With a Kiss I Die

A Theater Cop Mystery #2

by J.A. Hennrikus

Will the kiss of death claim Romeo and Juliet—and Sully—before opening night?

When retired cop Edwina "Sully" Sullivan learns that a production of Romeo and Juliet—which Cliffside Theater's Dimitri Traietti left town to direct—is in serious trouble, she sets aside her grant applications and heads to Boston to help.

Between managing Dimitri, consulting with costume and set designers, and schmoozing with potential funders, Sully puts on nearly every hat in the biz. But the one hat she doesn't expect to wear is that of her old job as a cop. When a socialite is murdered in Boston Garden, Sully's ex-husband becomes the prime suspect. So she dusts off her investigative skills and once again steps into the spotlight of crime solving.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2019

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edwina “Sully” Sullivan is using the slow winter months for the Cliffside Theater to work on grant proposals to help them build their own theater building. Meanwhile, Dimitri, the theater’s resident director, is working on a struggling adaptation of Romeo and Juliet down in Boston. When Sully gets a chance to go down and help for a few days, she figures this is a great time to schmooze with the people who will be awarding the grant. However, a murder after what was supposed to be a celebratory party turns Sully’s focus to other things. When people who knows start vanishing, can she figure out what is really going on?

I had forgotten just how much I loved these characters until I picked up this second in the series. The main characters are strong, and their relationships feel real. They also have multiple connections to the characters who are part of the mystery, which gives us multiple reasons to care. The book starts out focusing on the disaster of the play, but it is layering in information related to the mystery, so when the murder does happen, we are off and running quickly. I got so pulled into this book that I finished it in two days instead of my average three. In fact, I had to know what was going on, so I ignored other plans to finish it. The climax is very satisfying. I appreciated how Sully used her background as a cop to investigate and worked with the police to figure things out, a nice change from other cozies I read. I’m already hoping we get to visit with Sully and the rest of the gang again soon.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Sully Sullivan decided to help out her friend Dimitri at a theater in Boston, she had no idea she'd be getting herself into more investigating as well as running into her old police partner, Toni. She and her cousin Emma Whitehall were investigating her ex-husband Gus's disappearance. There were two murders, and a lot of people had a lot of secrets. I hadn't guessed who the killer was, and the showdown with the person was a bit nerve-wracking.

I've really grown to like and admire Sully even more after this book. She's an amazing and loyal friend who would give her friends just about anything without thinking twice about it. That also included doing anything for her friends. The character of Emma was introduced in the first book, and this time she got to go on sleuthing expeditions with Sully, since she luckily wasn't a murder suspect. Dimitri is such a hoot! He's definitely a multi-faceted character. He can be sweet and mild or go on a yelling spree at the theater, but when it's all said and done, he's one of Sully's best friends as is her cousin Eric. I'm anxious to see where Sully's next adventure will take her, since this one was in Boston and away from her home theater.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Romeo and Juliet is my favorite Shakespearean play and on recommendation from a GR friend, I read this very enjoyable book. J. A. Hennrikus’ With A Kiss I Die (Theater Cop Mystery #2) concerns a
retired cop who now is involved with community theater as a theater manager. Edwina ‘Sully’ Sullivan discovers that a colleague, a director, who works with her at The Cliffside Theater which is outside Boston, has ‘been drafted’ to save the production of Romeo and Juliet which is to be performed by the Bay Repertory Theater Group. Sully stops her grant writing to go to Boston to assist in any way she can. Little did Sully know that her ‘cop’ skills would soon become essential. The writing flows; the characters are real, and I like them - well, most of them; the setting fits as well as being familiar to me; and the mystery is difficult to see as a clear picture. The author also uses all modern technology to help solve this mystery-cell phones, laptop computers, et al! I believe that this will be a great series. 4.25 stars.

[Barbara Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: A Theater Cop Mystery #2
Publication Date: 4/8/19
Number of Pages: 288

This is an engaging and well-told tale! I love the characters and the mystery is excellently presented. We meet and engage with many of the same characters from the first book. If you didn’t read the first book, you can still read this as a stand-alone, but you will be missing some of the character backgrounds that are referred to in this book. I truly hope that my copy was a grossly uncorrected ARC rather one that was nearly ready for release because it was filled with errors in grammar, word repeats, missing words, missing letters, etc. It was really hard to read and I almost gave up on it – had the story not been so entertaining and interesting, I probably would have. I hope all of that is fixed prior to release.

It is February in Massachusetts and very cold. The Cliffside Theater’s season in tiny Trevorton, near Boston, is hibernating until it is time to prepare for the summer season. Edwina, Sully, Sullivan, theater manager, still has work to do in applying for grants, planning for the upcoming season, preparing budgets, etc. but it isn’t something she has to be in her office to do. So, when she’s requested to go to Boston to help out with a disaster at Boston’s Bay Repertory Theater, she agrees to help.

Sully finds a mess at the theater and has her hands filled with trying to help them out. Then, one of the people from whom Sully was applying for a grant is murdered, the theater manager disappears and Sully’s ex-husband disappears. Sully is happy enough to let the police handle the murder investigation and the missing theater manager, but her cop instincts are twitching and she has to find Gus, her ex-husband.

So many things are going on – with so many twists-and-turns – that you won’t be able to stop reading. You have to know what happens next and what is behind all of the murder, blackmail, and disappearances.

I love the stories in this series so far, but it is missing romance. I love mysteries – and these are good ones – but I really need to have romance included in the story. I like them to be a couple – like Roarke and Eve Dallas in the In-Death series – and if they don’t have romance, I soon lose interest in the series – no matter how good the series is. So, I’m hoping that Gus and Sully will get back together in the next book because they are the perfect combination. Her cop skills and his lawyer skills could make for a great set of mysteries. Anyway – I’ll see where the next couple of books go – and hopefully, that will include going toward a romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Gail C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

WITH A KISS I DIE by J. A. Hennrikus is the second book and my first read, in the Theater Cop Mystery Series. The mystery is self-contained within this novel, however there are relationships and characters who appear to have been established in the first book. Because of that, it was a little difficult to get into the book. Descriptions for the secondary characters and their relationship to Sully, the protagonist for this series, were not as well defined as I would have liked in order to visualize the people and places of this novel.
Sully, who was a police officer, now off the force for reasons that are never fully explored in this book, is executive director for a small theater company in Massachusetts. This is a strange leap and it would help understand Sully better if the reasons and path for this transition were at least cursorily explained.
Many of Sully’s ties, both personal and with police, are still in Boston. For this book, a friend from her theater, the Cliffside, has agreed to direct a show in Boston, taking over for a director who left after rehearsals were done and after the design for set and costumes had already been completed. Sully’s friend, Dimetri, finds the set-up almost impossible, starts having difficulty at the theater with their staff, and Sully steps in to help bring order out of chaos.
Once in Boston, Sully moves in with friends who were apparently introduced in the first book. There are hints about questionable business dealings for these friends which compounds the problem they are having in overcoming the effects of a murder which was apparently the subject of the first novel in the series. In addition, there are hints at a former relationship between Sully and one of the male characters and now possibly a relationship between him and a friend of Sully’s. These remain mere hints, however, with no development of personal relationships or connections.
The main mystery happens when Sully’s former husband, Gus, disappears and the police indicate he is considered a prime suspect in some illegal corporate dealings as well as possibly being implicated in a woman’s murder. Convinced that he is innocent and possibly in trouble, Sully begins to search for Gus and stirs up the ire of one of the police officers involved in the murder. While he seems to have negative feelings toward Sully, this clash doesn’t really take center stage and doesn’t add any tension to the book.
In the end, Sully solves the murder and pulls all the threads together to show how they are all related. The mystery itself hinges on one little fact that isn’t revealed until the killer is almost unmasked, leaving the reader the possibility of solving the murder more by guess-work than through clues provided.
Thanks to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased, honest review

[Rima Aiello · Rating 5 out of 5]

What starts out as helping a production ends in murder. Edwina thought she was retired, but soon has to jump back into police work as her ex husband is the main suspect in the murder of a socialite. With well developed characters, a well written and executed plot, this book gives it all.

[Pam McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

only two in this series?

It deserves more and I hope more are written. I find these very enjoyable and mixes my two favorite things: mysteries and theater. The characters are lovely and I’d like to see them unfold more.

