THERE'S NO MURDER LIKE SHOW MURDER

Murder derails a struggling Connecticut theater troupe’s best shot at a comeback.

The folks at the Eastbrook Playhouse have more or less become Tasha Weaver’s family. Under the steady hand of artistic director Arthur Winston, the players have delighted Tasha since she was barely old enough to sit through a show. After Tasha’s mother died of cancer, the sad teen sought solace in the Playhouse’s costume department. While her high school friends went off to college, she stitched gowns and tuxedos that helped make the magic happen. Now, as wardrobe manager, she hopes a revival of Annie Get Your Gun featuring Broadway stars Kurt Mozer and Olivia Grace can boost the Playhouse’s flagging attendance before developer Garrison Miller turns the historic theater into a shopping mall. Mozer goes wobbly on the production, fussing, fuming, and threatening to go back to New York. But before he can bail, someone shoots the temperamental star, triggering a new crisis. Though it’s not clear how solving Mozer’s murder will save Annie, Tasha feels an unstoppable urge to investigate. Sifting through the rivalries, jealousies, and general bad behavior that led to the star’s demise takes patience and perception. Who better than detail-oriented Tasha, who clothes mighty choruses one stitch at a time, to tackle the tangle of a male diva’s death?

Greene’s deep dive behind the scenes will tempt mystery fans and theater buffs alike.