Shake-speared in the Park

Bay Browning Mystery, #2

by

Joy Ann Ribar

A great follow-up to the series debut!

Shake-speared in the Park is the second book in author Joy Ann Ribar’s excellent Bay Browning Mystery series and features a Shakespeare theme, murder, and serious pranks during a staging of an original play parodying The Bard himself. When a recent graduate from local Flourish College dies after a fall from a set piece during the first on-stage rehearsal, Detective Downing and his partner, Detective Harris, arrive to investigate the accident. However, as things play out, they soon discover there’s more to the death than originally thought. 

Bay Browning, professor of literature at the college in Prairie Ridge, Wisconsin, returns, along with her older sister, Cass, and other family members, friends, faculty members, and students, in another cleverly plotted and creatively detailed murder mystery. Clues are secreted throughout the tale of small-town jealousies and class differences, just waiting for sharp-eyed armchair detectives to take note and connect the dots. Cass has some eerie and interesting instances when her special intuition plays a role, and her botanical knowledge is fascinating and informative. With its extensive cast, there were some outstanding red herrings provided as a distraction to eliminate, and plot twists kept me engaged from the early and deadly start to the surprising finish.

 I recommend SHAKE-SPEARED IN THE PARK to cozy mystery readers, especially those interested in botanical factoids and a story with a Shakespearean theme or an academic setting. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.