Book Review and Giveaway: Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Emily Castles returns in a new mystery, Showstoppers.

Life gets tougher for Emily in this second book of the series. Having already lost her beloved pet in the first book, she has now lost her job. After her neighbor Victoria confides in her that she has been receiving threatening letters, Emily decides to help her out at her stage school. When the school's landlord is found dead, Emily and her eccentric philosophy professor neighbor, Dr. Muriel, team up to solve the crime.

In the second installment of the Emily Castles series, author Helen Smith continues exploring a cast of quirky characters in present-day London. We meet Victoria and her husband Piers. Victoria runs a local stage school and is in the middle of planning the end of the year show. She's distracted by a series of poison pen letters she's been receiving. She confides in Emily that she wonders if her ex-boyfriend might be responsible, since he has suddenly reappeared in her life, expressing an interest in having his daughter attend the school.

Like in the first book, Smith's strength resides in her quirky characters. She truly knows how to create memorable characters, which is a big plus for this series. The introduction of Morgana and her relationship with Dr. Muriel was fun to explore.

While I felt Showstoppers was a stronger book than the first, the plot still had a few issues. Now, I'm guessing the short length of these stories may be part of the reason, but in Showstoppers I wasn't convinced the motive was strong enough. If we had time to uncover the culprit's history more deeply, it may have been clearer why he/she acted in that manner. In addition, Victoria hires Emily to help her at the school and quickly puts her to work. Why did Victoria put so much trust in Emily? They were neighbors, not best friends.  I also didn't feel the running joke about the video Victoria made when she was in film school added much. I'm guessing it's supposed to be funny everyone thinks it's "that kind of video," and someone's misinterpretation of what the video contains plays an important role at one point, but it felt overdone.

All that said, I truly love the characters Smith has created, so I'm eager to see what happens when a full-length Emily Castles novel comes out. If issues are smoothed out by more time to develop the storyline, then Smith will have a winning series.


File Size: 182 KB
Print Length: 48 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Tyger Books (December 5, 2011)
ASIN: B006ITK0AW

Tour Giveaway

10 winners will each receive a Kindle Ebook copy of Showstoppers & Three Sisters Ends 2/28/13

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I received a free Kindle version of this book from the author through her publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.

Book Review and Giveaway: Three Sisters by Helen Smith

A short cozy mystery awaits you in Three Sisters by Helen Smith, the first of her Emily Castles mysteries.

In present-day London, Emily Castles lives alone among a diverse group of neighbors, which includes eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. Emily usually keeps to herself and has recently lost her beloved pet. Hoping to raise her spirits a bit, she manages to accept an invitation to a party at the big house down the street.

This gala features fabulous entertainment, including a knife-throwing show by a set of sisters. It appears one of the sisters is killed during the show, but when she appears very much alive flaunting a prop rubber knife, the crowd believes it was part of the entertainment. Emily isn't convinced, however, and now she needs to find out what truly happened and get people to realize they just witnessed a murder.

The first book of a series is so crucial. It sets the stage for the books that will come after it. Smith has in under 50 pages created an interesting and unique mystery set in present-day London. She fills this story with a cast of engaging characters that captivate the reader. Her strength resides in her ability to create quirky characters like Emily and Dr. Muriel, but also the DJ, the knife-throwing sisters, and a small group of potential suspects. They were all unique and fun to get to know.

I felt, however, that the mystery plot was a bit too easy. Early on I had figured out what happened, and though I didn't know every detail, the majority of the pages were merely seeing how it all came together. I wanted a few more twists and turns; a few more pieces to fit into the puzzle. That's probably challenging to do in such a short book, but I needed it to make it a perfect reading experience.

Three Sisters is a good pick for cozy mystery lovers and those who like quirky characters. I'll be reviewing the next book in this series, Showstoppers, later in the month. Hope you'll stop by on the 20th to read my thoughts.



File Size: 142 KB
Print Length: 44 pages
Publisher: Tyger Books (February 5, 2011)
ASIN: B004M5HK0M

Tour Giveaway

10 winners will each receive a Kindle Ebook copy of Showstoppers & Three Sisters Ends 2/28/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a free Kindle version of this book from the author through her publicist. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.

Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith Book Blast/Giveaway

Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.


In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.

Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series


Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious... Helen Smith is a master story-teller.

~Socrates Book Reviews


It grips you from the very beginning.

~Babs Books Bistro


Bright, colorful and full of surprises.

~Amazon Vine Reviewer


Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.

~Eva’s Sanctuary


Praise for Helen Smith

Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.

~The Booklist

Purchase

Showstoppers * Three Sisters

Author Helen Smith



Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

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