Audition For Murder

Morgan Taylor Mysteries #1

by Susan Sussman, Sarajane Avidon

Welcome to the world of Morgan Taylor, a thirtysomething struggling actress who is dying for a juicy role in a prestigious revival on the Chicago stage. She hasn't had a real role in months, and the chance to work with the esteemed director Martin Wexler has her practically salivating. Though Morgan shows up right on time for the audition, Lily London, her assigned auditioning partner and a cantankerous older woman Morgan has never really liked, seems to have forgotten. Morgan gets more and more anxious until it seems that nothing can salvage this chance. Her mood is shot, her nerves are frazzled, she's got the stage manager for an auditioning partner. When it's all over, of course, Morgan finally comes across Lily - dead, lying cold on the floor of the theater bathroom...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Contemporary, Adult, Audiobook

Paperback

First published January 15, 1999

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audition For Murder by Susan Sussman is the story of Morgan Taylor, a thirtysomething struggling actress who gets a role in a prestigious revival on the Chicago stage. But someone ends up being murdered and Morgan must help the detective solve the crime. The actual story would fit in a small pamphlet. The rest of the story was Morgan’s sad life, her issues with her sisters, some friends, and a host of other rather dull and tiresome events. There are some turns and twists, but the actual murder is so ridiculous that it made the story laughable. The ‘Final Curtain’ should have been pulled before the auditions started. It would have been better.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good!
Although her friend with MS somehow seemed rather irritating to me.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

[Cole Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, fun read

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute & entertaining. Will read the next one in the series.

[Anna Ertl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storyline. It is also good that Morgan finally found a great guy. It was just weird that murders had to happen in order to meet him.

[Lynn Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goid. Interesting plot. Didn't see the ending

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicago actress Morgan Taylor is thrilled to get an audition for a major production of a play, not quite as happy to find that she is paired for the audition with aging, not-very-talented Lily London, very unhappy when Lily doesn't show and she has to read with a monotone stagehand--and hysterical when she discovers Lily London, dead, in the ladies' room afterwards.

Her unhappiness knows no bounds when her best friend Beth, suffering from multiple sclerosis and the unexpected heir of Lily's unsuspected millions, becomes the prime suspect. When Morgan lands the part she auditioned for and her understudy is killed with the same poison that killed Lily, Morgan knows she has to find the answer before she is the next victim--and before Beth is arrested.

Adding to her stress is her family's desire to see her married and settled down, and her estrangement from her sister, now engaged to marry Morgan's ex-boyfriend.

Even more distracting is her attraction to the police detective, Roblings, who thinks Beth is his best suspect. He's lumbering, smart, endearing, and not at all put off by her artistic temperament and cynical humor.

There are some problems with the story, which I can't really discuss without massive spoilers, but the characters are likable and interesting, the plot moves, and the mystery is satisfyingly complex. And Morgan is a nicer person than she wants to be, as we see in her interactions with Lily's orphaned little dog, Hamlet.

Recommended.

I borrowed this book from the library.

[Crete Public Library District · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review by Kelly (Administration)



Audition for Murder is a fun mystery read. It follows many of the conventions of modern mysteries. A quirky female heroine who is a reluctant / accidental detective, a real detective who is sexy and available and attracted to said quirky female heroine, and a clever cast of characters.

What this book excels at is giving people an intriguing glimpse into the world of The Theater.


The main characters are well written, the "who-dun-it" twists adequately, and the voice of our heroine is fleshed out. The B plot, however, is where this book fails. Not that it is uninteresting, it is the opposite. The B plot helps carry the characters but then... it just stops. Abruptly. There is no resolution, nor is there an indication of a continuation. It really left me feeling unsatisfied when three pages prior, I was very interested. Unfortunately, as anyone in theater knows, your finale is the most important part of the show. Even if the show stinks, if you have an amazing finale, people will speak well of the show. In this case, the opposite is true. The book was good fun, but the ending stinks. And it left me ambivalent.

