From Publishers Weekly
Offstage drama threatens the production of a gender-bending play,
Romiette and Julio, at Maine's Bowmouth College in Borthwick's entertaining 13th academic cozy starring Sarah Deane, English professor and sometime sleuth (after 2004's
Intensive Scare Unit). While sparks fly among the talented young cast (two women clobber the arrogant male lead), interdepartmental politicking escalates between the English department head, Danton McGraw, and the director of the drama school, Sarah's friend Vera Pruczak. Miraculously, the production itself goes off without a hitch, but after the curtain falls Sarah discovers a faculty member critically injured, and later, a student is found dead. She brushes off police warnings not to get involved in her quest for the truth. With natural dialogue and lively characters, the imaginative plot unfolds at a leisurely pace with enough twists to keep the reader guessing.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
The Sarah Deane series turns 25 with this typically engaging cozy. Sarah, English professor and amateur sleuth, agrees to help out with Bowmouth College's production of
Romeo and Juliet, but, like true love, the course of amateur dramatics never runs smooth; soon a faculty member is critically injured, and a student is dead. Naturally, Sarah sorts everything out eventually, but, as fans of the series know, it's the small moments of discovery and the charming characterizations that make the tale so enjoyable. Recommend this to mystery readers who prefer a slower pace and more emphasis on the subtle interplay of characters.
David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved