Latest C. S. McDonald Cozy Mystery, Felonius Finale, Features The Operetta, The Merry Widow!

 

Felonious Finale 

The Carnegie Library and Music Hall, Carnegie, Pennsylvania 1965… 

Joy filled Katherine Starr’s heart when her small troop, Onstage Operetta Company, decided to produce The Merry Widow. She’d spent a lifetime dreaming of playing the role of Hanna Glawari, a beautiful, wealthy, young widow from the small and impoverished Balkan province of Pontevedro. 

Ambassador Baron Zeta is eager for Hanna to re-marry. Except, to keep her fortune in the country and save them all from ruin, he insists she marry a Pontevedrian and not a Frenchman. The clear choice is Count Danilo. However, there is a snag, Hanna and Danilo are old flames, and the Count is far too vain to marry her for her money. Mix-ups and humorous intrigue abound when it comes to light that the Baron’s wife, Valencienne, is having an affair with Frenchman Camille, Count de Rosillon! Hanna steps in to rescue the married woman’s reputation. Much to the Pontevedrains’ despair, Hanna declares it is she who plans to marry Camille, and that is when Danilo is forced to acknowledge his true feelings for Hanna.

 Ah, Katherine never grew weary of the audience’s anticipation at the finale…will they, or won’t they? Now, Katherine sat in her dressing room at the music hall, before her lighted mirror, smoothing on red lipstick, while her dear, bright yellow canary, Zippy, swung two and fro on its perch in the gilded cage nearby, twittering and singing her sweet song. Katherine had no sooner set the lipstick aside when there was a knock at the door. 

“Katherine, may I come in?” Royce Hathaway, a talented baritone who played the role of Danilo, called from the hallway. His deep voice was on the edge of frantic. “Yes, come in.” Her expectant gaze clung to the mirror as Royce rushed through the door to stand behind her. Even through makeup, Katherine could see his handsome face was flushed. “What’s wrong?” “Bert Mateer won’t be coming. He’s very ill. Piers didn’t feel the need to cover him with an understudy. He has no solo or lines, but he serves all the drinks for the party scenes and for the toasts. He’s still quite important, and we’ve got no one to cover him. Everyone is on stage when he is, for the big scenes. Except…” Royce raised his eyebrows and cocked his chin to one side. “Except, who?” 

“Your husband.” “Bobby? But he just sets up the props. Makes sure the correct things are on stage at the correct time, fills the trays with drinks for Bert to serve. I’m not sure he knows what Bert actually does while he’s on stage.” “I think Bobby knows. He’s been to enough rehearsals. Sure, Bert hams it up as the waiter. It’s his way to make up for being such a weak tenor and to be included in the show.” Royce shrugged. “He does a good job. He gets laughs from the audience, but Bobby doesn’t have to do that. I’ve seen the two of them talking backstage. I’m sure Bert has told him all about it. All Bobby has to do is serve the drinks. He doesn’t even have to pretend to sing.” “Have you talked this over with Piers? He is the director,” Katherine put in. Royce’s face pinched with guilt. “No, I haven’t. He’s very busy with last minute sound and light checks. I don’t want to bother him with this.” He gently laid his hands on her shoulders. “Please, Katherine, come with me to convince Bobby to do it and get him into costume. He looks to be about Bert’s size. Don’t you think?” Katherine studied Royce’s reflection in the mirror. He was right. The part of the waiter was small, yet significant, and this was something they could solve without bothering Piers. Lifting her lips into a demure curl, she patted his right hand. “Okay, I’ll go with you, but no guarantees.” Considering the blue, wide-brimmed hat festooned with mounds of white ostrich feathers on the brushed gold hat stand, but deciding to leave it behind, Katherine pushed up from her bench. She swept the long, ivory, and blue, brocade gown away from her legs. Her rhinestone choker and dangling earrings glinted in the lights outlining the mirror, as she stepped toward the bird cage to check the door. The last thing she wanted was for her darling Zippy to escape and fly through the auditorium during the performance. “Hurry Katherine, we haven’t much time,” Royce agonized.

~~~

I really enjoyed the latest novel by C. S. McDonald. Yes, the setting within the activities of performing an operetta was fun, but, more, it was because there were two--yes, two--angels now working to earn their spots in St. Peter's Guardian Angel Squad. Detective Cliff Slater has joined PI Bobbie Starr... And, no, this Cliff Slater is not the present Cliff Slater who is our main character, Alexa Owl's lover, who, was, at that very moment, sleeping along with Alexa in her bedroom...

So Bobbie Starr and Detective Slater, popping in, was not the best time to start on the new angel's mission--to find out just who murdered Bobbie Starr!

And if that wasn't enough confusion, Bobbie Starr also has another problem to solve and it involves our lovely and fun assistant to Alexa in her tailor shop, formerly Winnie's home, now converted to the "The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe."

And when St. Peter calls...

This time, Alexa and Detective Slater were the ones thrown back into time! And it was during that time when Bobbie Starr was murdered! During The Merry Widow's performance!

Entire operetta provided for those interested...

Bobby wasn't one of the performers, but when one of them did not show up, Bobby was called into taking the small part that merely was to cross the stage from one side to the other, serving drinks. And when he left the stage on the other wing, he was later found dead. And the original performer, Bert, was also found dead at this home! Murdered!

Don't bother asking why and how Alexa is being called as the human to help St. Peter! He's not talking and Alexa and the angels don't know. But in this case, Alexa's skills as a seamstress gets her into the middle of the set as Bert's wife didn't want to come back after Bert's death. And so, Alexa worked inside while Detective Slater worked outside.

And wouldn't you know it, this new angel, without too much experience, and with Alexa not being with him constantly, proved to be a fatal problem when the very much alive Detective Cliff Slater was assigned to the two murder cases! Can you think Keystone Cops?!

For surely the officers under the live Detective Slater (who had not yet been killed) are going crazy when the angel Detective Slater meets up with them and even solves the case... Hilarious scenes of perplexion are enjoyed by readers as those actually working the two murder cases try to figure out why their boss is acting so strange and weird! Not to mention the confusion of the real Cliff Slater... 

McDonald's sense of humor has certainly come to the front with this latest Alexa Owl Mystery. And I'm loving it... Special kudos for the humor in this one!

If you haven't started this series, but it sounds

interesting, I recommend you start at the beginning (this is the fourth novel)... Get to know the characters so that when this one is read, you are more prepared... Although I must also add that this and others can also be free-standing reads--but what's the fun in that when an entire time-travel series led by St. Peter himself awaits!

Cozy Mystery Lovers, especially - Enjoy!

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