Final Curtain (Polly Pepper Mysteries (Hardco) (Hardcover)

~ R.T. Jordan (Author)
Key Phrases: stage doorman, Polly Pepper, Karen Richards, Sharon Fletcher (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jordan's second Polly Pepper mystery (after 2007's Remains to Be Scene) delivers a fun romp through the underworld of regional theater. Polly, a Hollywood actress of a certain age, is cast as the lead in a revival of the musical comedy Mame, newly set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Polly admires Karen Richards, the play's young, talented director, and Sharon Fletcher, one of her co-stars—so Polly is understandably distressed when Karen gets killed and Sharon is fingered for the crime. Along with her devoted son and her maid, Polly sets out to find who really brought down the curtain on Karen. Even among a cast of such well-developed, eccentric characters, Polly steals the show, drinking champagne constantly and even naming her mansion's staircase the Scarlett O'Hara Memorial Staircase. Jordan's entertaining plot moves briskly and its plucky heroine is sure to charm old fans and win new ones. (Feb.)
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Product Description

Polly Pepper, the legendary superstar of television's golden age, is finally back in the entertainment headlines. She's landed the title role in a new production of the musical Mame, and though it's off-off-off-off Broadway (Glendale, California, actually), Polly's bank account--and her ego--need the job. And if all goes well, the show just might go to New York! There's one minor detour, though: on the second day of rehearsals, wunderkind director Karen Richards turns up dead.

Of course Polly's nose for news needs to know, and though Karen was well liked, it seems some last-minute casting changes from artistic director/megalomaniac Gerold Goss did her in. Sadly, Polly's Suspect #1 is her new friend and co-star Sharon Fletcher, who also plays a deliciously sultry bad girl on the popular daytime soap "It's Never Fair Weather." Sharon was the last person seen with the deceased director...and her Emmy matches the dent in Karen's head.

But as Gerold takes over the director's chair, Polly finds her cast-member-suspect-list reaching epic proportions. Could it be Charlotte Bunch, who Karen politely corrected until she got her Irish brogue right? Everyone knows actresses can be very touchy. Or Gerold's sweetly innocent girlfriend Mag Ryan, who drunkenly reveals that she wouldn't let anything stand in the way of her landing a part in the possibly Broadway-bound musical? Or maybe even Karen's young assistant Jamie, who Polly discovers was promised a role in the play...after Karen's untimely demise?

The more Polly sniffs, the surer she is that Sharon didn't haul off and bash Karen with her Emmy. But the evidence is mounting, and it'll take all of Polly's wits--and some help back at Pepper Plantation from her ever-dependable son Tim, and their perpetually wisecracking maid Placenta--to save the jailed soap star from a murder rap...and a starring role in a real-life drama tentatively entitled Framed!

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; 1 edition (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758212828
• ISBN-13: 978-0758212825
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,269,532 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Polly Pepper Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Regional Director Murdered. Story at 11., June 6, 2008

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Every summer, living legend Polly Pepper does community theater in some city so she has money to pay her bills. This year, she is starring in Mame (her favorite roll) in Glendale, California. The bad news is, it is a small theater. The good news is she won't have to move out of her Bel Air mansion for the summer. And, if the play goes well, it just might move to Broadway, the one place Polly has never had a show.

When the director is late the second day of rehearsal, the cast goes exploring and finds poor Karen's body. The police immediately zero in on cast member Sharon Fletcher. After all, it was her Daytime Emmy that bashed in Karen's head. But Polly, who prides herself on being an excellent judge of character, thinks Sharon is innocent. Even stranger, someone is willing to give Polly relevant information, in exchange for one of her own Emmys. Now she must learn the new choreography, deal with a hack of a replacement director, and find the killer before all her precious awards vanish. Can she do it?

This book has a certain hypnotic quality to it. Polly is, frankly, over the top, demanding and annoying. But she thinks she isn't, and we don't notice either most of the time. In fact, I often found myself smiling at her behavior. Her two sidekicks, son Tim and maid/friend Placenta help greatly soften the character and help with the plot.

And the mystery is great. It moved forward quite well with several surprising revelations. Yet the ultimate solution was satisfying.

The only real flaw is the book can be a tad overwritten at times. Some passages especially almost drown in long adverbial phrases, breaking the flow. On the other hand, the dialogue is crisp and flows well.

That aside, this is a fun mystery with a different sleuth. If you are looking for something a little off beat, this is the book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Polly Pepper Solves It, March 15, 2008

By	Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Jordan, R.T. "Final Curtain", Kensington, 2008.

Polly Pepper Solves It

Amos Lassen

Polly Pepper is an iconic television superstar from the golden age in R.T. Jordan's "Final Curtain", the second book in his Polly Pepper mystery series. We not only get Hollywood dish, we get humor and mystery.
Polly is welcomed back to the land of entertainment when she lands the title role of a new production of "Mame". She needed the job to support herself and even though it is Hollywood, there is talk that if he show goes well, it might get to New York. Everything was going smoothly until the second day of rehearsal when the show's director, Karen Richards, is found dead. Polly feels the need to know what really went on and it seems to her that even though Karen was well liked, last minute casting changes from artistic director Gerold Gross caused her deadly demise. Then there was Sharon Fletcher, Polly's co-star and friend who was the last person to be seen with Karen and the mark on Karen's head is the same size as the Emmy that Sharon won.
Gerold Gross takes over the directorship of "Mame" and Polly begins adding more suspects to her list of possible murderers. Charlotte Brunch made the list because she was touchy about the way that Karen had corrected her attempts at an Irish brogue. Gerold's girlfriend, Mag Ryan, made the list as well. When she had been tanked she once remarked that nothing would stand in her way of getting a part on Broadway.
As Polly sniffs around, she realizes that the culprit is not Sharon but evidence to the opposite was growing very quickly. Polly turns to her Tim and the family maid, Placenta, for help in order to keep Sharon out of jail.
With singing and dancing in a show were put on the back burner and we follow Polly as she tries to solve the murder. It's a great read and lots of fun too. Jordan writes with flair and manages to capture the reader from the first sentence.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars delightful amateur sleuth , February 9, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Not everyone can be a Hollywood legend while they are still alive, but Polly Pepper has managed to become one. The only thing missing in her long glorious career is that she never made it to Broadway, but now in her sixties the opportunity to fulfill her dream seems imminent. She is the title character in a revival of Mame at the Galaxy Theater in Glendale, California. If this proves successful the backers want to bring it to the Great White Way.

Rehearsals do not start very well when Polly arrives late on the first day. They go downhill by day two when director Karen Richards is killed with the murder weapon being the Emmy won by Mame co-star Sharon Fletcher. The police arrest Sharon, but Polly believes she is innocent even if witnesses claim Sharon was the person seen with the victim. In fact, Polly thinks Sharon's role as a bad girl on the soap "It's Never Fair Weather" is part of the reason the cops look nowhere else as they mix up the character with the person. Polly quickly realizes that others in the production had strong motives to kill Karen. With the help of her son and her personal assistant, Polly investigates but almost joins Karen in the next life when she begins uncovering the true motive for the homicide.

In spite of Polly being a classic diva, readers will admire her spunk and adore her caring for others, which she displays all the time and leads her to make inquiries. The support cast including recurring characters from REMAINS TO BE SCENE like her homicide detective lover and her doting son turns FINAL CURTAIN into a delightful amateur sleuth tale. Although some will question why a sexagenarian with a twenty-seven room Bel Air mansion will risk her pampered life on an investigation instead of hiring a professional, fans will enjoy B.T. Jordan's salute to the stars whodunit.

Harriet Klausner