This is the fourth book in this series and I loved it!
Poppy is a realistic, contemporary woman, who I really enjoy reading about.
This mystery was so well written and the characters were so intriguing, that I could not put it down!
All in all, this book was a delight to read and a great continuation to this series.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Poppy McAllister has her hands full with running her B&B, baking for two restaurants, and choosing between her two love interests. But she's not the only one with boyfriend drama. Her aunt Ginny's high school boyfriend has retired from Broadway and is returning home to play the male lead in the senior center's theater production of Mamma Mia. Everyone is really excited about the play. But when bizarre accidents start happening, and a man falls to his death, it becomes clear that someone is willing to do whatever it takes to get the play shut down. Poppy and the biddies decide to get to the bottom of things before the killer strikes again.

Theatre Nights Are Murder is a humorous and entertaining cozy mystery that kept me laughing out loud throughout the entire book. It has a quirky, well-rounded cast of characters and mouthwatering descriptions of food. Poppy was such a lovable and realistic character. It was very easy to root for her and relate to her weight loss struggles. The murder mystery kept me guessing and I didn't know who the killer was until the reveal. There's also a fun second mystery with Poppy trying to figure out who is responsible for leaving fake and negative reviews about the B&B. Overall, I really liked this book and will be reading more by Libby Klein.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review.
This is the fourth in this series and can be read as a stand-alone. Poppy McAllister has an insane amount going on in her life. She makes desserts for her own B&B, as well as a restaurant and a separate coffee shop. Note that the restaurant and coffee shop are each owned by men competing for her affections, adding additional layers of tension to her life. Poppy’s bound and determined to become both healthy and slender, so she adds a restricted diet, morning exercise, and then gets roped into being the stage crew for the local Senior Center’s production of Mama Mia. While the primary focus of the book is on those elements and a death in the Mama Mia production, please also throw in a mysterious car in the neighborhood, an on-line troll who is viciously attacking every business with which Poppy is affiliated and Poppy’s determination to both solve the death mystery and preserve her sanity while surrounded by a group of over-active older adults. It’s overwhelming for both Poppy and the reader! Libby Klein tells a good story and Poppy is an engaging and sympathetic character. For me, there were too many plot lines to track and resolve. I’ll try the next in the series and hope its slightly less plot lines.

Libby Klein has enamored me with this series and I am always looking forward to the next release! I absolutely adore these characters, the easy story lines, and the who-dun-it aspects because I also feel shocked in the end! I can;t wait for more books to be released!

This is the fourth installment of the Poppy McAllister/Cape May cozy mystery series.

Aunt Ginny ropes Poppy into being a part of the senior center production of Mamma Mia!, and of course hilarity, and murder, ensues. Poppy, Aunt Ginny, and all of the biddies come together to solve a string of sabotage and the murder.

First, let me just say that I love Libby Klein’s books and characters. Poppy feels like my bookish soulmate, and I truly love all of Aunt Ginny’s nonsense. For anyone who’s read the rest of the series, this is a great continuation of characters, and ends on a cliffhanger that is sure to bring you back for book five.

What I didn’t like about this book were all of the subplots. I counted 18, and that’s with me combining some of them. That’s far too many. I can appreciate that Klein wants to offer her readers depth and lots of different story lines, but it was just too much. I took far longer to read this book than I did her first three, mostly just because there was so much going on that I had a hard time caring about any of it.

This is book gets 2.5 stars for me, and even though it wasn’t my favorite, I’ll definitely be back for book five. These are characters that I love, and Klein can be very snappy and hilarious.

In the first chapter of this book: “No one likes a love triangle.”

Me: “Hey, the author has been reading my reviews! Glad we’re in agreement here.”

Author: I will now stretch this love triangle over 300 more pages.

Good call.

I have been reading this series from the beginning, and this latest installment is one of the few ARCs I requested this year. I love the characters and the writing is always pretty humorous. But the author lost her way a bit on this one. The murder does not take place until 1/3 of the way in and it’s a very weak plot. Most of the book is devoted to the antics of the “biddies,” what the main character calls her aunt’s friends. And, yes, the word biddies appears seemingly five times on every page. It’s super annoying. On top of that, Gia, the Italian end of the love triangle, continues to be the most infuriatingly unrealistic character ever penned.

I’ll continue on with this series. But if the next book isn’t better, see ya later, Poppy & Co. I’m not sticking around for another Stephanie Plum arc.

