Death Scene by Carol J. Perry

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Salem is all agog at the filming of a new movie, set partly in Salem and utilizing some of the City’s iconic sites, such as the Witch House for some of its scenes.  The stars are the current hot Hollywood couple, Diana Diamond and Lamar Faraday, though the gossip is that off-screen they loathe each other despite the on-screen chemistry. Lee Barrett, programming director at WICH-TV, is getting many, many orders from her boss about coverage and program tie-ins for the station which has Lee juggling even more tasks than usual.

Things don’t lighten up, either.  Diana Diamond turns up dead, in the latest of a series of mishaps for the film, leaving a lot of uncertainty about people and projects.  Lee’s husband, Detective Pete Mondello, is investigating but it turns out that Diana had a lot of enemies on set.  He may need more than a little help from Lee, her Tarot-reading friend River, and even Lee’s Aunt Ibby to solve this mystery.

This is the fourteenth book in the series but Perry always does a stellar job of introducing her characters and getting readers up to date.  I love that she does so in a very straightforward manner instead of trying to coyly slide facts in.  I love the characters (for the most part; I tolerate Pete) and I like that Perry doesn’t indulge in a lot of personal drama among her cast.  I’m looking for a mystery and not a soap opera.  I also greatly appreciate how Perry keeps the story moving, even when Lee isn’t actively investigating. There’s always something interesting going on to keep me turning pages.

The Salem setting is a big draw as well.  Books that give me a good sense of place get gold stars in my book, and I like the touches of the supernatural that crop up.  O’Ryan, Lee’s “gentleman cat,” is much more than he seems and Lee herself will see visions in reflective surfaces, though interpreting these visions is another problem altogether.

There’s also the appeal of a “behind the scenes” look at a TV studio, eschewing the glitz and glamor to presenting professionals hard at work.

While I felt the culprit in this entry was pretty easy to spot, I still enjoyed the visit with Lee and company. I also really liked the one bit of a twist at the end, which I think some readers would call most implausible but the groundwork had been well laid. While this may not be the best in the series, I consider it a keeper on my crowded bookshelves.

Can you tell this is one of my favorite series?

There’s one more book in this Witch City series before Perry moves on to the Wicked Salem series featuring Aunt Ibby and her friends.  Here’s hoping that Lee and River will also drop by! (And yes, I already have it on pre-order.)