Review: A Classic Who-dun-it
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2011
Hooded specters of thespians long dead seem to navigate the catwalk high above the darkened stage.I've always been a fan of the traditional cozy murder mystery such as Agatha Christie wrote, or Dorothy L. Sayers, or Margery Allingham--the sort of story portrayed on A & E or PBS Mystery Theatre. So I was excited to discover a modern-day voice that has captured that fast-paced and snappy dialogue that you would find in a Tommy & Tuppence who-dun-it. That voice is Donna Crow, award-winning English novelist who lives in Oregon.The author has written numerous books, but this is the first one I've read, but it won't be the last. She keeps to the traditional style but beautifully updated.Her sleuths are newlyweds Elizabeth and Richard Spenser, an educated and stylish couple who are on their honeymoon. But these two are pulled away from their romantic trysts by the shady goings on at a local theatre. In the silent and darkened hall it seems someone is out to injure Elizabeth's sister, Tori, ... or worse.Amidst delightful snippets of Shakespearean speeches that are expertly woven throughout the story, is a hilarious maze of misconstructed dialogue and mayhem of action. Even the police detective quotes Shakespeare, proving the universality of the Bard.With an adroit hand at humor and sleek banter, Donna Crow combines a lighthearted romance with the dangerous world behind the curtain. And her characters Elizabeth and Richard share their Christian faith unobtrusively and with deft intelligence.