Category Archives: Elizabeth J Duncan

Review: Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan

Title: Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan
Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series Book Three
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 194 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Costume designer Charlotte Fairfax has another murder on her hands as she prepares for the latest performance of the Catskills Shakespeare Theater Company, Much Ado About Nothing. The company’s steady growth enables them to cast star British actress Audrey Ashley, who arrives on scene to play the lead role of Beatrice. But things immediately get more complicated when Audrey insists the company replace the current director with new, up and coming British director Edmund Albright.

Edmund plans to change the popular romantic comedy, which alienates several people associated with the production. And the list of people he upsets only grows: the laid off former director, the hotel owner’s secretary, and even Audrey herself. Just as Edmund’s plans are about to come to fruition, his body is discovered on his sofa, holding a gun in his hand. His death is quickly ruled a suicide but Charlotte thinks otherwise. Why would Edmund, on the brink of greatness, kill himself? And in such an American way?

With a whole cast of characters to investigate, Charlotte is determined to unmask each one before it’s final curtain call on the whole production in award-winning author Elizabeth J. Duncan’s third Shakespeare in the Catskills mystery, Much Ado About Murder.

Review:

In Elizabeth J. Duncan’s latest installment in the Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery series, Much Ado About Murder, costume designer and amateur sleuth Charlotte Fairfax investigates the troubling death of replacement director, Edmund Albright. The police have ruled his death a suicide but Charlotte and her friend Paula Van Dusen are certain he was murdered. But who amongst the cast of their latest production would have killed him?

Just as rehearsals on the upcoming production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing are about to begin, the company’s director abruptly leaves his position. Charlotte and Paula put their heads together and suggest local Wade Radcliffe as their replacement, but lead actress Audrey Ashley wants British director Edmund Albright to direct the play.  Needless to say, neither Charlotte nor Paula are overly excited about Audrey’s choice and soon the entire cast is up in arms by Edmund’s vision for the play. However, before rehearsals have even begun, Audrey and Charlotte discover Edmund’s lifeless body in the director’s bungalow. Based on evidence at the scene, the police quickly rule his death a suicide but Charlotte is equally certain someone murdered him. In between rehearsals and designing the costumes, Charlotte searches for evidence to support her theory.

The first person that Charlotte takes a close look at during her investigation is local actress Mattie Lane. Mattie has made no secret that she desires bigger and better roles, but how far would she go to make that happen? Well, since Charlotte knows Mattie has already tried to sway Edmund into recasting her into a more important role, she must consider the budding actress as one of her chief suspects.

Then there is newcomer Audrey Ashley and her sister/manager Maxine Kaminski. Maxine is quite protective of Audrey but would she commit murder to help Audrey’s career? Since Audrey suggested Edmund for the director position, what possible motive would she have for killing him? Like most of the cast, Audrey is dismayed by Edmund’s vision for their upcoming production but is she upset enough over his interpretation of the play to kill him?

With Paula as her trusty sidekick, Charlotte eagerly begins digging into Edmund’s activities after his arrival in town. They quickly uncover some rather intriguing information that warrants a closer look. This tantalizing discovery yields startling revelations that Charlotte knows is somehow linked to Edmund’s death, but will she unmask the killer before it is too late?

With the murder not taking place until almost the halfway point, Much Ado About Murder is a low-key mystery with a wonderful cast of characters and a fantastic setting.  Skillfully but slowly setting the stage for Edmund’s untimely death, Elizabeth J. Duncan keeps the perpetrator’s identity and motive for the murder cleverly concealed until the novel’s exciting conclusion. This latest outing in the Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery series will delight old and new fans who enjoy cozy mysteries.

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Filed under Contemporary, Crooked Lane Books, Elizabeth J Duncan, Much Ado About Murder, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series

Review: Ill Met by Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan

Title: Ill Met by Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan
Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series Book Two
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

It’s the most important night of the year for costume designer Charlotte Fairfax and the Catskills Shakespeare Theater Company–the annual fund raising performance at the country estate of the wealthy widow Paula Van Dusen. This year, the company will give a moonlight performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of the wedding celebrations for Paula’s daughter, Belinda, and her fiance Adrian. But then Hugh Hedley, family friend of the Van Dusens and Adrian’s rival in the cutthroat world of high-end Manhattan real estate, is found murdered with a stolen prop from the play.

Paula, desperate to keep her daughter’s name of out of the paper, enlists Charlotte’s help, despite the fact that Charlotte’s already got her hands full amidst her costume design responsibilities and finding a home for the company’s new theater school. But Charlotte nevertheless throws herself into an investigation of shady business deals, a missing dog, and long buried family secrets because “though she be but little, she is fierce!” Ill Met by Murder, the second in Elizabeth J. Duncan’s compelling mystery series, will satisfy every Shakespeare and mystery lover alike.

Review:

Ill Met by Murder is a perplexing addition to Elizabeth J. Duncan’s delightfully entertaining Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery series.  This latest release in  this wonderful cozy mystery starring amateur sleuth Charlotte Fairfax can easily be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the previous novel as well.

Charlotte and her assistant Aaron Jacobs once again find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation when real estate mogul Hugh Hedley is killed on the estate of the Catskills Shakespeare Theater Company’s biggest fundraiser, Paula Van Dusen. This year’s fundraising production is also part of the celebration for the upcoming wedding of Paula’s daughter Belinda and her fiancé Adrian Archer, Hugh’s biggest competitor in the real estate world.  With her curiosity piqued by tension in the bridal party and snippets of overheard conversations, Charlotte does a little investigating on her own as she tries to piece together who killed Hugh.

With the latest production going smoothly, Charlotte has plenty of time to see if she can figure out a motive for Hugh’s murder.  Paula confides to her that she believes that his death might have been a case of mistaken identity and that her prospective son-in-law Adrian could have been the intended target.  Charlotte is unsure whether there is any truth to Paula’s claims since she has made no secret of the fact that she disapproves of Belinda’s fiancé.  A little digging into the men’s business dealings reveals they have been involved an extremely contentious real estate transaction but is this a motive for murder?

In between looking for clues to the identity of Adrian’s killer, Charlotte is doing the preliminary work that needs to be done in order to open a theater school.  Securing the funding and locating a property for the school are top priorities and she is finally making a little headway on the project.  After looking at a nearby house that would be perfect for the school, Charlotte makes a puzzling discovery that inadvertently puts her in harm’s way.  After she learns the truth about a long held family secret, will Charlotte finally have the evidence she needs to identify Adrian’s killer?

With a cast of eccentric characters, an intriguing mystery and a clever storyline, Ill Met for Murder is another marvelous installment in the Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery series.  Elizabeth J. Duncan offers several plausible motives for the murder along with a vast pool of suspects which makes it virtually impossible for readers to guess the killer’s identity until the novel’s rather dramatic conclusion.  I highly recommend this spectacular whodunit to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

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Filed under Contemporary, Crooked Lane Books, Elizabeth J Duncan, Ill Met by Murder, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series

Review: Untimely Death by Elizabeth J. Duncan

untimely deathTitle: Untimely Death by Elizabeth J. Duncan
Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series Book One
Publisher: Crooked Lane books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 290 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

A Catskills resort’s production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet takes a wickedly ironic turn when the leading lady, Lauren Richmond, is first poisoned and then stabbed. Who would extinguish the life of such a beautiful young thespian? Who wouldn’t? Seems like just about everyone had a motive to pull the ropes on her final curtain call.

At the center of this Shakespearian tragedy is Charlotte Fairfax, formerly the costume mistress of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Upstate New York is a long way from the royal stage, but Charlotte is always the queen of her domain. As this small production’s costume designer, she has stitched her way into everyone’s lives, learning more than anyone could possibly imagine about the rise and fall of Lauren Richmond. But curiosity killed the cat. And it might well kill the costume designer.

Witty and wise work, Untimely Death, the first in Elizabeth J. Duncan’s charming cozy series, is sure to delight.

Review:

Elizabeth J. Duncan’s new cozy mystery series, Shakespeare in the Catskills, is off to a strong beginning with the first installment, Untimely Death. Starring British born costume designer turned amateur sleuth Charlotte Fairfax, this charming novel is an intriguing whodunit with an eclectic cast of interesting characters.

Charlotte’s career as a costume designer is near and dear to her heart and she is eager to teach her craft to young intern Aaron Jacobs. With rehearsals already underway for the upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet, she and Aaron are tasked with fitting the cast members wardrobe. The production is off to a bit of a rocky start for Charlotte since one of the actors is someone with whom she shares a complicated and rather unhappy history. Further complicating the beginning of rehearsals is the lead actor’s drinking problem but things take a sinister turn when someone tries to poison Lauren Richmond, the lead actress in the show. When that attempt fails, Lauren is fatally stabbed a few days later during rehearsal. Although the state police and Charlotte’s boyfriend (and Chief of Police) Ray Nicholson are investigating the case, she decides to do a little snooping on her own when she learns that Aaron is their chief suspect.

Despite living in the US for ten years, Charlotte is still a fairly prim and proper Englishwoman but she is very easy to like. She has a forthright manner of speaking and she sometimes gets a little carried away with lectures about the ins and outs of costume design (a charming, but sometimes annoying, character trait). While she avoids her ex as much as possible, she does not let this discomfort get in the way of doing her job and she is rather surprised by how she feels after they finally come face to face. Charlotte is in a comfortable relationship with Ray but her probe into Lauren’s death eventually causes a bit of friction between them.

Since the small police force is not equipped for murder investigations, Ray has no choice but to call in the state police. Although he tries not discuss the specifics of the case with Charlotte, he reveals just enough to pique her curiosity. Fearing the police are getting tunnel vision after they zero in on Aaron, she decides to be proactive and begins trying to put the various pieces of puzzle together on her own. Charlotte’s impulsive decision eventually yields results but is the damage to her relationship with Ray worth the risk?

Untimely Death is an enjoyable cozy mystery that fans of the genre will enjoy. Charlotte is quite clever and like many amateur sleuths, she sometimes makes questionable choices as she investigates the murder. The romantic aspect of the novel is low-key but it adds depth to the overall storyline. While Elizabeth J. Duncan employs a number of red herrings and misdirects, the perpetrator’s identity is somewhat easy to guess but the motive behind the murder is a complete surprise. All in all, it is a thoroughly enjoyable first installment in the Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery series that will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next book starring the very intrepid and personable Charlotte Fairfax.

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Filed under Contemporary, Crooked Lane Books, Elizabeth J Duncan, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series, Untimely Death