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Murder Off Stage
Welcome to Broadway - and to an unthinkable crime! Former theatre starlet turned amateur sleuth Jessie Beckett gets mixed up in murder when an on-stage shooting turns all too real.
New York, 1926. It's not like Jessie Beckett goes around looking for murders to solve, but the vaudeville star turned movie script girl has a natural talent for it. After a lifetime on stage, she's sensitive to details that other people miss.
So when leading theater star Allen Crenshaw is shot live on stage during a performance of hit Broadway show Rules of Engagement - a horrified Jessie watching from the second row - she knows she has to act fast before Allen's co-star, the beautiful Norah Rose, goes down for murder. After all, it was Norah who fired the fateful bullet . . . even if the shooting was all part of the show.
Jessie investigates those closest to Allen - the presence of her theater companion, the superstar Adele Astaire, opening doors wherever they go - and finds only enemies. With the suspects for the disliked actor so numerous, can she uncover the truth in time to save Norah - or will the killer silence her too?
Packed with real-life stars of the stage and screen, this page-turning romp through the boards and backstreets of Broadway is a perfect pick for readers who enjoy Jazz Age mysteries with intrepid female sleuths.
New York, 1926. It's not like Jessie Beckett goes around looking for murders to solve, but the vaudeville star turned movie script girl has a natural talent for it. After a lifetime on stage, she's sensitive to details that other people miss.
So when leading theater star Allen Crenshaw is shot live on stage during a performance of hit Broadway show Rules of Engagement - a horrified Jessie watching from the second row - she knows she has to act fast before Allen's co-star, the beautiful Norah Rose, goes down for murder. After all, it was Norah who fired the fateful bullet . . . even if the shooting was all part of the show.
Jessie investigates those closest to Allen - the presence of her theater companion, the superstar Adele Astaire, opening doors wherever they go - and finds only enemies. With the suspects for the disliked actor so numerous, can she uncover the truth in time to save Norah - or will the killer silence her too?
Packed with real-life stars of the stage and screen, this page-turning romp through the boards and backstreets of Broadway is a perfect pick for readers who enjoy Jazz Age mysteries with intrepid female sleuths.
- GenresMystery
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2023
1 person is currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Mary Miley
18 books151 followersI'm an Army brat who has lived in Virginia most of my adult life. I received my BA and MA in history from the College of William and Mary and taught American history and museum studies at Virginia Commonwealth University for thirteen years. I am the author of 200 magazine articles, most on history, travel, and business topics, 12 nonfiction books, and 9 historical mysteries set in the Roaring Twenties. When I'm not writing, I'm probably at Valley Road Vineyard, our winery in the mountains of Virginia where everything we do would have been illegal in the 1920s.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 9, 2023
I was so happy to see that Mary wrote another cozy mystery featuring Jessie Bennett. I love this character, she’s so personable. She’s still working for Douglas Fairbanks & Mary Pickford. This time they’re in New York & while seeing a Broadway show with Adele Astaire, a murder happens. Adele is thrilled to work alongside Jessie to help with this investigation. Just a wholesome cozy with some very likable moments & characters.
June 22, 2023
Jessie already has several solved mysteries under her belt and when she witnesses a murder on stage, her investigation skills become extremely useful as she’s determined to find out what happened.
Accompanying Jessie on this investigation is her old friend, Adele. The two of them use their Hollywood connections in New York to open doors for questioning and gain access behind the scenes.
Looking for a cozy mystery set during Prohibition in New York, you’ll want to pick this one up!
ARC via NetGalley
Accompanying Jessie on this investigation is her old friend, Adele. The two of them use their Hollywood connections in New York to open doors for questioning and gain access behind the scenes.
Looking for a cozy mystery set during Prohibition in New York, you’ll want to pick this one up!