[Missi Martin (Stockwell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a Kiss I Die is the second book in the Theater Cop Mystery series by J.A. Hennrikus and boy is the main character, Sully Sullivan, a very busy and popular person !! (Very similar to the author I may add.)

Sully is a theater manager who use to be a cop. You would think with that drastic of a career change, things would be quiet, slow and maybe boring. Nope....that is not the case with Sully. When we begin reading With a Kiss I Die, Sully's theater, Cliffside Theater, is in between productions so it is slow. While Sully is working on grants and reports, Dimitri, the director of the theater goes to Boston to help aother theater with their production of Romeo and Juliet.

Unfortunately everything that could go wrong with the Romeo and Juliet production is going wrong and even things that aren't are. Sully goes to Boston to calm Dimitri down and help in any way that she can. While at a party where she is hoping to meet with some people that could help with funding an expansion for Cliifside, there is a confrontation between some key people and later one of them is found stangled in the park.

Even though Sully is in Boston to help with the production of Romeo and Juliet and trying to meet with some people for grants for the Cliffside, she finds herself in the middle of the investigation. While Sully is just asking questions staying off of the local cops radar, it doesn't stay that way for long. Especially when her ex-husband doesn't show up for a meeting and leaves some cryptic messages......

There is a lot going on in With A Kiss I Die.....the story is fast paced and full of adrenaline causing feelings. I only wish that I had been able to read A Christmas Peril, the first book in this series so that I could have been able to know more of Sully's background. This is not to say that you cannot pick up With a Kiss I Die and not know what is going on or be able to follow the story. You can read With a Kiss I Die and fall in love with Sully and her friends and the theater life and thoroughly enjoy the story. I did .... I guess I'm selfish and want more of Sully. She is definitely someone you will want to hang out with !!! With that said..... I think I am going to have to go get a copy of A Christmas Peril so that I can spend some more time with Sully until the third book in this series comes out. So whatever book you start read, I highly recommend this series !!!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several plot lines intertwine with several different people, holding different strands of information. Yet, the writing in this series is so tight, that it's easy for the reader to follow. Sully is an ingenious character and her world is populated with murder, drama and drama queens. A great series!!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of this author's many talents is that each series has its own flavor and voice. The attention to detail regarding descriptions and storylines is most admirable.

It is a joy for me to read this series because of the backstage drama and inside theatre humor. This chapter is truly another winner.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I read this before reading the first book in the series, which may have impacted by enjoyment of the story. There were multiple references to events from the previous book, but not enough to fill in all of the gaps, especially those involving Sully and the men in her life. As a child I was involved in many productions of A Christmas Carol at a community theatre, so knowing that was a big part of the first book has made me want to go back and read the first book. As for book two, I thought it was a little slow in getting the murder storyline moving, but about 2/3 of the way through the book it really picked up and I couldn't put it down until I knew who the murderer was. The twist towards the end was clever, but did call into question how competent the police were. At times I was frustrated with Sully as a character, she's this strong, independent, and smart woman but then spends way too much time blaming herself for past events and lamenting about her failed romantic relationships. Also, I couldn't figure out why Gus was in anyway involved with Kate, he was described as a good, stand-up kind of guy and she was just awful.

[LittleRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the director of Romeo and Juliet is replaced not long before the run begins, Sully Sullivan also agrees to help Dimitri since she knows how he operates. But heading in to Boston also gives her the opportunity to drop off some grant applications for her own theater while in town.

Given the opportunity to attend a party with the couple that funds the grants, Sully jumps at the chance. But the wife in the philanthropist couple is murdered after the party and Sully’s ex husband, Gus, is the main suspect. When soon after both Gus and Babs, the director of the Boston theater where she is helping out, both disappear, Sully finds herself back on the Boston beat as she tries to track them down.

The characters and writing are solid. The mystery has enough red herrings to leave you with a few solid suspects and yet keeps you guessing until the very end who did it and why. This was an enjoyable read and not having read the first book in the series did not leave any gaps. I look forward to the next entry in the series

[Annie (is so far behind 😬) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in this theatre cop series and I enjoyed it for the most part. There were a lot of characters to try and figure out, and the backstory about how they're all related could have been a bit more fleshed out as I felt a bit lost with the references and the lack of detail describing them. I realise that adding them all in would just make it the first book again, but it did affect my enjoyment of it, not being able to fully engage with them all.

