This is a charming mystery series and this third in series does not disappoint. I enjoy the entire series and recommend each book in the series. In this next in series our protagonist Charlotte finds herself making costumes and busily preparing for Much Ado About Nothing . She then finds herself involved in the murder of a nasty director who was a last minute replacement and is quite famous. Complications arise when her clues lead her in many directions and she cannot seem to find her suspect.
This is a very well crafted story and I enjoyed the wonderful characters and fast pace. The sleuth kept me guessing throughout . This has all the elements I enjoy in a theater based cozy mystery and I look forward to the next in series.
Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review.

A new English actress. A director who abruptly quits. A new director who wants to set Much Ado About Nothing in New York after the Civil War. This isn't the smooth, trouble-free season that Charlotte Fairfax was hoping for. It doesn't help that the director - Edmund Albright - is found dead in his bungalow, an apparent suicide victim.


Charlotte doesn't believe that Albright killed himself despite evidence to the contrary. She is determined to find out what really happened. She has lots of suspects to investigate. The hotel secretary is afraid that the play will flop and she will be laid off again. The director the board wanted but the actress vetoed has stepped in at the last minute to direct but did he help create the job opening. Then there is the ingenue actress who had a one-night stand with the director and felt threatened by him. Is it the star actress who fears that Albright's vision won't give her the positive publicity she wants. Or perhaps her sister who is her manager might have killed him to clear up her sister's problems. There is even a chauffeur who is the star actress's biggest fan and becomes her stalker.


I enjoy the setting and the characters in this series. Charlotte is good at putting together clues from a variety of sources. It was fun following the clues along with Charlotte. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this third episode in the Shakespeare in the Catskills series.

I read Much Ado About Murder on Monday October 2nd and I was pleased that this third book in the Catskills Mystery series did not disappoint! It had great energy and was an exceptionally good whodunit! Reading this one it was easy to get caught up in the excitement and absurdity of the life of the play directors. I loved the idea of living in the bungalows and fully immersing oneself in a theater company devoted to Shakespeare's works. I enjoyed the characters banter, the way they carried themselves throughout the process and ordeal that the mystery focuses on. I very much enjoyed this mystery and I hope you will all too!

Elizabeth J. Duncan's third installment in the Shakespeare in the Catskills series, Much Ado about Murder, finds our heroine, Charlotte Fairfax, once again embroiled in murder at the Jacobs Grand Hotel. After theater director Simon Dyer abandons the troupe, English director Edmund Albright is hired to take over. Edmund's unorthodox idea for the bard's production is met with resistance, especially by star actress Audrey Ashley. After Edmund is found dead by an apparent suicide, Charlotte is suspicious.....and rightly so! As Charlotte and society maven Paula Van Dusen work to discover the murderer, they discover that not everyone is as nice as they seem. Loved it - 5 stars! :-)

Pleasant cozy with a theatrical setting in the Catskills. Former Royal Shakespeare Company costume designer Charlotte Fairfax is now in the U.S. working at a resort theater. Their latest production is almost torpedoed several times over, and further complicated by the mysterious death of the director and the leading lady's diva behavior.

Interesting theater theme. More character development and depth as well as less reliance on cliched personalities would improve this offering.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing an ARC in return for my honest review.

I really enjoy this series and this latest offering did not disappoint.
The cast of characters are engaging and the whodunit is first rate.
I look forward to reading the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I enjoy this series (Shakespeare in the Catskill Mystery) and this is book 3. The Catskills theater production for the summer is Much ado about nothing but when the director suddenly quits and his replacement is murdered, Charlotte has another crime to solve. The list of suspects is long and she must find the murderer before she becomes the next victim. The community all relies on the summer production so you meet all the merchants and characters around the small town.

Much Ado About Murder is a delightful cozy mystery. The plot has many twists that kept me guessing and interesting characters. I also enjoyed the setting and the author's writing. I anticipate reading more of the books in this series.

Terrific twists and turns

Elizabeth J. Duncan has another page turner in Much Ado about Murder.
Charlotte is once more enmeshed in a murder. I loved discovering the different clues and possible suspects with Charlotte. The secondary characters bring an extra dimension to the story and the romance with Ray an extra treat

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Much Ado About Murder was a delightful cozy mystery with an interesting plot and well written characters. I enjoyed it very much. It's the kind of book to settle down and read on a quiet afternoon.

Charlotte Fairfax is a British ex-pat costume designer who works with her friend Paula Van Dusen, who runs a Shakespeare theater company in upstate New York. For the latest play, Much Ado About Nothing, a well known British actress named Audrey Ashley has come over to star in the play. After the first director quits, Audrey requests a new director from the UK who is a friend.

He arrives and wants to take the play in a radical new direction, and set in the US after the Civil War. This is a controversial decision, but the play moves forward until he's found dead on his sofa. It looks like suicide, but Charlotte is convinced he's been murdered. She convinces her boyfriend Ray, a policeman, and she tries to find the killer.

