Show Time by Suzanne M. Trauth

Show Time
by Suzanne M. Trauth
Pages: 320
Date: July 19 2016
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Series: Dodie O'Dell

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: May 10 to 12 2016

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Lyrical Underground (Kensington Books) in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book that I have read by this author (I include notes like this so that readers of the review know ‘where I’m coming from’ – if it’s the 1st book I’ve read by an author my interactions with the author’s work would be different than this had been the 21st book I’ve read).

This book is a cozy mystery set in New Jersey. There is something of a romance, but not capital R romance. As far as I can tell, everyone in this book is heterosexual.

Characters
Main
Dodie O’Dell is a woman who has a degree in management and had lived her whole life on the Jersey Shore (except for an internship in Pittsburgh). Hurricane Sandy, though, has forced her to relocate – what with the restaurant that she managed damaged (there might have been something about a damaged dwelling as well, I forget now). She found another place to manage, though, in a small northern New Jersey town called Etonville. She works at Windjammer which is directly adjacent to the Etonville Little Theater (ELT) – a place that puts on plays using live actors. And a place that Dodie is talked into helping out at.

Police
Chief Bill Thompson – is the chief of police. Former NFL player. Former member of the Pittsburgh police.

Suki Shung – is a police officer (and possibly only non-white person in the entire town).

Ralph Ostrowski – is a police officer (and lazy).

Edna May – is the police dispatcher (and actress at ELT).

Townspeople/Others
Lola Tripper – is a former high school teacher who is connected to Walter and acts in ELT productions.

Carol – hairdresser and mother of Pauli. Pauli is a computer geek who helps set up a website for Dodie’s restaurant.

Henry – owner and chef at Windjammer. Is tense because a newish restaurant, La Famiglia has opened up in the town, and Henry has always been the best restaurant in town.

Benny – works at Windjammer.

Elliot Schenk – former and current member of ELT. Works or worked in finance (‘on wall street’).

Penny Ossinging - incompetent stage manager.

Morty and Marshall Wendover – work many businesses, including authentification of documents.

Random mix of others – there are others mentioned, some with lines, some without, but who play a small enough role I can shove them here in others. Without naming.

Murder Victim
Jerome Angleton is an older man, a retired high school teacher, who worked in the box office at ELT, and, at times, acted on stage.

Romance
There are at least four or more romantic relationships mentioned in this book, not counting the part where the play Romeo & Juliet is being staged for a performance by a small theatre. Most are learned along the way, one or more would be kind of spoiler-y to mention now. The only one I can mention directly would be the one that is ongoing when the book opens – that of Lola and Walter. Lola’s Dodie’s friend, and Walter is the director at the Etonville Little Theater.

One of the romantic entanglements plays a key role in the book, but most are ‘just there’ in passing. And one, the only one that shows bits of Romance (i.e., getting lost in someone’s eyes, etc.), is not actually at the official dating stage.

Plot
Dodie, who has relocated from Jersey Shore to Etonville, works as a manager in a restaurant. Her first day . . . either working at Windjammer, or in Etonville, she meets Lola who becomes something like her best friend. Which leads, as such things can do, to a friend asking a friend for help. Or, in this case, Lola asking Dodie to help out in the Etonville Little Theater – they are attempting to stage Romeo and Juliet and they could use all the help they can get.

So, Dodie works in the restaurant and over at the theater. Occasionally meets up with other friends, including Carol, the hairdresser, and Jerome, someone who has a tendency to come over to sit with Dodie during her evening break.

One thing leads to another, and things begin falling apart at the restaurant (not really, just some delivery issues) and at the theater (numerous conflicts/clashes of personalities/death).

Naturally, when death rears its head, Dodie decides to investigate, especially since it involves her something-like-a-friend Jerome. Involves as in he’s dead now. Murdered.

Both Dodie and the police investigate. The police, in the form of Chief Bill, has an odd relationship with Dodie in a ‘thanks for the information’, ‘don’t get in our way’ way. Also the police seem more incompetent than I’d expect. In a – certain things turn up the police should have seen, or found out in routine investigation, but strangely didn’t. I’d say more incompetent than I’d expect, because they have the feeling of being competent people, other than lazy Ralph, yet they keep doing certain things wrongly. *shrugs*

Overall
I liked the book, though there were a few areas I found annoying. Dodie’s experience and knowledge base seemed to fluctuate. Like how she just loves libraries, but has never visited Etonville’s library and acts quite shocked at the idea that libraries might have computers. Then, after one visit, bluntly states that she knows the whole layout of the library. Or how she’s an acquaintance of Jerome’s but acts shocked that the guy would have any interests beyond mysteries (she knows he likes mysteries because he shares his books with her; per chance he knows she likes mysteries so hasn’t mentioned liking other things? Hmms?).

Then there’s the part wherein, already so overwhelmed by the responsibilities heaped upon her that she becomes ill during the course of the book, she still believes that she is better able to handle investigating murder. Than the police. But then this is a cozy mystery involving an amateur detective, or in other words I already knew this issue before going in. And, the police did kind of ask for her help (more of a ‘if you hear anything’ and less of a ‘please investigate’).

But still, despite those few moments of discomfort on my part, I enjoyed the book. Would recommend it. Probably something I’d rate somewhere between 3.8 and 4.2 stars.

May 12 2016