The show must go on but how can it with a murderer in the theater having already killed the star. I say star loosely because as one of the costume crew states the victim was a star in his mind. That comment has a deeper meaning as it is just one of the negative opinions or feelings expressed about our victim. Therein lies the problem, with a large cast and crew, we have a host of suspects who disliked Kurt, the victim. I even chuckled early on at the victim when he decided to write his own backstory for Annie Get Your Gun. The author did a nice job of making Kurt so frustrating even the audience could see it.
Someone certainly got a gun in this story and ended Kurt which pulled Tasha in to investigate. A costume shop manager for a theater is not your typical detective. However, worried for the future of the playhouse, investigate she does. She gets a little help alone the way from a special someone because this story needs a romantic lead. Tasha very much loves the playhouse, and it makes me wonder if the author has a similar affinity.
We have plenty of red herrings along the way to a conclusion in this cozy. Aside from being a skosh long with detailed descriptions that got a tad dry at times, this is a good debut book. Some of the production details of the theater did not appeal to me but the characters did. Tasha and her friends seem to have stories left to tell and no cozy would be complete without an animal. In this case the animal is a theater cat named Hilly.
Rating a book is never easy but sometimes a book simply does not lend itself easily to one of the 5 ratings choices instead being somewhere in the middle between 2 ratings. I would put this book at between 3.4 and 3.6 and I will be kind and roll up because I think the potential for more good stories exist.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I liked the fact that the mystery is focused around a local theater group and enjoyed all of the behind the scenes work that goes into putting on a play. However, I found that the story bogged down during the middle of the book.

Fans of community theater based cozies will enjoy this nice start to a new series. Tasha runs the costume shop but she's more involved than just that, especially once the rotten star of the upcoming show is murdered! She investigates with the help of others at the theater as well as Bruno, her romantic interest. You know there are going to be a few red herrings and you might not guess the identity of the villain. Because it's the first, the characters aren't as fleshed out as you might like but that leaves room. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Oh- and there's a cat.

A stage actor gets killed and Tasha can’t resist to investigate this case. It's an entertaining story that keeps you guessing until the end. A good debut novel.
I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review.

Tasha Weaver is the Costume Manager for the Eastbrook Playhouse and has made the Playhouse her life since the loss of her mother. The playhouse is barely hanging on and are depending on their upcoming show of Annie Get Your Gun showcasing two well-known actors from New York to save them. Their male lead is murdered, and Tasha will do everything she can to uncover who did it.

This was a good start to a new series. The plot was engaging, and the characters were well developed. I enjoyed the author using the theater as the background for this story. It was so nice to have the back of house staff being the "stars" of the story. My only issue is that there seemed to be a lot of running around accusing everyone, trying to make the facts fit. Tasha seemed blind to accepting alternate possibilities and would get, in my opinion, overly defensive.

I did enjoy seeing the nonperforming members of a theater company. The mystery was good and there were enough red herrings
placed throughout the story to keep you on your toes. An enjoyable read! I am looking forward to the next installment of this series.


Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read this book and give my honest review.

Since the death of her mother ten years earlier, Tasha Weaver has made the Eastbrook Playhouse the center of her life. She runs the costume shop. The playhouse has been hitting some hard times, but it is hoped that the current production of Annie Get Your Gun with some Broadway names will turn things around.

But there is a lot of tension. Most of it is centered around has-been Kurt Mozer who is throwing his weight around. Both the artistic director Arthur Winston and the director Marnie Mason are at odds with him. When he threatens to quit with only a week or two until the production debuts, Tasha manages to appeal to his love of theater and talk him down. Unfortunately, Kurt's trip to the dark playhouse results in his murder by gunshot.

Feeling guilty for her part in getting Kurt to his place of death and worried for the future of her beloved playhouse, Tasha begins her own investigation into the murder. She's an insider which lets her share information she finds with the police detective assigned to the case.

Tasha has lots of suspects from the directors of the playhouse to a local property developer who has had his eyes on the land where the playhouse sits and who almost convinced the City Council to sell him the property.

This was an engaging story with interesting characters and a nicely twisty plot.

