This was a fun book. Ivy/Olive is a bit eccentric. She talks to herself a lot and stumbles through her investigation. However, she really does try to improve herself and be a kinder, gentler person. The book also brings serious topics into play, but not in a force it down your throat kind of way. She and an old friend come together again. But the relationship is strained. Also there are weird things happening around a "haunted" theater where her friend (Candy) is performing. There are many suspects, but they all seem so nice (except for the victim), so I wasn't sure who the murderer would be. I enjoyed Ivy and her family and friends. I would read another book by this author.

Phantom of Oz it's the 5th in the Ivy Meadows series set in the theater world in Phoenix. Ivy is the stage name of Olive, an actress and a private investigator. She becomes involved when her best friend reruns to Phoenix acting strangely, looking ghastly and then goes missing. Along the way you'll meet some terrific characters from Madison, a wise beyond her years child actress, to Babette, a horror of a Hollywood reality producer. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the characters once I got my bearings. I did find it a little confusing at first because of missing the first books in the series. That was soon overcome and I will be going back and reading those earlier books, I'm betting there's some interesting stories that I will enjoy.

Funny and fun to read! I loved it. I'm so happy to have found a new 5 star series to enjoy. This book doesn't need you to read the previous ones in the series at all. I can't wait to start from the beginning though.

I enjoyed this fun mystery set in the theater world. As someone who knows little about theater, it was a very novel setting for me, and I liked learning all sorts of little things like the ghost light tradition. The characters were likable (for the most part), and I even enjoyed the personal growth of the main characters. Mostly, though, I liked the mystery, which was solidly plotted and came to a satisfying resolution. I'm going to go back and start at the beginning of the series.

The series featuring struggling actress Ivy Meadows has its ups and downs. Author Cindy Brown revisits the theater mashup she used in The Sound of Murder, this time with a Wizard of Oz in space. Annoying, but that’s not what led me to rank this as one of Brown’s lesser successes.

Ivy’s best friend, Candy Moonpie, is fresh from L.A., returned to Phoenix for a tour of this offbeat version of Wizard of Oz. Distracted, rail-thin and secretive, Candy’s changed enough to worry Ivy. So far, so good. But the villains are too over-the-top even for reality TV, Ivy’s behavior at times borders on the hysterical, and Brown doesn’t do enough to make the denouement credible. While better than No. 3 Oliver Twisted, No 5. The Phantom of Oz is just passing fair.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Henery Press in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for anything with a Wizard of Oz twist! This book was my first foray into the Ivy Meadows mystery series, although it is the fifth book! I enjoyed the Oz theme and joke mixed with dashes of Phantom of the Opera. I found this to be a strong mystery where I was engaged and entertained. I did not find the whodunnit overtly obvious and Brown's writing is clever with interesting character detail nuggets interspersed throughout each chapter.

I also enjoyed the play between reality and a touch of the paranormal.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is the first book that I've read in the series, I liked the theatrical setting and all the behind the scenes of putting on a play.

Ivy’s best friend Candy has come back to Phoenix from Hollywood to star in the theatrical version of “The Wizard: A Space Ozpera, which is being directed by the famous Arrestadt Giry. There is also a famous reality star, Babette Firman who is looking for her next “It Girl”. It’s a major coup for the actress who she chooses. Could Candy be the next “It Girl”?

When Ivy finally meets up with her friend Candy she’s hardly recognizable what has Hollywood done to her best friend? Candy is no longer the voluptuous, fun loving person she was just a few months ago. She’s a shell of her former self, Ivy jumps to several conclusions as to what is happening to her friend and none of them are good. She’s also a bit envious of Candy’s sudden success which is not like her. She should be happy for her friend, but it’s obvious that something is seriously wrong with Candy.

There are a lot of great characters in this book; the young munchkin, Madison who is wise beyond her young years who is being pushed by her stage mom, Desiree to stay with the tour. Then there is the wonderful pear-shaped Eden, who worships "The Goddess” and sends some sage advice to the readers about why we should embrace our body image regardless of our flaws. There are too many remarkable characters to list. Ivy’s little brother, Cody who is about to make a momentous change to her eccentric Uncle Bob the private investigator who she works for part-time while juggling her own theatrical career.

This was a fun book, from the Lady in White who seems to haunt the theater to one of Eden's own ideas of how to "embrace your true beauty". We must not forget the awful reality star, Babette Firman who is looking for her next "It Girl”. She’s got everyone kissing up to her while she rips up their self-esteem by calling them such names as "Brownie Butt" and other unflattering things. Ivy finds herself wanting to get next to this pretentious, publicity hound because of her fame in Hollywood until she finds herself being on the receiving end of Babette’s acerbic remarks. Not to mention all the mayhem Babette is responsible for regarding the paparazzi’s stalking everyone’s moves.

This is the fifth installment in this series, but you can just dive right in and become familiar with the major points in Ivy's past. I have already purchased the first book in this series because I want more of Ivy Meadows.

Disclosure: I was provided with an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The opinion stated above is my own.

I have read and enjoyed all of the Ivy Meadows Mysteries and each one builds upon the ones before. While the book may be able to be read stand-along, I recommend reading the earlier books as so much in this one relies upon the relationships and characters that have come before.