Elizabeth Duncan's writing is well-done and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Much Ado About Murder is a well-written cozy mystery. I loved the setting - a small, but well respected theatre in the Catskills. Charlotte, the main character, is the costume designer and most senior employee of the theatre. She is delightful! She has a career she has worked hard for, is in a serious relationship, and has built meaningful friendships. Because of this, she is very relatable and believable. The only quibble I have with her is that she explains everything that is remotely British, even if the explanation is obvious via context.
In this, the third installment of the Shakespeare in the Catskills Mysteries, Charlotte investigates the death of the play's director after the police deem it a probable suicide, which seems unlikely to her. With the help of her good friend and the chairperson of the theatre's Board of Directors, Paula Van Dusen, Charlotte is out to crack the case all while making sure the theatre's production of Much Ado About Nothing opens without a hitch.
I enjoyed Much Ado About Murder tremendously and look forward to reading more by Elizabeth J. Duncan.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a nice easy cosy mystery read. A read for one sitting.

I really enjoyed this book and think the Catskills was the perfect setting for this story. Everything from the characters to the setting were described in detail and the story was fast paced and interesting. This is one story where I wasn't sure who the killer was until it was revealed in the book. As the story progresses and the play heads towards opening night, there seem to have been other mysteries that Charlotte can solve. It was also nice that the murder is solved without high tech with Charlotte using her smarts and not a lot of footwork and interrogations. It was nice for Charlotte, a transplant from the IK, have some other people from home travel there to help with the production. There are lots of twists and turns to make this book interesting.

Charlotte Fairfax is an excellent costume designer and works with the Catskills Shakespeare Theater Company. This year they are performing Much Ado About Nothing a classic. Famous actress Audrey Ashley arrives to play the lead role. The aging actress has the last word on who the director will be; she picks director Edmund Albright. Unfortunately, someone decides Edmund has to go, and Charlotte has another dead body on her hands.

Edmund insists on doing a new version of the play with the bases in the Civil War. Not a popular choice and one the Catskills Shakespeare Theater cannot get out of. Not everyone is happy with his decision, including Audrey and Charlotte. Out of options, the play progresses forward. It looks as though Edmund has gotten his way whether they like it or not. Edmund is discovered dead on his sofa, holding a gun in his hand. His death is ruled a suicide, but Charlotte doesn’t agree. It's time for her to put her sleuthing cap on and find out what really happened.

Series: A Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery - Book 3
Author: Elizabeth J. Duncan
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

“Much Ado About Murder” is the third installment in the “A Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery” series. The story revolves around a British transplant, Charlotte Fairfax, the costume director for a theater company. Charlotte has some issues with the new director, mainly budget and time. Along with everyone else, Charlotte is looking for a way out. She doesn’t want to design costumes for a play she feels is best left alone and performed in the traditional manner. When the new director is killed, everyone becomes a suspect, and Charlotte ends up smack in the middle of the investigation.

Ms. Duncan is a talented writer and knows how to tell a story without sexual content, violence or inappropriate language. She shows that a book doesn’t have to be over the top to be good. Although “Much Ado About Murder” is not a fast read, the story isn’t ploddingly slow either. The characters are believable if a bit dated at times. Even the love interest is tame compared to many books of the same type. However, the relationship between Charlotte and Ray is comfortable and easy with none of the usual on-again off-again relationship status that is common in most cozies. There is a momentary concern for the couple when the star of the play seems to take an interest in Ray for more than his police skills. This doesn't last and is soon put to rest when the Audrey realizes that Ray is in a committed relationship with Charlotte. Having an adorable Corgi in a story never hurts, and this one has two.

Paula Van Dusen, the head of the theater board and a wealthy woman is a wonderful character that would be worth reading more about. She has a lovely old time estate with beautiful flower gardens. Although wealthy she does not appear to be pretentious or egotistical. Paula is one of several characters in the book that enhance the enjoyment of the story and plays an important part in the unraveling of the motive and means of the murder.

The characters are memorable; the location could be anywhere in small town USA which is relatable to anyone who has ever lived in a small area or wants to. The writing is smooth and flows well without losing sight of the main plot. The victim is someone the reader will by all accounts, dislike. The “why” of the murder leaves room for twists and turns and plenty of red herrings that will keep the reader wondering right up until the very end.
Overall this is a smile worthy book that doesn’t leave the reader with unanswered questions or a bad taste in their mouth. This book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys theater, corgis, and flowers as they all play a pivotal role in unmasking the killer.

I received an ARC of this book.

I love Charlotte she's a great protagonist one that I truly enjoy. This mystery is solid and a great addition too this wonderful series. I enjoyed Charlotte and Paula's relationship and how it's blossomed. I also enjoy Ray and Charlotte and how non complex it is. This a truly wonderful piece of mystery.

Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth Duncan was an interesting story, packed with plenty of murder, lies, greed and much more.
Charlotte Fairfax is an interesting character and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

I enjoyed the storyline, a director has some wild ideas about a Shakespeare play and chaos ensues when someone ends up dead.
Who is the killer? Find out when you purchase your copy!
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.