There's No Murder Like Show Murder is a well-written and complex first book in a new cozy mystery series by M. S. Greene.
Set in a regional theatre with big aspirations, the book features as wide a selection of characters as you would expect to find in a theatrical setting, which in turn provides numerous viable suspects once the leading man of the current play is found murdered. It is clear that the author is either experienced in the theatre scene or a lover of it, or both, as the descriptions are detailed and the main character is clearly devoted to her job as costume shop head. The book features intrigue and suspense, and I didn't clue in as to the identity of the killer until there were only a few chapters left to read.
I was surprised at the end when I realized that the writer of such an interesting and realistic female lead was a man; kudos to him for doing her justice.
I did find the narrative occasionally became bogged down in overly detailed descriptions that didn't seem to forward the plot, and found myself skipping pages to keep my flow going.
The main criticism I have is that for a first book from a new author, the e-book is exorbitantly priced, and I would never pay that much - $27.99 Canadian on Amazon - for an established author with an ongoing series, let alone a new author with a new series. Add that it is only available in print as a hardcover, and I don't expect that sales will be as good as the book deserves.
I received an ARC of #TheresNoMurderLikeShowMurder from #NetGalley, which is the only way I could afford to read it.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a cozy mystery about a small town theater.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the theater aspect. I think someone more interested in show business would like this one more than I did. I also felt like it was a bit slow.

I hope others love this one!

Cozy Mystery which finds a Connecticut regional theater costume shop head as she turns sleuth to save the local playhouse after the B-list leading man's shot center stage.

4/5 stars: This is the first entry in Greene's Backstage Mystery series, which is a Cozy Mystery that takes place in Connecticut and features the costume shop head of a charming regional theater. With plenty of twists and turns, Greene has crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Additionally, Greene's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Tasha's a joy and the playhouse is her home away from home. Additionally, I really liked her friends and coworkers (especially the gossipy Perry.) Oh and I very much look forward to seeing where Tasha and Bruno are headed. And I mustn't forget to mention Tasha's feline “colleague”, Hilferty AKA Hilly, at the Eastbrook Playhouse... too cute. And of course, there's plenty of behind-the-scenes action of the Annie Get Your Gun production and oh so many great theater references abound. While written with sensitivity, Greene touches on some tough topics; so take care and check the CWs. For those looking to keep their reading diverse, this author's 2SLGBTQIA+. A great start to a new series, I look forward to reading more.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

An easy to read cozy mystery that takes us into the behind the scenes theater world. The Eastbrook Theater has managed to get two Broadway stars to shine on their stage this summer, but when leading man Kurt Mozer is found dead costume shop head Tasha and friends must find the guilty party. An enjoyable read for the beach or to read cozied up in your favorite chair. Good characters and an interesting plot lead into a new series that will definitely be worth your time.
Thanks to #NetGalley#TheresNoMurderLikeShowMurder#CrookedLaneBooks for the EARC.

There's No Murder Like Show Murder by M.S. Greene may be the first book in a new cozy mystery series. As noted in several other reviews, the author introduced a lot of characters which I felt detracted from the core characters development in this book.
Tasha Weaver is the protagonist and was difficult for me to relate to in this book. She seems to have withdrawn from life into her work at the Eastbrook Playhouse. Her co-workers in the costume shop seems like they will be solid supporting characters if this continues as a series; but I never felt like I got to know any of them except superficially as the story unfolded.
The storyline is smoothly paced and the clues and red herrings were well placed throughout the story. I did enjoy the details of a stage production and all of the "behind-the-scenes" work done by the production crew. The addition of Hillferty, the theater cat, was the perfect touch in this cozy mystery.

