Murder at the Mikado by Julianna Deering

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Just as Drew Farthering thinks his life has calmed down some, Fleur Landis, a former girlfriend, reappears, in dire need of his help. She’s married now, no longer an actress–but the lead actor in her former troupe’s production of The Mikado has been murdered, and Fleur is the police’s number one suspect.

Drew would rather focus on his fiancée, Madeline Parker, and their upcoming wedding, but he can’t leave Fleur and her family in the lurch–even if she did break his heart once. As Drew, Nick, and Madeline begin investigating, they discover more going on behind the scenes of the theater troupe than could ever have been imagined. It seems nearly everyone had a motive, and alibis are few and far between.

Both the murder case and the presence of the beautiful, exotic Fleur put a heavy strain on Drew and Madeline’s relationship. Will their still-young romance survive the pressure?

When I was offered a complimentary review copy of Murder at the Mikado, I was eager to read it because I have read the second book in the Drew Farthering Mystery series Death by the Book, and really enjoyed it.

It takes place in the 1930’s, an historical era that I find very enthralling.  Coupled with the mystery bent that reminds one of an Agatha Christie novel, the Drew Farthering Mysteries by Julianna Deering are good wholesome reads that really do keep you guessing on “who dunnit” until the end.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, and the synopsis above does a great job at giving enough information about the book to give you an idea whether the subject matter interests you sufficiently to pick up a copy of the book to read.  I did find it fun that the theater production that is occurring during the book is Pirates of Penzance, which happens to be one of my favorite stage shows, and I found myself singing the lyrics to the songs whenever I put the book down for a break. 🙂

I think you could read Murder at the Mikado as a stand alone book even though it’s part of a series.  I have not yet read the first book in the series, Rules of Murder, and I had no big issues with following along in the second book.  However, I do think having read Death by the Book made Murder at the Mikado a bit more engaging since I knew a bit of the back story of Drew and Madeline and the other repeat characters in the book.

This book is published under a Christian publishing house and is considered Christian fiction.  There are some references to God in the book, but it’s really understated and not at all in your face.  Making it appealing to anyone who enjoys mystery books and/or the glamour of the 1930s.

You can find Murder at the Mikado online on Amazon.com and other book retailers.   At the time of this post being published the Kindle version is $8.99 and a paperback copy is $10.40.