A captivating, sophisticated, and comprehensive mystery novel.
By Nicole Dieker ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2023
Larkin Day is back in the third installment of Dieker’s mystery series, this time as the interim artistic director of the Summer Shakespeare Festival. With the former director and Juliet having been sacked for an adulterous affair, Rebecca Morris, the director’s daughter, is given the job of assistant props master. However, tragedy strikes when Tyler Mackintosh, the production’s Romeo, is found dead, having drunk from a cyanide-spiked potion flask. Later, the festival’s original Juliet is found stabbed, but she was actually poisoned beforehand. With real daggers, fake ones, and lots of prop switching, Larkin must solve the murders before opening night.
Dieker is a master of obfuscation, and her writing is full of interesting elements. Not only does the story raise a host of tantalizing questions, but readers also get a close reading of Shakespeare and a look at the many ambiguities and subtleties in Romeo and Juliet. Dieker’s interests in financial planning and personal development are also woven into the book, as readers observe Larkin always pursuing her elusive best self. The author can skillfully turn a phrase, and there is even a short story appended as a kind of lagniappe. However, the intriguing mind games that are played throughout the novel may be a bit too subtle for some readers.
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9781959565130
Page Count: 260
Publisher: Shortwave Media
Review Posted Online: yesterday