Tasha Weaver is most at home in the cozy backstage world of the Eastbrook Playhouse. As the costume shop head at the charming regional theater, she’s used to watching dramatic acts of love and revenge from the shadows. But when Kurt Mozer—the insufferable Broadway reject who stars in their production of Annie Get Your Gun—is shot center stage, the spotlight turns to her. Everyone knows Kurt was difficult to work with, and after he got into a fight with both director Marnie Mason and artistic leader Arthur Winston, he promptly decided to quit the show. In deep financial trouble, the Eastbrook Playhouse depended on a big name like Kurt to keep afloat. With reporters coming in from the Big Apple to Tasha’s little corner of Connecticut, she realizes it's up to her to save their local theater and keep her community safe. After all, the show must go on…but what do you do when the killer could very well be one of your loved ones? With the help of her friends, her long-time crush Bruno Machado, and her feline colleague Hilly, Tasha must catch a murderer before the shining lights of the playhouse go out forever. I enjoyed this story in spite of some slow spots. There were some twists and the main character was fun enough to hold my interest. Hope there will be more with her.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Took me a bit to grab my attention and I did find the plot to be a bit predictable and not super interesting. That said, once I got into it it was an entertaining and quick little read for when you can't be bothered with a complex book, it was easy to follow and I am curious to check out more works of the author

This is the first in a new series by a new to me author, M.S. Greene. It is
Tasha Weaver is the costume designer in a smalltown theater set in Connecticut. The star is being difficult and is found deceased in the theater.
Tasha want this crime solved in order to save the theater. The theater is in financial trouble and needs a large draw in order to keep it afloat.

We have plenty of suspects, twists and turns. There were a few places I felt the story drag but then it picked up quickly again. The author did a good job of introducing his characters for the series.


Netgalley gave me an advanced copy of the book and I am not required to leave a positive review.

Did not finish this book, unfortunately. I did read about 10% to 20% but it didn’t ultimately grab my attention and I did not have an interest in finding out what happens to the characters further. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Sadly, the book didn't grab my attention at all - the main character felt very uninteresting to read about. I was overwhelmed by the amount of characters and didn't care for most of them. The theater setting was written beautifully but the mystery aspect was lacking.

I really, really, really wanted to like this book. However, the best way I can describe my reaction to it was that it had "a failure to thrive." I kept picking it up and reading a little and then putting it down. Maybe it was because, as has been noted in other reviews, there are LOT of characters in this-so many that's it's impossible to keep track of them all; maybe it was because although I love watching plays, I don't have a lot of interest in the inner workings of a playhouse; or maybe it was because the author had a bad habit of getting you up to a big reveal and then telling you what happened rather than let the characters tell you, which felt a lot like "readus interruptus" to me.

Whatever the reason, this is just my experience and if the above isn't a dealbreaker for you, try this series out. You may love it.

I really liked this book. It's a cute story set in a community theatre.
The characters were likeable, there was a little bit of love, and it kept me guessing until the end!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in a new series and it was a strong introduction to the protagonist, a cast of what I assume will be regular characters, and a good setting. However, I do think the author introduced too many characters for this first book, which didn't give enough space to really flesh our the supporting characters enough. I ended this with a basic picture of each, but not a great lot of detail, so I'm wondering if that will change in a second book.

I liked the setting and its history, which added to the mystery. I thought it a great way to set the scene and throw in some intrigue at the same time. I do wonder, whenever a cosy series is set in a small location, how a series will build from it. Will all the mysteries be within that one building? However future mysteries play out, this first mystery has a strong structure, so I can only imagine that future stories will build on that.

Protagonist, Tasha Weaver, manages the costume department for a small theatre. Her team is a varied bunch, but I want to understand them all better. For now, they are like shapes on a screen, not yet three-dimensional. Tasha herself I found to be a good protagonist. She is written with that tenacity a good cosy protagonist should have, and I found her desire to investigate infectious and believable.

It was an enjoyable and fun read.

Link to a video review will be shared later.

A murder in the theater seems like it's been done to death, however this story is a new take on death in a theater and had me completely stumped (which by the way, I prefer because I like the surprise of the actual reveal)!

Life in the theater is never easy - long hours, thankless tasks, constant changes with costumes and lines, plus the ego of actors, but for Tasha Weaver, the theater is her life and she loves it! That is until the star is murdered on the stage of an empty theater in the dark of night. While Tasha is trying to figure out who the culprit is so she can save her beloved theater, she learns all kinds of information that point to a myriad of guilty parties and she has to sort out who is who in this theatrical puzzle.

As for most cozies, this was a fun, quick read; I am excited to see how Tasha's character develops as the series goes on. There is also a possible love connection and a cat named Hilferty, so it's got it all.