbearing lead is making the entire cast and crew miserable. He’s supposed to die onstage during the play, but when he actually expires, Ellie fears for her players and her theater. Although the Massachusetts police call Thornton’s death a heart attack, Ellie is uneasy. She teams up with a childhood friend, the local police chief, to investigate the death. The stress only exacerbates her Tourette’s syndrome, but Ellie perseveres, looking for a killer.
VERDICT While Lyerly’s cozy mystery debut celebrates theater, it also shines a spotlight on Tourette’s syndrome and emphasizes that some of the manifestations are different from those shown on television. Readers of cozy mysteries interested in current topics such as sexual assault, dementia, and newspaper cutbacks might want to try this book. Suggest for fans of Mia P. Manansala.
Reviewed by Lesa Holstine , May 01, 2024
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