Such a great book. Makes for a wonderful read. I can not wait to read more from this author. I love books like this.

I wanted to enjoy this book as I love other theater themed cozy mystery series. I simply could not get into the book and found that it dragged on and on. It was simply not for me.

This is the second book in this theatre cop series and I enjoyed it for the most part. There were a lot of characters to try and figure out, and the backstory about how they're all related could have been a bit more fleshed out as I felt a bit lost with the references and the lack of detail describing them. I realise that adding them all in would just make it the first book again, but it did affect my enjoyment of it, not being able to fully engage with them all.

And this is the third book this year with a really weird formatting issue that removes 'ff', 'fi' and 'fl' from words, leaving the reader with a bit of a struggle to find the right words sometimes. Nothing to do with the author, but just something that seems to have popped up on the Kindle editions for some reason. That, along with some missing words and sloppy grammar, did affect my overall enjoyment. But hopefully, that's all been rectified in the final product!

I didn't ever fully engage with Edwina and her friends, or the story and I can't quite figure out why. The mystery was well plotted and convoluted enough that it kept me guessing until the end, but it was a slow process to get through it, taking me over a week to complete. I'm not entirely sure I'll continue, but perhaps going back to the first one to get a better handle on the characters and how they're related might help.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would.
The story itself was a bit disappointing and I had a difficult time connecting with the characters.
I would read another book however, hoping that my opinion may change.

With A Kiss I Die is the second book in the Theater Cop Mysteries. The book picks up a short time after the events in book one have happened.
Sully is actively writing grants and looking for donors to build dedicated space for Cliffside Theater. Cliffside's artistic director, Dimitri, is in Boston trying to save another theater's production of Romeo and Juliet. In addition to Dimitri, Eric, Emma, and Harry are back in book two. Various events pull everyone to Boston where Sully finds herself investigating the whereabouts of her missing ex-husband, the year-old disappearance of a local businessman, and two murders - all while helping Dimitri make sure the play goes off as smoothly as possible.
I am really enjoying the Theater Cop Mysteries. Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long for the next one.

When Sully Sullivan decided to help out her friend Dimitri at a theater in Boston, she had no idea she'd be getting herself into more investigating as well as running into her old police partner, Toni. She and her cousin Emma Whitehall were investigating her ex-husband Gus's disappearance. There were two murders, and a lot of people had a lot of secrets. I hadn't guessed who the killer was, and the showdown with the person was a bit nerve-wracking.

I've really grown to like and admire Sully even more after this book. She's an amazing and loyal friend who would give her friends just about anything without thinking twice about it. That also included doing anything for her friends. The character of Emma was introduced in the first book, and this time she got to go on sleuthing expeditions with Sully, since she luckily wasn't a murder suspect. Dimitri is such a hoot! He's definitely a multi-faceted character. He can be sweet and mild or go on a yelling spree at the theater, but when it's all said and done, he's one of Sully's best friends as is her cousin Eric. I'm anxious to see where Sully's next adventure will take her, since this one was in Boston and away from her home theater.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Princess Fuzzypants here: While one might be forgiven for thinking the skills developed as a cop would have little value in theatre administration, Sully has found a way to do it. In fact, when she is asked to come to Boston to help her friends with a production that is careening close to chaos, she runs smack dab into some very suspicious stuff. To further complicate matters, many of her friends are involved in the dicey doings including her former husband. The question is which side of the fence is each one on.
When one of those involved is murdered in a park right after a rather contentious party and her ex has disappeared, whether she wants to or not, Sully is going to be drawn in. Her former cop partner wants her to stay out of the investigation into the murder but does not refuse any help Sully can provide. It’s a slippery slope partly due to the personal involvements with the parties and partly because the new partner of her former partner despises Sully.
It is quite a convoluted mystery with more murders and disappearances and betrayals but Sully manages to figure it out while putting the theatrical production back on its feet. She is quite the girl. I also like the fact that she brings her kitty Max with her...and he of course, has an opinion on what is transpiring.
All in all, it was a fun read and worthy of four purrs and two paws up.

I love cozies like this. It kept me up late because I didn’t want to put it down. The writing was great. I liked the characters. It was a light, quick, fun read. I can’t wait for the next!

With a Kiss I Die by J.A. Hennrikus is the 2nd book in A Theater Cop mystery series, and my first book by this author. Edwina (Sully) Sullivan is a retired police officer who is now involved with every aspect of Romeo and Juliet. When a murder occurs, Sully has to get back in cop mode. This was a fun book, but I felt I lost something for not reading the 1st book in the series, first. I like the unique characters in this book. I plan on going back and reading book 1, first.

I reviewed an arc from Netgalley and Midnight Ink Publishing. Thank you.

What a great story. Actors, an ex-cop, and folks with money. What could possibly go wrong? Evidently a lot. I think it would be fun to work in a theater, but you would have to be able to work with a lot of different personality types. This story certainly has some interesting characters and I loved them. Who wouldn’t want to hang with this group of friends? These are people who really care for each other and aren’t afraid to show it. It was fun watching Sully put all the dots together. It’s amazing what people think they can get away with. I hope that you’ll enjoy the story and people as much as I did. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

The cover is nice, but the the story is really boring. Most books in law school are more entertaining than this.

