Death By Backdrop: A Senior Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series (Short Reads)

by Cathlyn Sweets

When the curtain falls at Sunset Manor, someone's taking their final bow.

Violet Hartwell thought she'd seen everything during her decades as a high school teacher, but nothing prepared her for retirement at Sunset Manor—where the body count rivals the bingo attendance. When the annual talent show turns deadly and former game show host Buddy Castellano is crushed by a falling backdrop, Violet and her unlikely team of amateur detectives face their most theatrical case yet.

Armed with Agnes Pemberton's obsessive note-taking, Frank Morrison's brutally honest commentary (courtesy of his newfound emotional awareness), and a cast of suspects hiding talents they'd rather keep secret, the Sunset Manor Detective Agency must unmask a killer who's been performing the role of their life.

As the memorial talent show approaches, Violet discovers that everyone at Sunset Manor is putting on an act—and one of them is a murderer. In a retirement home where wounded pride can be as deadly as any weapon, she'll need to separate genuine incompetence from calculated deception before the killer takes another bow.

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries with sharp wit and unforgettable characters, "Death By Backdrop" proves that retirement doesn't mean slowing down—especially when there's murder afoot. Join the Sunset Manor Detective Agency for their ninth case, where the stakes are high, the suspects are senior citizens, and nobody dies quietly.

Contains theatrical murder, competitive seniors, and enough plot twists to make your head spin faster than a stage rotation.

40 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 28, 2025

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story. The Sunset Manor sleuths found another murder to solve, when the backdrop falls on a very loud retired game show host. Once again, there are multiple suspects with the knowledge required to set up the murder scene, and once again, Violet and the other geriatric sleuths figure out who it was. I definitely recommend this story as well as the other nine, I have read, so far.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun addition to the series

Sunset Manor is putting on a talent show. When the master of ceremonies is killed by a falling backdrop Violet and her senior sleuths jump in to solve the murder. A fun read.

[Yvette Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Thanks you for the enjoyment I'm having in reading your books. I never thought that Senior mysteries whodunit would be good thanks