This winter, the York pantomime opens as a farce but closes as a murder scene…
Chief Inspector John Shadow returns from a rare holiday to Italy but before he can unpack, he’s investigating the theft of an antique sabre. Everyone involved assumes it’s a prank, however later that evening, a reluctant Shadow attends the local pantomime—his least favorite form of entertainment—with his star struck sergeant. They watch stunned as Prince Charming dies on stage. Shadow suspects poison and launches an investigation. When he discovers the missing sabre backstage, Shadow realises the theft was no joke and the entire cast and crew are murder suspects. Then another body is found….
John Shadow is a man of contradictions. A solitary figure who shuns company but is a keen observer of all he meets. A lover of good food, but whose fridge is almost always empty. He prefers to work alone but is assisted by the eager Sergeant Jimmy Chang. Together, the two men must work through an ever increasing list of jealous husbands, angry fathers and spurned lovers to discover the identity of the killer.
My Review:
Intriguing and unpredictable.
First, it’s a stolen antique sabre, then it’s the murder of a pantomime actor and his business partner. Chief Inspector Shadow and his sergeant, Jimmy Chang, have their hands full solving this crime where anyone could be the killer. I have to admit, I did not figure out who the killer was until their identity was revealed. It came as a total surprise. I really enjoy it when a mystery book is written so well, with lots of suspects, that could have possibly been the killer. When I find out the killer is one of the last ones I expected, that makes a great story. This is a great addition to the Chief Inspector Shadow Mystery series and I highly recommend it.
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