This is book #4 in the series, but the first one I've read. Unfortunately, Poppy is not able to say no to anyone, so is really taking on more than she is able to handle. Running the B&B with her aunt, having two boyfriends, cooking desserts for their restaurants. Her aunt then signs Poppy up for working in the theater and of course getting involved with solving the murder. Her aunt and her friends are just too over the top for me in their quirkiness. I gave this 4 stars as I was able to finish it, but won't be looking for the others in the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun, snarky series with attitude all it's own. Poppy's adventures are always entertaining and this one with mishaps in the theater and murder ad-libbing it's way in makes for an interesting read.

This book begins right where the previous installment ended. Even though I had read the previous book, I still had a few bewildering moments of trying to figure out what was going on when the author just throws you in the middle of ongoing action. Poppy is coming off the cooking competition and immediately gets pulled into doing a musical play at the senior center by her great aunt, Ginny. Ginny is one of those old ladies that is a hoot unless they are related to you and then the are your problem. Poppy doesn't want to be involved in the play, but is too nice to say no. What follows is enough action and misadventures to try the patience of even the calmest person.
During rehearsals one of the elderly actors dies and the senior ladies just know it is foul play. They set out to prove it and drag Poppy into their adventures. Thorough out the story, Poppy seems to vacillatate between Tim and Gia with her affections. By the end of the book, I was finding this lack of conviction to be irritating and wanted to yell "just pick one, already!" The ending of the book and reveal of the culprit brings in more action and misdeeds and just actually causes everything to be murky and a bit unclear in its resolution.

I received a free copy of THEATER NIGHTS ARE MURDER (Poppy McAllister Mystery Book 4) by Libby Klein in exchange for an honest review. Poppy McAllister has more going on in her life than she can handle. Poppy’s making desserts for a restaurant, a coffee shop, and for her bed and breakfast patrons. On top of that, Poppy’s managing her new Paleo diet, exercising each morning, working as free crew for the senior center’s production of Mamma Mia, and trying to mitigate the biddies’ ongoing crime spree. Additionally, Poppy’s trying to make up her mind between two suitors; she’s swearing off the smoochy stuff until she can decide, but her resolve keeps faltering. To heap even more stress on an already frazzled Poppy, there’s a mystery car parked in the neighborhood, a troll is attacking Poppy’s businesses, frequent accidents plague the play, and there’s been a mysterious death on set. The troublesome biddies spur Poppy into trying to solve the various problems while helping themselves to Poppy’s goodies.

I like this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this novel to fans of Libby Klein, the Poppy McAllister Mysteries, and cozy mysteries featuring bakeries, coffee shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, dietary restrictions, elders run wild, and theater productions.

#TheaterNightsAreMurder #NetGalley

Love this series. Poppy owns a bed and breakfast with her aunt ginny. Poppy is also baking for 2 restaurants. In the meantime she is at the senior center with her aunt while she tries out for the play mamma Mia. Her long ago flame comes back into town. I don't want to spoil anything. So read the book

Poppy is back and she's better than ever in Theater Nights are Murder.
Aunt Ginny and the biddies are excited to be putting on a play at the senior center, and when Aunt Ginny's old flame makes a comeback, it seems like high school again.
Unfortunately not everyone is happy with Royce's return, and when strange accidents start happening, and someone falls victim to a tragic accident, everyone becomes paranoid.

I absolutely loved this book, it was full of humor, twists and turns, and of course, filled with plenty of mayhem.
This is a definite must read.

Another winner in this funny, charming series! I love reading about Poppy and her adventures. She and Aunt Ginny are so much fun. Throw in Georgina and Smitty and it's a non-stop riot! I love this series, and this book was fabulous!

Poppy McAllister has her hands full, she’s baking for two different restaurants, working the lights for the senior center’s first ever theater production, and running her family’s newly launched B&B…all while trying to stick to her Paleo diet and decide which of the two men in her life truly has her heart. That’s a lot of a mere mortal to take on, but Poppy is no mere mortal, she’s a Jersey girl!

When Aunt Ginny’s high school sweetheart returns home after retiring from a long Broadway career and is cast as the male lead in the production of Mama Mia, things get interesting. Not only has he returned home, but the woman who came between Royce and Ginny all those years ago, gets cast in the female lead, though Ginny is far better. Then the fun really begins as accidents and mishaps begin to plague the production. But it’s when another senior in the cast is found dead on the stage that Poppy and the biddies begin to start poking around. So many secrets and suspects keep the ladies busy, but will they be able to protect the cast and find the murderer before tragedy strikes again?

What a fun series! Being a Jersey gal myself, I adore Poppy’s attitude and snarkiness. Add in some gluten free recipes that sound delish even if you aren’t going gluten free, and you have not only a book that is hard to put down and recipes that are going to keep you busy baking after the book is finished. Each book stands alone just fine if you haven’t read the previous ones…though you’ll quickly add them to your list of books to read!