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Murder for Reel
In the late 1950s, the Palladium Movie Theater was the most popular place in Emberview, Colorado. In her first night working as an usherette at the Palladium, young Katrina Stevens is excited to be starting her dream job. During the screening of a science-fiction film, her boss and owner of the theater, Don Keller, is found murdered in the projection booth. Don’s murder causes an uproar and soon the Palladium is facing closure. To support the theater, Katrina organizes a film festival to show old movies from reels that Don kept in storage. However, Don’s murderer has other plans, and unless Katrina can find out who the killer is, the Palladium––and Katrina herself––are in great danger.
141 pages, Paperback
Published October 25, 2020
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Matt Ferraz
16 books26 followersAuthor of all trades, Matt Ferraz has written thrillers, sci-fi, cozy mysteries and a lot of witty e-mails that sadly can't be published. With a degree in journalism and a masters in biography, Matt has works published in English, Italian and Portuguese, and loves trying new genres.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 23, 2021
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Murder for Reel is a light-hearted, fun book with an interesting cast of characters. Set in the 1950s, teenage Katrina lands her dream job—an usherette at the local, vintage movie theater. Along with her reluctant boyfriend, they follow the clues to find the theater owner’s killer. (Reminiscent of teenage Nancy Drew who solved crimes the police couldn’t.)
Wonderful descriptions brought the old-time theater to life as well as a real feel of the era.
I gave it 3 stars because the book needs a good polish in regards to grammar and spelling errors.
Murder for Reel is a light-hearted, fun book with an interesting cast of characters. Set in the 1950s, teenage Katrina lands her dream job—an usherette at the local, vintage movie theater. Along with her reluctant boyfriend, they follow the clues to find the theater owner’s killer. (Reminiscent of teenage Nancy Drew who solved crimes the police couldn’t.)
Wonderful descriptions brought the old-time theater to life as well as a real feel of the era.
I gave it 3 stars because the book needs a good polish in regards to grammar and spelling errors.
September 19, 2021
Set in the 50s this was of interest to me as it was my main cinema decade. Snaped film, shouting from stalls when it happend. Glad to say i never knew of a projectionist being killed, though there was shouting his life. An enjoyable short story.
April 4, 2022
Murder for Reel centers around a movie theatre,in a small town Emberview, Colorado, a young girls first job as an usherette and her love for the cinema. All innocent things.....one would think.
In Murder for Reel Katrina Stevens is starting her first day as usherette for her town's movie theatre, the Palladium. It is 1957 and during those days, cinemas had a young person dressed in a uniform and flashlight making sure movie goers were being quiet and respectful of others while the movies played. Katrina had longed for this job for years and couldn't believe that she was finally wearing the uniform and getting a pep talk from her boss, Don Keller. Little did either one of them know that that was going to be the last time Don spoke to anyone.
Don was the owner of the Palladium for over 30 years and he sat in the projector booth working the movie reels. Back in those days, the movies came in multiple reels and it was crucial for the projector operator to pay attention and change the reel at the exact moment so that the movie didn't have a gap.
During the first movie of Katrina's first day on the job, something goes wrong when the final reel of the movie doesn't start and the audience is left looking at a blank screen. Before Katrina can calm the audience down, another co-worker, Cindy, runs into the theatre with blood on her hands saying that Don is dead !!
Katrina fell in love with the Palladium at an early age and now that she was a part of it, she didn't want to lose it. So she decides to find out who killed Don and why. Unfortunately Don had a dark past that started years ago when he was in Hollywood and a long time secret he takes to the grave.......or maybe not......
Murder for Reel will capture the reader's attention immediately and you will be hooked until you read the last word. Katrina is a very likable character and you will be rooting for her throughout the story.
This book takes a lot of twists and turns that the reader cannot even imagine. Ferraz knows how to write the story with all the twists and turns but keep the reader focused and not lost.
In Murder for Reel Katrina Stevens is starting her first day as usherette for her town's movie theatre, the Palladium. It is 1957 and during those days, cinemas had a young person dressed in a uniform and flashlight making sure movie goers were being quiet and respectful of others while the movies played. Katrina had longed for this job for years and couldn't believe that she was finally wearing the uniform and getting a pep talk from her boss, Don Keller. Little did either one of them know that that was going to be the last time Don spoke to anyone.
Don was the owner of the Palladium for over 30 years and he sat in the projector booth working the movie reels. Back in those days, the movies came in multiple reels and it was crucial for the projector operator to pay attention and change the reel at the exact moment so that the movie didn't have a gap.
During the first movie of Katrina's first day on the job, something goes wrong when the final reel of the movie doesn't start and the audience is left looking at a blank screen. Before Katrina can calm the audience down, another co-worker, Cindy, runs into the theatre with blood on her hands saying that Don is dead !!
Katrina fell in love with the Palladium at an early age and now that she was a part of it, she didn't want to lose it. So she decides to find out who killed Don and why. Unfortunately Don had a dark past that started years ago when he was in Hollywood and a long time secret he takes to the grave.......or maybe not......
Murder for Reel will capture the reader's attention immediately and you will be hooked until you read the last word. Katrina is a very likable character and you will be rooting for her throughout the story.
This book takes a lot of twists and turns that the reader cannot even imagine. Ferraz knows how to write the story with all the twists and turns but keep the reader focused and not lost.
November 13, 2020
Katrina Stevens gets her first job after graduating as an usherette for the only movie theater in town.
With the old time uniform and her love of movies. She has found the perfect job.
Towards the end of the film, the screen goes blank. One of the long time employees comes to the projector room glass covered in blood announcing that the owner is dead.
Pro's:
A mostly decent story with mostly developed characters, and a decent plot.
Con's:
1) A lawyer, no matter how bad he is, will discuss a clients contents to another person without that clients permission.
2) In one scene Katrina and Alex are discussing Cindy and her actions. Cindy answers a question from Alex even though she wasn't anywhere in the area at the time.
3) The story was mostly enjoyable until the MC decided to do a poor and ill-advised imitation of Hercules Poirot for the big reveal!
4) There were several other items that I cannot mention as it would require spoilers for the story.
5) This author has published several book before this one. The number of mistakes and grammatical errors strongly indicate the need for a new, if not first editor other than himself.
At the very least he should consider getting a street team to help catch some of the blatant mistakes.
This was my first story from this author, and it will probably be my last.
With the old time uniform and her love of movies. She has found the perfect job.
Towards the end of the film, the screen goes blank. One of the long time employees comes to the projector room glass covered in blood announcing that the owner is dead.
Pro's:
A mostly decent story with mostly developed characters, and a decent plot.
Con's:
1) A lawyer, no matter how bad he is, will discuss a clients contents to another person without that clients permission.
2) In one scene Katrina and Alex are discussing Cindy and her actions. Cindy answers a question from Alex even though she wasn't anywhere in the area at the time.
3) The story was mostly enjoyable until the MC decided to do a poor and ill-advised imitation of Hercules Poirot for the big reveal!
4) There were several other items that I cannot mention as it would require spoilers for the story.
5) This author has published several book before this one. The number of mistakes and grammatical errors strongly indicate the need for a new, if not first editor other than himself.
At the very least he should consider getting a street team to help catch some of the blatant mistakes.
This was my first story from this author, and it will probably be my last.
November 28, 2020
I loved the setting for this cozy. It takes place in the late 1950s and we are given a lot of detail which gives us a real feel for the movie theatre scene of that time. A teenage Katrina has begun a dream job as an usherette at the Palladium Theatre. Then on her first night theatre owner Don is murdered in the projection room. And that isn’t the only murder. Katrina and her friend Alex become caught up in the search for answers. On top of this Katrina is organizing a film festival so has a lot on her plate. Don has an enigmatic background and some of the other characters are acting suspiciously. Katrina must hope the murder is solved before her own life is in danger. The characters in this young adult mystery are well developed and the solution is logical once we hear the conclusion. I would recommend this cozy for a lovely delve into the past with interesting characters and a mystery puzzle that grabs our attention.
February 24, 2021
Murder for Reel is an engaging cozy mystery with likeable characters and an interesting plot. This is a period piece story set in a time when I was growing up. I enjoyed the trip back in time and the memories of going to the movies at a theater similar to the one in the story. The plot had some twists and turns that kept me guessing who done it and I enjoyed learning more about some of the old movies I like. I would recommend Murder for Reel to any reader who enjoys period pieces and especially to movie buffs.
November 13, 2020
Matt Ferraz is a master storyteller. I fell straight into this book, and into the story. It was as though I was watching a movie or TV series, and kept me hooked. The characters and places were easy to imagine and follow along with. A recommended light-hearted read! I look forward to more in this series.
February 21, 2021
a really good read from beginning to end! The first page grabbed me and held on tight! Lots of twists and turns and complex, interesting, and quirky characters make this a must read! I hope to read more about Katrina in the future.
March 31, 2021
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
When the beloved owner of the local theater is murdered, an usherette sets out to find the murderer. The story is set in a small town, in the 1950s. Quirky characters, great setting, and complex story make this a great read.
When the beloved owner of the local theater is murdered, an usherette sets out to find the murderer. The story is set in a small town, in the 1950s. Quirky characters, great setting, and complex story make this a great read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews