Bloodshed on the Boards (The Morwenna Mutton Mysteries Book 2), by Judy Leigh

 

Publication April 11, 2024 

I discovered Judy Leigh via her non-mystery books but this is the first time I've read her recent cozy mystery series featuring Morwenna Mutton. It's set in Seal Bay and has a rather large cast of characters, probably expected due to it featuring an acting troupe putting on "The Return of the Cornish King". The mystery begins when Daniel Kitto, who played Uther Pendragon, literally dies onstage. At first it's thought a natural death but following instincts, Morwenna thinks otherwise.  

Although I haven't read the first book in this series, I quickly warmed to Morwenna despite cringing when she, uh, "borrowed" potential evidence. She's smart, loves swimming no matter how freaking cold the ocean water is, and rides her bicycle everywhere.  She also admits to herself that she still has feeling for ex-husband Ruan, who basically lives next door. That is an interesting side story but there are several bubbling under the surface. Another is her mother Lamorna, who was more than a bit enamored with Daniel, a feeling with a backstory. So, her interest in finding out what really happened to Daniel is personal although, well, one gets the idea she simply enjoys solving the puzzle of whodunit, too.

So, who killed Daniel? Turns out there are several suspects. Although Lamorna was smitten, many of those in Daniel's acting company didn't like him. But, although the troupe as a whole might benefit from his death, would one of them have hated him enough to kill him? Or, maybe the killer is a local? Could the disappointment of a stage mom at her daughter not being chosen for the child mermaid role allotted to a local have been angry enough to kill? Why is Barnaby there and will he helpful or a hindrance? Why isn't Morwenna involving the police? And, spooky, how is Lamorna getting phone calls supposedly from Daniel? Why is Morwenna paying so much attention to Ruan's comings-and-goings? Who .... oh, enough teasers. 

Overall, despite being new to this relatively young series, I felt it did well as a standalone. My only real issue was trying to sort out who-was-who, a task complicated by the characters in the acting troupe, but Leigh did an excellent job introducing each and fleshing them out nicely. To be honest, since this was my intro to the series, I appreciated the initially slow moving plot though some may be anxious to move along more swiftly. I also enjoyed my introduction to the village and some of its characters and also realized at some point that I was no longer having to refer to the glossary at each local phrase/word. Fortunately, that glossary is provided early on and I did initially find it helpful although many of the terms were relatively obvious in meaning. Bottom line, I enjoyed meeting Morwenna and her family and friends although, brr, I think I'd skip those early morning swims in the cold ocean. Thanks #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for introducing me to Morweena and giving me this sneak peek into her life and surroundings. I'll be back.