ARC via NetGalley
September 24, 2023
Jessie Beckett is in New York with her employers, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary PIckford, and is thrilled that her old vaudeville buddy Adele Astaire is in the city, too. The women go to a new play, only for the lead actor to be shot in the first scene of the second act. Why would the actress who shoots the gun kill him and make herself the main suspect? The investigating detective falls for the attractive Adele, giving Jessie a chance to investigate the crime. Jessie also learns that her boyfriend back in California has escaped from prison--after promising her that he would serve his short term and go straight for her sake--and she fears that he'll be captured or killed.
December 29, 2023
This is the third Miley Roaring Twenties mystery I've read, and it was a pleasurable romp through 1926 New York City's theatrical life backstage and onstage, as Jessie Beckett, former vaudevillian, assistant to Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and amateur detective witnesses a murder committed during a live Broadway theater performance. Jessie's sidekick in this adventure is none other than Adele Astaire, Fred's sister and dancing partner.
Jessie's a pistol, the actual stars are fun, the Manhattan and Brooklyn locations are colorful, and the murder mystery was pretty engaging. I was glad I'd read books #1 and #2 ("The Impersonator" and "Silent Murders") as there were references to those stories. I haven't read #s 3 and 4, which didn't affect my enjoyment or understanding of backstories. I will try to hunt them down. Miley is an entertaining author, and I enjoy reading about this glittery and complicated decade of the 20th Century.
Jessie's a pistol, the actual stars are fun, the Manhattan and Brooklyn locations are colorful, and the murder mystery was pretty engaging. I was glad I'd read books #1 and #2 ("The Impersonator" and "Silent Murders") as there were references to those stories. I haven't read #s 3 and 4, which didn't affect my enjoyment or understanding of backstories. I will try to hunt them down. Miley is an entertaining author, and I enjoy reading about this glittery and complicated decade of the 20th Century.
September 6, 2023
It’s always a joy when a favourite author delivers yet another cracking read. And I really liked this slice of Jessie’s life. Not only were we treated to a nicely twisty plot with plenty of suspects – I appreciated that the perpetrator had strong reasons for wanting to commit the murder. And this time around, I was also impressed with the manner in which he offed his victim. Jessie had to spend plenty of time interviewing a number of people – and this time around, she isn’t in Hollywood. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks are in New York, so Jessie is accompanying them as their script girl. Though these days, we’d probably call her a Girl Friday…
The setting is always a strength with one of Miley’s adventures. She has the clothing, food and customs of the time nailed. But the biggest difference we are confronted with is that during this era, alcoholic drink is illegal and Prohibition is in full swing. We already know that the result of this disastrous decision is the rise and rise of organised crime in all the big cities as the gangs cash in on many people’s unwillingness to abide by the law. I also like how Miley weaves real people within her story. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks are here – but the star who attracted my attention is Jessie’s pal Adele Astaire, the sister of Fred. I loved Jessie’s description of this couple. Miley gives additional details in her fascinating extra notes at the back, mentioning that Fred’s glamorous sister was the one who first made it big, while Fred is creating her choreography and training her.
All in all, this is a thoroughly accomplished and entertaining addition to this series and highly recommended to fans of historical murder mystery adventures. While I obtained an arc of Murder Off Stage from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
The setting is always a strength with one of Miley’s adventures. She has the clothing, food and customs of the time nailed. But the biggest difference we are confronted with is that during this era, alcoholic drink is illegal and Prohibition is in full swing. We already know that the result of this disastrous decision is the rise and rise of organised crime in all the big cities as the gangs cash in on many people’s unwillingness to abide by the law. I also like how Miley weaves real people within her story. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks are here – but the star who attracted my attention is Jessie’s pal Adele Astaire, the sister of Fred. I loved Jessie’s description of this couple. Miley gives additional details in her fascinating extra notes at the back, mentioning that Fred’s glamorous sister was the one who first made it big, while Fred is creating her choreography and training her.
