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Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen SmithThree Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.
The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.
In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.
My Showstopper review:
This was a short and cute read! I really like how the main character falls into investigations and they involve her neighbors. I think that at one time or another we have all seen our neighbors outside and wondered what they were doing! This is also a funny book that had me laughing a few times. Poor Victoria gets threatening notes, and she doesn't know where they are coming from. The show must go on! Will Emily find the killer by then? Or will she too die laughing?
Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious... Helen Smith is a master story-teller.
~Socrates Book Reviews
It grips you from the very beginning.
~Babs Books Bistro
Bright, colorful and full of surprises.
~Amazon Vine Reviewer
Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.
~Eva’s Sanctuary
My three Sisters review:
I always thought that my sisters and I look alike, but there are only three of us, I can't imagine there being a fourth. I do not like the title of this one, because it gives away something about the murder. There was no surprise for me because I had already figured it out. However I really do like that it was short and sweet, and I love the idea of actors and actresses preforming stunts. I did "Murder on the CT River" once and that is what I was reminded of. You don't know if you are watching a murder or a play. I loved the other surprises that the book offered and I also found myself laughing during this book too!
I really like the Dr sidekick in book books and can't wait for the full length novel "Invitation to Die" to see what neighbor Emily helps this time!
Six Special Features Shared
between Showstoppers and Three Sisters from the author
1. 1) The main character of my Emily Castles series, twenty-six-year-old Emily Castles, is introduced in Three Sisters. This is her first outing as a sleuth, and the first time she has to solve a mystery. Emily is also the main character in Showstoppers, where we learn a little bit more about her. As the series progresses, Emily develops in confidence and begins to take the lead in the investigations of the mysteries she’s involved in.
2.
2) Emily’s dog, Jessie, has just died of old age in Three
Sisters, so she’s feeling a bit sad. She still thinks about Jessie in
Showstoppers—though not quite so much!
3.
3) Both Three Sisters and Showstoppers are set in London,
where I live. It’s a fascinating city but very few of us know our neighbors very
well. I wanted to use London locations in the book but create a village feel
where Emily gets to know her neighbors and they help each other out. Some of the
neighbors that Emily gets to know in Three Sisters feature again as characters
in Showstoppers.
4.
4) Emily gets to know her neighbor, eccentric philosphy
professor Dr. Muriel, in Three Sisters. They team up again in Showstoppers.
There will be a role for Dr. Muriel as a sidekick in most of the Emily Castles
mystery books.
5.
5) We’re introduced to Emily’s neighbor Victoria and her
three sons in Three Sisters. In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at the local stage
school that Victoria runs—and gets mixed up in murder again. The idea for the
series is that minor characters in one story will pop up again as significant
characters in future stories.
6.
6) The tone of both books is light-hearted and fun—not to
be taken too seriously!
Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.
~The Booklist
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Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.
10 winners will each receive a Kindle Ebook copy of Showstoppers & Three Sisiters
Ends 2/28/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for the lovely reviews for the books, I really appreciate it. I enjoyed thinking about some of the features shared between the two books, too, so thank you for posting that list.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to everyone who enters the giveaway.
Helen