The Last Line

The owner of a Massachusetts community theater becomes a gumshoe when one of her actors drops dead in Lyerly’s promising if undercooked debut. Reginald Thornton IV may have enough talent to land the lead role in the Kaleidoscope Theater’s production of Murder in a Teacup, but he’s so arrogant and cruel that his costars take outsize delight in rehearsing his climactic death scene each night. Reginald’s behavior, plus the stresses of opening a production, cause theater owner Ellie Marlowe’s Tourette syndrome to flare up. Still, Ellie takes no pleasure when Reginald dies for real on opening night—she believes that even someone as sleazy as him deserves justice. Investigators label Reginald’s death a heart attack, but Ellie isn’t convinced, and her lifelong friend, local police chief Bill Starlin, shares her skepticism. Sifting through a long list of suspects, the pair comes to believe Reginald was poisoned; when someone attacks Reginald’s wife, their investigation gains a greater sense of urgency. With a bit of polish, this would be a bona fide page-turner, but by withholding crucial information until the final pages and repeating a few too many plot points, the author fumbles the bag. Here’s hoping Lyerly’s next outing is more finely tuned. Agent: Adam Chromy, Movable Type Management. (July)