I picked up this softcover at Barnes and Noble. It's an interesting mystery, set in the Restoration period, the late 1600s, and dealing with a corps of actors - and actresses. Women are gradually working their way into theater troupes, despite the tradition (and the seldom-enforced laws) about only allowing men on stage. Some bickering ensues between the men whose careers playing women are in jeopardy, and the women who want their share of stage-time. And the mystery itself kicks in when a lovely young girl who's been flirting with (and turning tricks with) the men at the local pub turns out to be (a) a young man, and (b) very, very dead...

Main character Suzanne, part of the theater troupe though she doesn't go on stage, is the amateur sleuth whose background as a prostitute makes her all too familiar with the darker parts of the city - and the society. But even that didn't prepare her for what she encounters in her attempt to identify the victim and find out who killed him.

The solution was actually rather obvious - sadly so, indeed - and the fallout from the dramatic and dangerous climax seemed to me rather milder than should have been the case, given the differences in class between killer and pursuers. But the local color, the character bantering and stage business, and the general feel of the setting made the story interesting and lively.

I left this book on a bench outside the restaurant at around 4:30; hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the 2016 Tick Tock release challenge. ***

*** Released as part of the 2016 Spooktacular Halloween release challenge. ***

So exciting finding this! Looking forward to reading "The Twelfth Night Murder" as the genre is one of my favorites!