And this is the third book this year with a really weird formatting issue that removes 'ff', 'fi' and 'fl' from words, leaving the reader with a bit of a struggle to find the right words sometimes. Nothing to do with the author, but just something that seems to have popped up on the Kindle editions for some reason. That, along with some missing words and sloppy grammar, did affect my overall enjoyment. But hopefully, that's all been rectified in the final product!

I didn't ever fully engage with Edwina and her friends, or the story and I can't quite figure out why. The mystery was well plotted and convoluted enough that it kept me guessing until the end, but it was a slow process to get through it, taking me over a week to complete. I'm not entirely sure I'll continue, but perhaps going back to the first one to get a better handle on the characters and how they're related might help.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and published for the ARC t read and review. All opinions are strictly my own.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd installment of the Theater Cop series. I did not read the first book and I think this did impact my enjoyment of this book. Don’t get me wrong I did still enjoy it, however, I think there are references and relationships that are alluded to that I did not know because of the first book. In this book Edwina “Sully” Sullivan goes to Boston to help her friend Dimitri as he took over a production of Romeo and Juliet and is in over his head. Sully ends up helping with just about everything and attends a party which has the couple who funds grants for local theaters she is all over it. After the party the wife is found murder and then her ex-husband Gus disappears becomes a suspect she must jump in and begin investigating. I did enjoy the story and I do recommend you read the series in order. I am planning to go and read the first installment. I think that should fill me in on some of the missing gaps in my mind on the characters.

[Grace Koshida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former cop turned theatre manager Edwina "Sully" Sullivan returns to her hometown of Boston to help support her director friend Dimitri who has agreed to be a last=minute substitute to save a floundering production of Romeo and Juliet. Between managing Dimitri, helping an intern deal with fighting costume and set designers, and schmoozing with potential funders, Sully is pretty busy. Everyone is shocked when socialite Mimi Cunningham is murdered in Boston's Public Garden. Sully is concerned and then alarmed when her ex-husband lawyer Gus becomes a person of interest in Mimi's murder and then vanishes. A complicated trail of illegal corporate dealings with the philanthropic Boston elite is the key motive. Not sure why, but I never really got engaged in this story. Most of the rest of the book occurs away from the theatre with Sully brainstorming with her friends about clues and motives. Sully connects and secretly helps her former cop partner with her insights and theories.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Midnight Ink with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

[Darcysmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Midnight Ink for free in exchange for an honest review.
With A Kiss I Die is the second book in the Theater Cop Mysteries. The book picks up a short time after the events in book one have happened.
Sully is actively writing grants and looking for donors to build dedicated space for Cliffside Theater. Cliffside's artistic director, Dimitri, is in Boston trying to save another theater's production of Romeo and Juliet. In addition to Dimitri, Eric, Emma, and Harry are back in book two. Various events pull everyone to Boston where Sully finds herself investigating the whereabouts of her missing ex-husband, the year-old disappearance of a local businessman, and two murders - all while helping Dimitri make sure the play goes off as smoothly as possible.
I am really enjoying the Theater Cop Mysteries. Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long for the next one.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story. Actors, an ex-cop, and folks with money. What could possibly go wrong? Evidently a lot. I think it would be fun to work in a theater, but you would have to be able to work with a lot of different personality types. This story certainly has some interesting characters and I loved them. Who wouldn’t want to hang with this group of friends? These are people who really care for each other and aren’t afraid to show it. It was fun watching Sully put all the dots together. It’s amazing what people think they can get away with. I hope that you’ll enjoy the story and people as much as I did. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent cozy mystery with wonderfully developed characters and an intricate plot involving murders, attempted murder, and a massive con game.That and an inside look at staging a Shakespeare play in February in Boston. Hennrikus never fails to produce an intrigung story with
superb writing. Always a joy!

“You do that thing you do with making order out of chaos... That thing I did, I do, is to remain open to telling a story from a different perspective. Facts were facts, but truth depended on who was telling the story.”

