Prelude to Murder

“Prelude to Murder provides front row seats to a thrilling and evocative musical mystery in the further adventures of Julia Kogan, a young violinist with the Metropolitan Opera. Julia leaves New York City for a three-month guest appearance with the Santa Fe Opera, where there’s enough ambition, intrigue, and jealous wrangling to ensure plenty of suspects when murder takes center stage. A Shakespeare-quoting detective, a pragmatic NYPD lover, a falsely accused friend, and a wealth of opera lore, combined with Julia’s parallel journey of self-discovery, will surprise and fascinate the neophyte as well as the opera buff.”

—Lori Robbins, award-winning author of Murder in First Position

“Erica Miner has created a world few people know or have access to: a mystery with music beyond the words on the page. If all music aspires to the human voice, this author has found hers from the start. Bright and hot by day in the desert sun, violinist Julia Kogan has cold feet and colder nights in her next adventure in Santa Fe. Readers will enjoy a tasting flight of opera, a hint of the paranormal, and the promise of romance. Erica Miner’s Prelude to Murder is an introduction to a new voice for those who enjoy music with their mystery.”

—Gabriel Valjan, Agatha & Anthony Awards nominated author of the Shane Cleary Mysteries

“Erica Miner is the Agatha Christie of the opera world.”

— Richard Stilwell, international opera star

“I read and finished Prelude to Murder the second time and loved it all over again. Very beautifully written. You made me want to go to Santa Fe! And especially to see an opera there! Such color and beautiful scene painting...lovely!”

—Aaron Paul Lazar, USA Today bestselling author

“Prelude to Murder is a tantalizing peek behind the curtain of the world-renowned Santa Fe Opera. There’s plenty of mayhem on the bill, rich spirituality, sumptuous history, and metaphysical frights, too. So much to enjoy in Erica Miner’s new novel. But it’s the music that steals the show. Concertmaster Julia Kogan, on loan to Santa Fe from the Metropolitan Opera, returns (after Aria for Murder), and finds herself smack in the middle of a clever and dramatic mystery set against bloody arias and deadly recitativo.”

—James W. Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author

“Erica Miner’s Prelude to Murder is a delightful read. In addition to being an engaging mystery story with the characters we first met in Aria for Murder, this new book provides rich details of the Santa Fe Opera Festival and its exquisite setting. Whether or not you are a regular reader of mystery stories, I recommend this book to all opera fans. Throughout the pages of Prelude to Murder Erica Miner has given us countless treats; it’s like being given morsels of candy throughout, as she sprinkles in fascinating background and performance details of numerous operas. I encourage everyone to dig in and enjoy!”

—Pat Wright, Host of Opera for Everyone podcast, and KHOL radio show, Jackson Hole, WY

“Fans of clever, elegant mysteries have something to cheer in Prelude to Murder, the wonderful new Julia Kogan opera mystery. Author Erica Miner brings Santa Fe and the world of opera to breathtaking, passionate life as violinist Julia arrives for a summer gig with the world-famous Santa Fe Opera. It’s bad enough that she’ll be working under one of the opera world’s most demanding conductors. But when a fellow musician is arrested for murder, Julia and her boyfriend, NYPD detective Larry Somers, find themselves caught up in the investigation. Miner brilliantly weaves the violent, dramatic stories of real operas with the fictional murder at the core of her novel. Richly detailed and intricately plotted, this twisty story of a detestable diva will capture your intellect and your heart. Congratulations to Miner on having written such a fun, wonderful mystery!”

—Mally Becker, Agatha Award-nominated author

“Erica Miner’s Prelude to Murder will thrill opera lovers, mystery lovers and nature lovers. Miner’s personal experience and insight into the inner workings of an opera house rings true on every page. You will be transported by the sights and sounds of The Santa Fe Opera and its incomparable surroundings, while a hint of the paranormal will keep you guessing as you uncover each layer of this haunting story wrapped in adobe pink.”

—Tina deBellegarde, Agatha-nominated author