All in all, this is a thoroughly accomplished and entertaining addition to this series and highly recommended to fans of historical murder mystery adventures. While I obtained an arc of Murder Off Stage from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
June 23, 2023
This is book 5 of the Roaring Twenties Mystery series by author Mary Miley. It is the first of the series that I have read. The book is set in New York City in 1926. The main character is Jessie Beckett, a former child star in Vaudeville and now the assistant to famous Hollywood film stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. She was in New York with her employers on business and in her free time reconnected with Vaudeville friends and current Broadway stars Adele and Fred Astaire.
The story begins when Jessie and Adele attend the latest Broadway hit only to witness from their second row seats the death of the lead actor, Allen Crenshaw. In a scene straight out of today’s headlines, the lead actress fires a gun that is supposed to be loaded with blanks and her co-star falls dead. Was it an accident or murder? Who substituted real bullets into the gun?
Jesse has a history of solving crimes so her employers allow her time off to aid the rookie police detective in his investigation, along with the eager help of Adele Astaire. The book is filled with real life personalities and locations from that period and the author has clearly done her homework.
The case is very engaging and an excellent mystery. While many people had the opportunity to switch the ammo, no one seems to have sufficient motive, plus why murder someone in such a public setting. This kept me guessing until the end. The historical details and Prohibition era time period add atmosphere and sense of place and the story provided a fascinating behind the scenes look at Broadway shows, Vaudeville, Burlesque and the silent movie industry.
Thanks to Severn House publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.
The story begins when Jessie and Adele attend the latest Broadway hit only to witness from their second row seats the death of the lead actor, Allen Crenshaw. In a scene straight out of today’s headlines, the lead actress fires a gun that is supposed to be loaded with blanks and her co-star falls dead. Was it an accident or murder? Who substituted real bullets into the gun?
Jesse has a history of solving crimes so her employers allow her time off to aid the rookie police detective in his investigation, along with the eager help of Adele Astaire. The book is filled with real life personalities and locations from that period and the author has clearly done her homework.
The case is very engaging and an excellent mystery. While many people had the opportunity to switch the ammo, no one seems to have sufficient motive, plus why murder someone in such a public setting. This kept me guessing until the end. The historical details and Prohibition era time period add atmosphere and sense of place and the story provided a fascinating behind the scenes look at Broadway shows, Vaudeville, Burlesque and the silent movie industry.
Thanks to Severn House publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.
August 11, 2023
3.75 stars
Another entry in the Roaring Twenties mysteries featuring former Vaudevillian Jessie Beckett, now employed by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford as their Girl Friday. They are in New York City, it's 1926 during Prohibition, and they are staying at the Algonquin Hotel. The historical details and real characters, including Mayor Jimmy Walker and Queen Marie of Romania, add interest and background.
The theater folks, also including Fred Astaire and his sister Adele, are fun inclusions. Jessie has a knack for solving murders, and she just happens to be in the audience when a prop gun evidently fires a real bullet into the leading man during a play. Jessie and Adele cultivate the neophyte police investigator and insert themselves into the case.
They run around New York interviewing witnesses and following up on trails. Was the murder a simple greedy relative looking to secure their inheritance? Was it a love triangle involving the victim's various girlfriends or his estranged wife? Did he welch out once too often on gambling debts? Was his understudy eager to have the lead role?
Lots of suspects and motives for Jessie and Adele to sift through. This is an entertaining series with an appealing main character and lots of great historical detail. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Another entry in the Roaring Twenties mysteries featuring former Vaudevillian Jessie Beckett, now employed by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford as their Girl Friday. They are in New York City, it's 1926 during Prohibition, and they are staying at the Algonquin Hotel. The historical details and real characters, including Mayor Jimmy Walker and Queen Marie of Romania, add interest and background.
The theater folks, also including Fred Astaire and his sister Adele, are fun inclusions. Jessie has a knack for solving murders, and she just happens to be in the audience when a prop gun evidently fires a real bullet into the leading man during a play. Jessie and Adele cultivate the neophyte police investigator and insert themselves into the case.
They run around New York interviewing witnesses and following up on trails. Was the murder a simple greedy relative looking to secure their inheritance? Was it a love triangle involving the victim's various girlfriends or his estranged wife? Did he welch out once too often on gambling debts? Was his understudy eager to have the lead role?