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm. An ex- police officer who runs a theater returns to the town that spurned her- Boston- on theater business and finds herself investigating a murder. Yep. Sully knows her ex- husband Gus didn't murder anyone, even if the police believe he had some shady financial dealings that might have been a motive. I didn't read the first book in the series and think I missed a lot (I really felt thrown into the story) but I did enjoy it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[CR · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review: This one was a little slower than I would have liked. And it's another one that you really should read book one first. The story with this one gets pulled in different directions but by the end it had a really good tie up. I did enjoy it but I really should have read book one first. The characters were very good and the story was fully formed. Its just another great cozy mystery.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theater, Drama, and Murder
This is an excellent mystery. The plot has quite a few moving pieces for the reader to keep track of. This is not a simplistic cozy! There is one story that revolves around a theater production and another plot involving murder. This is a very good story. I will read more of this author's work! I received this ARC for free from Net Galley. This is my honest review.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ins and outs of high finance weave a tangled web in this intriguing mystery Sully Sullivan, former cop turned theater general manager, finds herself up to her eyeballs in two murders and embezzlement. Some of the trouble points to her ex- husband.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book! Hoping Gus has a larger role in the next book in the series! I love that Sully and Emma and Eric are reconnecting and growing closer. Also love that Sully reconnected with Tina. Hopefully that grows in future books. Great story, very complex but easy to follow and fun to read.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theater Cop is a neat series. It's a theatrical setting that I am not used to seeing but fun. Lots of action and cliffhangers in the relationship department.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a Kiss I Die, the second Theater Copy mystery from cozy author J. A. Hennrikus (aka Julia Henry, Julianne Holmes) finds Sully Sullivan in Boston helping her friend Dimitri with the production of Romeo and Juliet he's been asked to direct at the Bay Repertory Theater, and trying to solicit funding for the Cliffside Theater back home in Trevorton. When Sully's ex-husband, Gus, is suspected in the murder of wealthy Mimi Cunningham, Sully must find Gus, discover the murderer, and keep herself and those closest to her safe, all while ensuring that the play goes on. Quickly paced, and a very surprising ending. Loved it! A+++

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here: While one might be forgiven for thinking the skills developed as a cop would have little value in theatre administration, Sully has found a way to do it. In fact, when she is asked to come to Boston to help her friends with a production that is careening close to chaos, she runs smack dab into some very suspicious stuff. To further complicate matters, many of her friends are involved in the dicey doings including her former husband. The question is which side of the fence is each one on.
When one of those involved is murdered in a park right after a rather contentious party and her ex has disappeared, whether she wants to or not, Sully is going to be drawn in. Her former cop partner wants her to stay out of the investigation into the murder but does not refuse any help Sully can provide. It’s a slippery slope partly due to the personal involvements with the parties and partly because the new partner of her former partner despises Sully.
It is quite a convoluted mystery with more murders and disappearances and betrayals but Sully manages to figure it out while putting the theatrical production back on its feet. She is quite the girl. I also like the fact that she brings her kitty Max with her...and he of course, has an opinion on what is transpiring.
All in all, it was a fun read and worthy of four purrs and two paws up.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging and entertaining book, it was a lot of fun to read.
The mystery is solid and the plot is fast paced, never a moment of bore.
I liked the plot, the cast of characters and the style of writing.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Midnight Ink and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The flow of the story and the characters just suck you right in. I liked the plot twist at the end, I did not see it coming. You can tell the author is very familiar with Boston. #WithAkissIdie #NetGalley

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the Kiss I Die by J. A. Hennrikus is the second book in this series but first read for me.

Even though it can be read as a standalone I would suggest starting from the beginning as I had trouble following the story since many of the characters were established in the first installment and there are many references about past situations which are not clearly explained.

Sally Sullivan, former cop turned theater manager, goes to Boston to help her friend's with a show. There it turns out she needs to deal with more than just theater problems as her ex-husband is accused of murdering a wealthy socialite. Knowing he is not guilty she sets out to solve yet another puzzle and clear his name.

Very interesting and well plotted mystery, with interesting setting. I really suffered having to decipher who is who and what their relation to each other is. Too many characters all at once with complicated relationships and this greatly affected my opinion of the book.

Quick and interesting read for a lazy afternoon.

[T Olsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover is nice, but the the story is really boring. Most books in law school are more entertaining than this.