Debut
This dark theatre cozy is set in Avalon, Massachusetts, in the tiny Kaleidoscope Theater. Theater owner and producer Ellie Marlowe, our main character, is opening a solid sounding show titled Murder in a Teacup. The attendance numbers look good and the show looks to be a success, with just one problem: the leading man is not a nice guy. In the first few scenes, in encounter after encounter, the reader is shown (not told) of the man’s arrogant, demeaning, and downright rude behavior to basically all other humans in his orbit. Since this is a murder mystery, he is quickly dispatched, though the question remains: did he simply have a heart attack? Again, this is a murder mystery.
Ellie is a wonderfully drawn character, who happens to have Tourette’s. While she doesn’t have the type that causes reflexive swearing, her Tourettes takes the form of blinking, nodding and grunting, especially when she’s tense. I was interested in the author’s choice here and even more interested in that not only was Ellie quite matter of fact about her condition, so was everyone around her. When I checked, I found the author had the same syndrome, and the simple authenticity he brings to his portrayal of Ellie is an extremely strong element of her character.
While this is an unusual trait, there’s much more to Ellie. She loves her theatre, for one thing, and because one of her theatre family has died on her watch, she’s determined to get to the bottom of things. Her partner in crime, so to speak, is her old family friend, Bill, now the Avalon police chief, who is being squeezed out of the death investigation. He used to be in the State police but exposed some corruption there and has made his way to the Avalon police department. The Staties taking over the case are full of resentment and dismissive of his suggestions, though allowing him to conduct some interviews if he feels the need to do so. He feels the need, and he and Ellie set out to sleuth.
Both are married to others and while they have a strong bond, it’s one of friendship; both of them had loved Ellie’s sister, who died in a drowning accident many years before. The shared trauma (and love for the same person) has created a powerful and lasting friendship. While Ellie’s husband fears she’ll become overly involved in the investigation, it’s refreshing to see that she listens to him, and does pay attention to both her marriage and her job. Among other things, she has to replace her leading man.
While this is a book I would consider a cozy, with a classic murder-in-the-theatre set up – a plot type that has a long, long history in mystery fiction – many of the issues uncovered in the course of Ellie and Bill’s investigation are not so cozy. There’s also the very serious and advanced cancer of the play’s director. She’s a pivotal witness, as she’s known many of the players in the drama for decades.
That said, I liked Ellie and Bill’s fairly drama free collaboration and their intelligent investigation of the, ultimately, crimes (plural) in the novel. I liked Ellie herself and I thought newbie Lyerly has a good way with all the side bar characters, the characters that bring a book to life in so many ways. I was interested in all of them. The story is well paced and well told, and in cozy fashion, the ending provides justice and a bit of hope for the main players in the drama. Order is restored, as it must be in a true cozy. This is a lovely debut. — Robin Agnew