[Jan C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just picked this one kind of at random. So it was a pleasant surprise. First off, it takes place in Chicago. A backstage mystery.

Morgan Taylor is a struggling actor in the Chicago theatrical community - at the Heartland (there's a nearby restaurant by that name) Theater. But her partner doesn't seem to be showing up. She finally auditions with someone else. Goes downstairs to a lesser used rest room and discovers her dead partner. Naturally she is a suspect. She left threatening messages on the woman's voicemail.

The bodies keep falling. The suspects keep mounting. But I didn't figure it out. Even though the killer was introduced early on in the book.

I look forward to future books in the series.

[Leslea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightfully quirky book. A murder mystery set in the theatrical world of stage plays. Provides a real insight into the lives of actors, you can almost smell the grease paint. Morgan Taylor is our main character striving for a part in a play. The book is told from her view point with lots of humour as she tries to solve the crime, possibly fall in love with the lead detective and dog sit a tiny mutt called Hamlet. It was a light and enjoyable read and kept me guessing until the end.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a light mystery and I got it with this one...not overly impressed by writing, found the mystery itself to be boring, and didn't find myself bonding with the characters. Won't choose this author again. Having said that, I've read worse!

Premise - actress (protagonist) auditions for play, gets part, murder(s) happen to people involved with play, mystery solved by end of book.

[Caroline Leathers-meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an exciting read. The cynical, fresh commented Morgan was a joy to get to know. Her journey through the entire mystery was light and fresh. The pages turned easily and every character was likable, even the small appearance in the first chapter by Lilly London and the back biting actress who tries to be Morgan's competition. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to relax and enjoy a fun comedy.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morgan is desperate to get an acting job in a revival of an old play, directed by the original director, even when she finds the body of her reading partner, an elderly actress who has come under the protective wing of Morgan's best friend Beth. Morgan gets the part, but the ailing Beth comes under suspicion. Can Morgan help her while she's falling for the lead detective herself? And while someone just may be trying to kill her, too? Least likely culprit--you won't see this ending coming.

[Christine Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick read. I like Sussman's writing style. Short, simple sentences mimicking the protagonist's (Morgan Taylor) thought process. I dig the local Chicago setting and references to some of my favorite places e.g. Vogue Fabrics. The end was a little lame. That part of the story not fully developed. Came right out of the blue.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also got sucked into the characters' lives alot more than I expected. The ending was rushed, but I enjoyed the build up till the mystery was solved. I'll be looking for more books by this author.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/3...

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I listened to this mystery during a car trip and it was great! I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at an actor's world and liked the main character. I'd like to find more books by this author.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

picked this up on a whim. It says it was the authors first murder mystery. It shows. The action doesn't advance fast enough for a while; the characters aren't as sharp as they could be; she leaves a few too many loose ends at the end. But it was a decent airplane book.

[Emma Oliveros · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a very great book, though it may have lacked to be as well-rounded as many published stories are. But still, it is a very fascinating and captivating story that will leave you guessing who the true "murderer" might be.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable whodunnit, set in the theatre world. The discussion of how difficult it is to be an older woman without a loving family added depth to an otherwise traditional cozy. Too bad there only seems to be 2 books in this series - Morgan is a fascinating character.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just a fun quick read. I really liked the characters and the plot development. I learned a lot about the live theater community in Chicago as well as how someone trying to hide MS feels.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it. Gets into the world of actors - which I know nothing about. I wish the author had written more. Great mystery.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book partially because a good portion of the action takes place in a theatre with actors as characters. A good quick, light read. I will read her second book in the series.

[Kate Spear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great beach read!

[Lois Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sassy, interesting lead--an aspiring actress. Good writing. I'd read more by Sussman.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, but enjoyable.

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

finished 2016-02-04. Flawed, wry protagonist tangentially involved with mystery without being too nosey overall. The voice-over artist's interpretation really sold me on this!