Lots of suspects and motives for Jessie and Adele to sift through. This is an entertaining series with an appealing main character and lots of great historical detail. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 22, 2023
Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on September 5th, 2023
Entertaining murder mystery set in the 1920s. This is book 5 of the series, but the first one I’ve read. Taking place in New York, the murder takes place on stage as an actor is shot to death in front of a live audience with what should have been blanks.
Our heroine — Jessie Beckett — is a Vaudeville orphan turned Script Girl for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. She is aided in her investigations by Adele Astaire — and old friend from Vaudeville, whose Broadway show with brother Fred has just closed.
A reasonably convoluted plot. There was a lot of description of the theater world in the 20s which was sometimes very interesting and other times read like a laundry list of theaters, plays, and then famous names. I’m not super fond of books that turn historical figures into characters solving mysteries so while I was first happy to be reading about my idol Fred Astaire, it never really rang true. In lieu of deep characterization we get shallow depictions that simply parrot what you might read in movie magazines. Still, the story was fun and it took me a while to solve the mystery.
Entertaining murder mystery set in the 1920s. This is book 5 of the series, but the first one I’ve read. Taking place in New York, the murder takes place on stage as an actor is shot to death in front of a live audience with what should have been blanks.
Our heroine — Jessie Beckett — is a Vaudeville orphan turned Script Girl for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. She is aided in her investigations by Adele Astaire — and old friend from Vaudeville, whose Broadway show with brother Fred has just closed.
A reasonably convoluted plot. There was a lot of description of the theater world in the 20s which was sometimes very interesting and other times read like a laundry list of theaters, plays, and then famous names. I’m not super fond of books that turn historical figures into characters solving mysteries so while I was first happy to be reading about my idol Fred Astaire, it never really rang true. In lieu of deep characterization we get shallow depictions that simply parrot what you might read in movie magazines. Still, the story was fun and it took me a while to solve the mystery.
July 2, 2023
MURDER OFF STAGE by Mary Miley
I LOVED this book, and was sad to get to the (very satisfying) end. Maybe I just have to go back to the beginning and read it again. There’s just so much to savor: Broadway theater, the Algonquin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Fred and Adele Astaire, Queen Marie of Romania and her children, all involved in solving the on-stage murder of the leading man in a Pulitzer Award winning play . . . and all so well-written.
Jessie and friends can go places and get information the police can’t, and they all work with the police and other allies, some quite unexpected, to bring justice. Historical details add a sense of reality, like Prohibition’s twisted enforcement, including poisoning with wood alcohol or “smoke,” deadly and protested by doctors, enough to infuriate even now. There’s so much more I’d love to discuss, but I do not want spoilers in this review.
5th in the series, so if you like reading in order, start with THE IMPERSONATOR.
Pub. date is 9/5, so there’s time to read them all.
I LOVED this book, and was sad to get to the (very satisfying) end. Maybe I just have to go back to the beginning and read it again. There’s just so much to savor: Broadway theater, the Algonquin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Fred and Adele Astaire, Queen Marie of Romania and her children, all involved in solving the on-stage murder of the leading man in a Pulitzer Award winning play . . . and all so well-written.
Jessie and friends can go places and get information the police can’t, and they all work with the police and other allies, some quite unexpected, to bring justice. Historical details add a sense of reality, like Prohibition’s twisted enforcement, including poisoning with wood alcohol or “smoke,” deadly and protested by doctors, enough to infuriate even now. There’s so much more I’d love to discuss, but I do not want spoilers in this review.
5th in the series, so if you like reading in order, start with THE IMPERSONATOR.
Pub. date is 9/5, so there’s time to read them all.
August 30, 2023
This striking cover with the young lady and her vivid red lipstick caught my eye and then to be set in 1926 during the roaring twenties and a mystery made this a historical fiction not to be missed. It immediately held my attention with the heroine employed by the most popular actress in Hollywood who has brought her to New York City for a working holiday. Jessica, previously a vaudeville star, catches up with Adele Astaire and they attend a play. The play was stopped after the leading man was shot and killed by the leading lady instead of merely wounding him as the lines of the play dictated. Jessica is determined to assist the police as she has done in the past to determine if the actress was the murderer or are there other suspects who wanted the actor dead. Mary Miley has captured the essence of this timeframe with descriptions of places and people even including some royalty. Her notes about. the research is not to be missed. Thanks to NetGalley and Severn Publishing for an ARC; this is my honest review.
July 12, 2023
It is exciting to read about the Twenties. I like to read about the movie stars and any scandalous behavior they might have shown.In "Murder Off Stage" by Mary Miley an actor is shot two or three times on stage. There is no way to know who shot the actor on stage. Just think of all the people in the audience who heard the shooting gun. Whoever murdered him must have been in a calm rage. The mind might have been stimulated. Perhaps, he felt courageous. It just shows the shooter's thoughts are totally mixed up.
We can never read too many mysteries. The motives for murder are manifold. The audience might have quickly began to search their hearts for the smallest acts or the most daring acts. in their lives. Perhaps, the public did their soul searching much later. First, they must have gone into shock.
We can never read too many mysteries. The motives for murder are manifold. The audience might have quickly began to search their hearts for the smallest acts or the most daring acts. in their lives. Perhaps, the public did their soul searching much later. First, they must have gone into shock.
March 27, 2024
Jesse is in New York for her job as an informal PA to Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. She is delighted to reconnect with an old vaudeville friend, Adele Astaire, who is now a Broadway star along with her brother Fred. Unfortunately, their reunion is interrupted when, from the theater’s second row, they witness a man being shot during a performance of a new Pulitzer Prize winning play. Jesse is reluctant to get involved but Adele is excited at the prospect of investigating a murder. The plot is satisfyingly complex and the characters quite appealing.
June 25, 2023
From the cover design and description, I thought this looked and sounded like something that I might enjoy.
This was a light, entertaining cosy mystery. I liked the protagonist, and the way she talked to the reader. I thought the characters had a glamorous air about them, and the book felt quite glamorous to read because of the references to Hollywood figures, which I liked.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.
This was a light, entertaining cosy mystery. I liked the protagonist, and the way she talked to the reader. I thought the characters had a glamorous air about them, and the book felt quite glamorous to read because of the references to Hollywood figures, which I liked.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.
August 27, 2023
I discovered this is the 5th book in this series but it's to the other Mary Miley's mysteries I read: a detailed historical background, well developed characters and a solid mystery.
Can't wait to read the rest of the series
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Can't wait to read the rest of the series
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
August 9, 2023
The meticulously researched historical elements blend smoothly with the fictional narrative making this a very enjoyable book. It is easy to read as the intriguing mystery slowly unfolds. I received this as an advance copy from the author via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
November 5, 2023
Well done. Fast read
December 25, 2024
This is a fun series, if you have even the slightest interest in 1920s Hollywood. I think this one is the best, but they're all worth reading.
September 7, 2023
Wow, so glad to have found this series! I have been reading/listening to historical mysteries for awhile and always looking for new authors!
What is exciting about this story is the real life characters interspersed with the fiction which makes it all the more realistic! Of course it also makes me do research on those characters although a lot have I have grown up with while watching old movies.
A death of an actor, by another ... yes it was suppose to be blanks in the gun, but somebody switched the ammo. Who could it be? A delightful journey in finding the real killer!
What is exciting about this story is the real life characters interspersed with the fiction which makes it all the more realistic! Of course it also makes me do research on those characters although a lot have I have grown up with while watching old movies.
A death of an actor, by another ... yes it was suppose to be blanks in the gun, but somebody switched the ammo. Who could it be? A delightful journey in finding the real killer!
July 8, 2024
A library find.
January 2024. July 2024.
Entertaining.
January 2024. July 2024.
Entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews