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Piper Green Exeter Mysteries #2
The Final Curtain: A Piper Greene Exeter Mystery
The much-anticipated second entry in the Piper Greene Mystery series, set in historic Exeter, NH, with a quirky cast of characters and a spunky reporter who keeps finding herself in the middle of murders.
When local reporter Piper Greene gets an invitation from Harry Trott, the reclusive bird man of Exeter, to meet him for an early morning interview, she can’t resist. But when she arrives, she finds a murdered body and no sign of Harry. The body belongs to Roy Carmichael, who wanted to build a Revolutionary War-themed arcade on the lot once home to the prestigious Exeter Playhouse, destroyed by a suspicious fire 50 years ago. Opposition to Roy’s plan was huge . . . but was it fatal?
Despite warnings from the exasperated police chief, who’s still salty about her past sleuthing, Piper is determined to uncover the truth, but once again her investigation hits some major roadblocks. With rising tension between her new beau and her clueless colleague, plus a flashy suitor in hot pursuit of her Aunt Gladys, she struggles to balance it all, including coverage of the town’s annual Beer and Chili Festival.
With help from the town historian, her aunt and Harry’s 92-year-old neighbor, Piper quickly begins to piece together Roy’s past. But as she soon discovers, there’s no shortage of possible suspects—and she’ll even have to rule out her own brother.
When local reporter Piper Greene gets an invitation from Harry Trott, the reclusive bird man of Exeter, to meet him for an early morning interview, she can’t resist. But when she arrives, she finds a murdered body and no sign of Harry. The body belongs to Roy Carmichael, who wanted to build a Revolutionary War-themed arcade on the lot once home to the prestigious Exeter Playhouse, destroyed by a suspicious fire 50 years ago. Opposition to Roy’s plan was huge . . . but was it fatal?
Despite warnings from the exasperated police chief, who’s still salty about her past sleuthing, Piper is determined to uncover the truth, but once again her investigation hits some major roadblocks. With rising tension between her new beau and her clueless colleague, plus a flashy suitor in hot pursuit of her Aunt Gladys, she struggles to balance it all, including coverage of the town’s annual Beer and Chili Festival.
With help from the town historian, her aunt and Harry’s 92-year-old neighbor, Piper quickly begins to piece together Roy’s past. But as she soon discovers, there’s no shortage of possible suspects—and she’ll even have to rule out her own brother.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2022
5 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Lara Bricker
5 books45 followersLara Bricker is the author of the true crime book Lie After Lie: The True Story of a Master of Deception, Betrayal and Murder (Berkley November 2010).
Lara is a freelance writer in Exeter, New Hampshire with over a decade of experience writing and reporting on crime and justice issues. Her work has appeared in the Portsmouth Herald, the Exeter News-Letter, the Hampton Union, Woman’s World magazine, and The Boston Globe. In 2008, she covered the first death penalty case to go to trial in New Hampshire in almost fifty years for the Associated Press.
As a news reporter, she has received numerous awards from both the New Hampshire Press Association and the New England Newspaper & Press Association for her crime and investigative reporting. Bricker is currently a private detective in New Hampshire where she works as a criminal defense investigator. She also writes a parenting blog for the Seacoast Media Group called Mom’s the Word at http://blogs.seacoastonline.com/seaco...
Lara is a freelance writer in Exeter, New Hampshire with over a decade of experience writing and reporting on crime and justice issues. Her work has appeared in the Portsmouth Herald, the Exeter News-Letter, the Hampton Union, Woman’s World magazine, and The Boston Globe. In 2008, she covered the first death penalty case to go to trial in New Hampshire in almost fifty years for the Associated Press.
As a news reporter, she has received numerous awards from both the New Hampshire Press Association and the New England Newspaper & Press Association for her crime and investigative reporting. Bricker is currently a private detective in New Hampshire where she works as a criminal defense investigator. She also writes a parenting blog for the Seacoast Media Group called Mom’s the Word at http://blogs.seacoastonline.com/seaco...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 23, 2022
I like the world that has been created, to be continued (this narrative came to a pretty abrupt end; there will clearly be a third installment). The writing is fun and I'm glad it was published by an independent press, but boy, the many typos in this book were distracting (!) Here are the ones I caught in this 272-page book:
- Page 36 - Two periods ended a sentence
- Page 49 - Glady's instead of Gladys
- Page 50 - Glady's instead of Gladys (again)
- Page 96 - Able instead of table
- Page 130 - Applies instead of apples
- Page 189 - Stray open quotes
- Page 217 - Compete instead of complete
Send the advance Piper Greene Exeter Mystery #3 my way for some pro bono proofreading! ;-)
- Page 36 - Two periods ended a sentence
- Page 49 - Glady's instead of Gladys
- Page 50 - Glady's instead of Gladys (again)
- Page 96 - Able instead of table
- Page 130 - Applies instead of apples
- Page 189 - Stray open quotes
- Page 217 - Compete instead of complete
Send the advance Piper Greene Exeter Mystery #3 my way for some pro bono proofreading! ;-)
October 18, 2022
I read Dead on Deadline and had a great time. I still enjoyed this book, but I can't say it's without problems. This book felt a little more amateurish than the first Piper Greene mystery.
First, I hope that Exeter has a great optometrist; it feels as tho everyone is always winking at someone. There are also a few other words and phrases this writer tends to leans on that I think could have been switched up because the repetition pulled me out of the book.
There are also a number of typos ('able' where it should be 'table' and 'size' where it should be 'side' for example). I can't help but feel this book would have benefitted from another set of eyes and ears.
I don't know if it is because this book was rushed, the story just felt a little less flushed out. The ending in particular is kind of unfulfilling. To the point that I thought maybe there was a misprint and I was missing a page or three.
That said, it is also a quick, easy read full of entertaining characters - I have a few Aunt Gladys types in my life and I do love to see them celebrated and revered.
First, I hope that Exeter has a great optometrist; it feels as tho everyone is always winking at someone. There are also a few other words and phrases this writer tends to leans on that I think could have been switched up because the repetition pulled me out of the book.
There are also a number of typos ('able' where it should be 'table' and 'size' where it should be 'side' for example). I can't help but feel this book would have benefitted from another set of eyes and ears.
I don't know if it is because this book was rushed, the story just felt a little less flushed out. The ending in particular is kind of unfulfilling. To the point that I thought maybe there was a misprint and I was missing a page or three.
That said, it is also a quick, easy read full of entertaining characters - I have a few Aunt Gladys types in my life and I do love to see them celebrated and revered.
December 10, 2022
Finally got to sneak in a read of this cozy little mystery! The Final Curtain is the second book in the Piper Greene series. We find ourselves back in the quaint New Hampshire town of Exeter and this time around there is a dead body on a vacant piece of land. Will Piper solve the mystery as she reports on her little villages goings on? What about the decades old fire that burned down the former playhouse?
These short novels are pure light mystery. If you want a cozy read after a long day of holiday hubbub, this will check all the boxes.
(Lara is also a co-host of Crime Writers On. If you love podcasts and haven’t listened to CWO, I highly recommend it. I’ve listened since the first episode and can’t recommend it enough.)
#thefinalcurtain #pipergreene #pipergreeneseries #cozymystery #cozymysteries #mystery #mysterynovels #larabricker #larabrickermysterywriter #read #readersofinstagram #reading #books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #indieauthor #independentauthor
These short novels are pure light mystery. If you want a cozy read after a long day of holiday hubbub, this will check all the boxes.
(Lara is also a co-host of Crime Writers On. If you love podcasts and haven’t listened to CWO, I highly recommend it. I’ve listened since the first episode and can’t recommend it enough.)
#thefinalcurtain #pipergreene #pipergreeneseries #cozymystery #cozymysteries #mystery #mysterynovels #larabricker #larabrickermysterywriter #read #readersofinstagram #reading #books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #indieauthor #independentauthor
November 22, 2022
This is such a great read and a great series. It's easy to like Piper Greene and her circle of friends. It's nice to find something with interesting characters, easy plot to follow, and a few surprises here and there. Maybe my favorite thing about Bricker's books is how Exeter is a real character in the story. Over two books I feel like I've gotten to know the place, and I can't wait to visit in person.
January 15, 2023
What a great sequel to the Piper Greene mystery series! As with the first installment Piper is a very likeable character and the storyline keeps you wanting to read more. I loved Becky with the good hair, knowing who that was most likely based on. I can't wait for the next one, with that cliffhanger there has to be another
April 15, 2023
Great calming books to read before bed. Despite the body count, everything is easy breezy for Piper Greene. There's always a coffee or cocktail at hand, friends and frenemies galore, and the newspaper articles write themselves. Delightful.
November 14, 2022
This is a fun read.
April 6, 2023
3.5 stars
November 11, 2025
This was a really fun read! No need to take it too seriously - just enjoy the ride.
January 16, 2023
Absolutely loved this book. Lara is such a great author & can’t wait for the next book! Each book is better than the last.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews