Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Show Time by Suzanne Trauth

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, for Show Time by Suzanne Trauth.  Please leave a comment or question for Suzanne to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above, the more stops you visit, the better your chances of winning.  Good Luck!

Show Time

By Suzanne Trauth

A Dodie O’Dell Mystery, Book 1

Publisher:  Lyrical Underground

Release Date: July 19, 2016

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Female Sleuth
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1601837202
ASIN: B0174PKHFG

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

About the book:

The tide has turned for Dodie O’Dell since a hurricane upended her life on the Jersey Shore. Now she’s further up the coast in sleepy Etonville, managing a restaurant that dishes dinners themed around the community theater’s latest productions. But Dodie just never imagined she’d land the starring role in a case of bloody homicide . . .

Intrigued by rumors of vanishing box office money, Dodie has agreed to help oversee the casting of Romeo and Juliet at the modest Etonville Little Theater. If nothing else, it’s a welcome escape from the thirty-something’s usual going-to-bed-with-a-mystery-novel routine. But when Jerome Angleton, a well-respected member of the theater company, is inexplicably found murdered on the loading dock, deadly drama transcends the stage—and the page. As a crime wave crashes over the small town, the spotlight is on Dodie to orchestrate her own investigation behind the scenes . . . before someone has a chance at a killer encore.

Suzanne Trauth, Harvard Studio, Montclair, NJ. 06/27/2014 

Photo by Steve Hockstein/HarvardStudio.com

About The Author

Suzanne Trauth is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and a former university theatre professor. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Dramatists Guild. When she is not writing, Suzanne coaches actors and serves as a celebrant performing wedding ceremonies. She lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Readers can visit her website at www.suzannetrauth.com.

The first in the new Dodie O’Dell Mystery series, Show Time by Suzanne Trauth is a contemporary cozy set in New Jersey.  A small town setting, colorful characters and a solid mystery, make this a strong start for a new series.  If you like cozies set in small towns or on the East coast – you’ll want to pick up a copy.

Ms. Trauth does a good job introducing her main character, Dodie O’Dell, right from the start.  A single woman in her twenties, Dodie grew up in the Jersey Shore but found herself displaced thanks to Hurricane Sandy.  Determined to make it to New York, Dodie ends up in Eatonville, a small town in Northern New Jersey, as a pit stop.  A pit stop meant to earn additional funds for her more to New York.  Working as the manager of local restaurant, Dodie immerses herself in Eatonville and soon becomes friends with the local who’s who.  I really liked Dodie’s character from the start, she’s attractive, likeable, and a hard worker.  She’s also a good friend and loyal to those she loves.

The secondary characters in the story are also well developed and I especially liked Lola, her new best friend, one of the members of the board for the Eatonville Little Theatre (ELT), and Carol, another close friend, who runs “Snippets” the local hair salon.  I also liked Jerome Angleton, the murder victim, though his part in the book was very short.  Like a lot of small towns, everybody knows everybody else to some degree and it was interesting watching Dodie interact with everyone – including the new police chief, William Thompson, who is single, attractive and very much in charge.

The mystery is well written and takes several twists and turns.  My attempts at guessing the identity of the killer were mostly wrong, which is a good thing.  The story’s pace is fairly even, and the action is very low key.  The dialogue is good, but I think it could have used a touch more humor. The theatre and the restaurant where Dodie worked being next to each other was great placement on Ms. Trauth’s part.  It made sense for Dodie to become involved in the investigation since it was next door to her job and also because of the dinner-theatre menu Dodie created to increase business for both venues.

Will Dodie figure out who killed Jerome?  Will she get in trouble with Police Chief Thompson for investigating the murder?  And will any romantic sparks develop between Dodie and the Chief?  You’ll have to read Show Time to find out, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns

a Rafflecopter giveaway FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley for a fair and honest review.  The opinion about the reading material provided is my own.