Devi Nair
📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 266 pages ⏱ Duration: 4 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Boldwood Books 📅 Release Date: March 26, 2026 🎁 ARC provided by NetGalley
A murder mystery set entirely in a village theatre? Sign me up. I was so ready for backstage drama, theatrical feuds, and maybe a prop sword gone rogue. That’s my kind of chaos. And this book absolutely delivers on atmosphere. You can feel the tension in the dressing rooms, the forced smiles, the egos simmering just beneath the surface. It’s delightfully dramatic in all the right ways.
But the pacing was glacial. Young plays fair with the clues, but she buries them so deep under layers of small-talk and rehearsal scenes that I'd stopped actively sleuthing. I kept waiting for the story to tighten its grip, and while it eventually does, the middle stretch felt like it could’ve used a sharper edit. DC Windermere is a solid protagonist, ambitious and capable without being annoyingly perfect, and the supporting cast of eccentric villagers kept things colorful even when the plot stalled. The mystery itself is clever, and the final act redeems the sluggish middle. But if you're looking for fast-paced cozy mystery action, this one might test your patience.
Would I recommend it? If you've got patience for a slow-building mystery and love theatre culture, absolutely. The twist alone is worth the wait, and the Cotswold village charm is cozy mystery gold. So while the journey dragged, the destination absolutely stuck the landing.
📱📖 Read on Kindle 📃 266 pages ⏱ Duration: 4 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Boldwood Books 📅 Release Date: March 26, 2026 🎁 ARC provided by NetGalley
A murder mystery set entirely in a village theatre? Sign me up. I was so ready for backstage drama, theatrical feuds, and maybe a prop sword gone rogue. That’s my kind of chaos. And this book absolutely delivers on atmosphere. You can feel the tension in the dressing rooms, the forced smiles, the egos simmering just beneath the surface. It’s delightfully dramatic in all the right ways.
But the pacing was glacial. Young plays fair with the clues, but she buries them so deep under layers of small-talk and rehearsal scenes that I'd stopped actively sleuthing. I kept waiting for the story to tighten its grip, and while it eventually does, the middle stretch felt like it could’ve used a sharper edit. DC Windermere is a solid protagonist, ambitious and capable without being annoyingly perfect, and the supporting cast of eccentric villagers kept things colorful even when the plot stalled. The mystery itself is clever, and the final act redeems the sluggish middle. But if you're looking for fast-paced cozy mystery action, this one might test your patience.
Would I recommend it? If you've got patience for a slow-building mystery and love theatre culture, absolutely. The twist alone is worth the wait, and the Cotswold village charm is cozy mystery gold. So while the journey dragged, the destination absolutely stuck the landing.