Customer Reviews

Mask For A Diva (Stonewall Inn Mysteries)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Grant Michael's Stan Kraychek (Nancy Drew with a curling iron) sets off for a summer opera fest with a wild cast of characters, some of them charming and some darker and more disagreeable. Three deaths later, and of course our Stan gets embroiled in solving the mystery. Actually, the mystery isn't that complicated, but Michaels brings his unique point of view and superb style of descriptive writing to the effort and the result is a very enjoyable read. While not as gripping as some of the earlier stories in terms or pure who-done-it, you'll enjoy this one, whether you like opera or not.

This entire series is a must for anyone with a sense of humor. They are light and fun and easy to fly through. If you read at night, what a better way to end the day than smiling?

Grant Michaels continues to write some of the most interesting murder mysteries. Even though this is my least favorite of the series so far it is still better than most out there. Notice I gave this one four star instead of five and that is because it took longer than normal to get the action rolling. Once it was rolling it did not stop even when the book was over.

The starts with Stan on a passenger train headed for a new opera festival to do style the wigs. He was doing this on the urging of his boyfriend, Rafik. Rafik was in Paris visiting his family to prepare them to meet the great Stan. Stan due to mistaken identity got in the car with a future friend. Most of the next several chapters is meeting the interesting array of characters. Stan is missing his man and his best friend but before you know it he is involved again with another murder. He knew it was a murder before the cops did but then another murder happened. Stan was always involved with the Boston Police when he was helping with a murder case but now he was in the suburbs but before Stan could think the local police call in the Boston PD. His old pal Branco shows up and this time makes Stan a deputy to assist in the murder. Leave it to Stan to solve the murder but to be honest this was the most transparent case of the series. However when you know at the end of the book it is time for Stan to fly to France to meet Rafik's parent a telegram arrives but you do not know what it says as Stan boards a plane but it does not seem like great news. I can not wait until the next one to see what happens as I know Grant Michaels will amaze me.

It might not be the "best whodunnit ever written", it is not even the best one in this series either, but it is a good mistery, nice and easy to read, with a very funny & enjoyable "grand finale" that reminds us of the Marx Brothers at "A Night at the Opera".