Former cop turned theatre manager Edwina "Sully" Sullivan returns to her hometown of Boston to help support her director friend Dimitri who has agreed to be a last=minute substitute to save a floundering production of Romeo and Juliet. Between managing Dimitri, helping an intern deal with fighting costume and set designers, and schmoozing with potential funders, Sully is pretty busy. Everyone is shocked when socialite Mimi Cunningham is murdered in Boston's Public Garden. Sully is concerned and then alarmed when her ex-husband lawyer Gus becomes a person of interest in Mimi's murder and then vanishes. A complicated trail of illegal corporate dealings with the philanthropic Boston elite is the key motive. Not sure why, but I never really got engaged in this story. Most of the rest of the book occurs away from the theatre with Sully brainstorming with her friends about clues and motives. Sully connects and secretly helps her former cop partner with her insights and theories.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Midnight Ink with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

While I'm sure the book itself is great, the file I received had so many typos in it that it was unreadable. I'll buy a copy to read on my own. I am leaving a star rating based on the fact that the file was unreadable only. Since I only got 4% into the book before giving up, the star rating is no reflection on the book itself.

Theater, Drama, and Murder
This is an excellent mystery. The plot has quite a few moving pieces for the reader to keep track of. This is not a simplistic cozy! There is one story that revolves around a theater production and another plot involving murder. This is a very good story. I will read more of this author's work! I received this ARC for free from Net Galley. This is my honest review.

With the Kiss I Die by J. A. Hennrikus is the second book in this series but first read for me.

Even though it can be read as a standalone I would suggest starting from the beginning as I had trouble following the story since many of the characters were established in the first installment and there are many references about past situations which are not clearly explained.

Sally Sullivan, former cop turned theater manager, goes to Boston to help her friend's with a show. There it turns out she needs to deal with more than just theater problems as her ex-husband is accused of murdering a wealthy socialite. Knowing he is not guilty she sets out to solve yet another puzzle and clear his name.

Very interesting and well plotted mystery, with interesting setting. I really suffered having to decipher who is who and what their relation to each other is. Too many characters all at once with complicated relationships and this greatly affected my opinion of the book.

Quick and interesting read for a lazy afternoon.

This is an engaging and well-told tale! I love the characters and the mystery is excellently presented. We meet and engage with many of the same characters from the first book. If you didn’t read the first book, you can still read this as a stand-alone, but you will be missing some of the character backgrounds that are referred to in this book. I truly hope that my copy was a grossly uncorrected ARC rather one that was nearly ready for release because it was filled with errors in grammar, word repeats, missing words, missing letters, etc. It was really hard to read and I almost gave up on it – had the story not been so entertaining and interesting, I probably would have. I hope all of that is fixed prior to release.

It is February in Massachusetts and very cold. The Cliffside Theater’s season in tiny Trevorton, near Boston, is hibernating until it is time to prepare for the summer season. Edwina, Sully, Sullivan, theater manager, still has work to do in applying for grants, planning for the upcoming season, preparing budgets, etc. but it isn’t something she has to be in her office to do. So, when she’s requested to go to Boston to help out with a disaster at Boston’s Bay Repertory Theater, she agrees to help.

Sully finds a mess at the theater and has her hands filled with trying to help them out. Then, one of the people from whom Sully was applying for a grant is murdered, the theater manager disappears and Sully’s ex-husband disappears. Sully is happy enough to let the police handle the murder investigation and the missing theater manager, but her cop instincts are twitching and she has to find Gus, her ex-husband.

So many things are going on – with so many twists-and-turns – that you won’t be able to stop reading. You have to know what happens next and what is behind all of the murder, blackmail, and disappearances.

I love the stories in this series so far, but it is missing romance. I love mysteries – and these are good ones – but I really need to have romance included in the story. I like them to be a couple – like Roarke and Eve Dallas in the In-Death series – and if they don’t have romance, I soon lose interest in the series – no matter how good the series is. So, I’m hoping that Gus and Sully will get back together in the next book because they are the perfect combination. Her cop skills and his lawyer skills could make for a great set of mysteries. Anyway – I’ll see where the next couple of books go – and hopefully, that will include going toward a romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hmm. An ex- police officer who runs a theater returns to the town that spurned her- Boston- on theater business and finds herself investigating a murder. Yep. Sully knows her ex- husband Gus didn't murder anyone, even if the police believe he had some shady financial dealings that might have been a motive. I didn't read the first book in the series and think I missed a lot (I really felt thrown into the story) but I did enjoy it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Very enjoyable book! Hoping Gus has a larger role in the next book in the series! I love that Sully and Emma and Eric are reconnecting and growing closer. Also love that Sully reconnected with Tina. Hopefully that grows in future books. Great story, very complex but easy to follow and fun to read.

This is the 2nd book in the theater cop mystery series. I enjoyed the first in series and found this to be equally engaging and well crafted with a fun sleuth.
Julianne finds Sully Sullivan in Boston helping with the production of Romeo and Juliet he's been asked to direct at the Bay Repertory Theater. He is equal to the task. When Sully's ex-husband, Gus, is suspected in the murder of wealthy Mimi Cunningham Julianne is on the case and quick to find clues and suspects. Will the show be able to go on or will the murder investigation stop the show ! This had such a pleasant flow to it with a fun sleuth. Clues and suspects abound to the end where I was surprised by the ending. This is a pleasing cozy series and interesting look at community theater. I enjoy the supporting charcters and location.
Thank you for the ARC for review. My opinion is my own.

I enjoyed this book. The flow of the story and the characters just suck you right in. I liked the plot twist at the end, I did not see it coming. You can tell the author is very familiar with Boston. #WithAkissIdie #NetGalley