Carolyn Haines

Sarah Booth Delaney is back at her family home, Dahlia House, in Zinnia, Mississippi. She’d tried to make a go of a career on Broadway but found she wasn’t good enough.

What happens is Broadway comes to Zinnia in the form of the cast and production of “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.” Among that cast is an old flame and a diva for a leading lady. Items Sarah didn’t want in her life.

The second night of the play, Renata, leading lady and diva, turns up dead. There are plenty of possible suspects due to Renata’s behaviour. Unfortunately Sarah is the one who is put in the limelight, as far as suspects.

While Sarah was in New York for two years, she and the leading man, Graf Mileau, were quite an item and this was common knowledge in Zinnia. The fact that Sarah was Renata’s understudy just cemented the suspicions.

Sarah takes it upon herself to find the murderer and clear all suspicion from herself.

A fun, cozy read with a nice cast of characters and a touch of romance…Southern Style.… (altro)

This was a pretty good book. I've had it for a long time, but always chose something else from my shelf to read. There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn't really see coming. I know some other reviews said they had it figured out in the first few chapters, but I don't see how they could have. I watch a lot of mystery, suspense, cop-type TV and movies, and read a lot of the same. I vaguely had the thought that the killer was the killer (I hope you understand that--I didn't want to put in a name or anything and spoil it). But my vague thought was just that--vague--and fleeting. Even knowing that other people had figured it out, I kept trying to go back in my mind to what happened at the beginning, and I still didn't work it all out until the last couple of chapters.

Overall, a very suspenseful murder-mystery. I kept thinking that Carson Lynch was a cop though, instead of a newspaper journalist. She seemed to get clues and leads a lot quicker and easier than the actual cops did. Maybe she should change occupations :)

I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good mystery, something that makes you think. Well written, although there were a few times where it seemed Carolyn Haines was repeating things from earlier in the book. This is definitely one to put on your "To Read" list!… (altro)