Ivy Meadows (aka Olive Zeigwart in real life) becomes concerned about her best friend Candy Moonpie when Candy returns back to Phoenix in a fairly emaciated condition.


Candy has been in Los Angeles pursuing a film career and has pretty much lost touch with Ivy when she arrives back home in a traveling production of The Wizard: A Space Ozpera (a more than slightly ridiculous take on The Wizard of Oz.

When accidents start happening, and injuries occur, Ivy gets involved to investigate. There is a slight touch of paranormal in the story but hinting at more would give too much away.

I enjoyed the book, read it through quickly and am now waiting for the next book in the series to be written and released. It is one of my favorite funny cozy mystery series.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Ivy is excited when she learns that her best friend and fellow actress Candy is in town as part of the touring cast of The Wizard of Ozpera. However, in the months since the two have seen each other, Candy has lost a dangerous amount of weight and doesn’t seem like herself. Then Ivy learns about the accidents that have been happening on this tour, especially once they arrived in Phoenix. Can Ivy figure out what is happening and save her friend?

The book includes a fun mash up of The Wizard of Oz and The Phantom of the Opera, working elements of the later into the plot of the mystery. The mystery might not be super traditional with the murder happening pretty late in the story, but there is so much going on you really don’t need it to happen earlier. I was certainly never bored as the story moves forward quickly toward the climax. The book is filled with great humor, yet there is a more serious side as well, which we see as we get to know the characters, especially Ivy who has some great growth here.

Strange and dangerous happenings at a theater. Some amusing references, but as a whole not my favorite in this series. Not a fan of paranormal.

ARC Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Henery Press.

I received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

PI and actress Ivy Meadows is hired to investigate the strange accidents on stage of a production of a road show called The Wizard: A Space OZpera where the chandelier falls on the Wicked Witch of the East.

Her best friend Candy is in the show and she is acting than normal. Is the play haunted as a mysterious White Lady is seen floating?

Welcome to the stage where illusions are a part of reality. A miture of two popular stories combined in a cozy mystery.

In this book, Ivy Meadows, not-yet-world-famous actress and soon-to-be PI, confronts mysterious happenings at the Grand Phoenician Theatre, where the road show, The Wizard: A Space OZpera, is playing. Ivy’s best friend Candy has a role in the play, so Ivy connects with her. However, Ivy soon finds that her friend is living with secrets and is not telling her anything about them or either what is going on. Soon, accidents that involve the play cast begin to happen, and Ivy, along with others among the crew and stage hands, begin to question whether something nefarious is going on or whether someone is trying to sabotage the production. Next, Ivy’s friend Candy mysteriously disappears and is not heard from for days, while Ivy begins searching for her. In addition, Ivy is cast as Candy’s replacement in the play, with little time to prepare or rehearse before production occurs, all the while suffering through a bad cold. To complicate matters, a well-known reality show hostess is killed. Needless to say, Ivy becomes completely mixed up in all of this, searching for Candy, while trying to figure out what happened to the dead hostess.

This is the first book I have read in this series, but not having read any of the others did not hinder my reading, as this is good stand-alone book. However, there were just too many incidents and characters, some small but some quite important/eventful, that kept cropping up to allow me to focus on the story. I realize the road show cast and stage hands comprise a large group, but there were almost too many people and incidents figuring into this story. Thus, for me, the story came across as jumbled and not as smooth as I thought it could have been. One of the play’s munchkin junior actors, in addition, seemed to be everywhere, regardless what was happening, making comments and discussing ideas that often seemed beyond her years or legitimate interest/involvement. Finally, I thought it interesting that the main sleuth was not a fully-fledged, certified PI, who just jumped in as if she had been doing the job for years, with minimal problems. If you enjoyed the other books in the series, you will probably enjoy this one. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

4 stars
Ivy Meadows’s best friend Candy Moon is in town, Phoenix, performing in The Wizard: A Space OZpera, a touring production that is a spin on the traditional Wizard of Oz but done in space. Candy had moved to LA several years ago to focus on pursuing her acting career and Ivy is excited to reconnect as she hasn’t seen or heard from her friend since her move. When Ivy catches up with Candy at the theater during a rehearsal she is surprised in the drastic change in her friend – she has lost a lot of weight and is a dull image of her former vibrant self.
When Ivy tries to get Ivy one on one to find out what is really going on, Candy is elusive and cuts their conversation short. Ivy quickly realizes something is wrong with Candy and that she either has an eating disorder or is taking drugs or a combination of both. Ivy finds out that Candy has been selected by the infamous Babette Firman to be her next star of her reality show, “It Girl”. Candy wants to discuss this with Ivy, but before she can, Ivy disappears. Candy’s boyfriend, who is also the director of the play, hires Ivy to investigate.
In addition to all this the production seems to be jinxed by accidents. Theater people and actors being highly superstitious, this intensifies the mood around the theater.
Even though the title might indicate the story is focused on ghosts, the real story here is about friendship and relationships. The murder mystery is interesting and, yes, there is a ghost. There are also multiple side stories including one about body image and how a person perceives “beautiful” in oneself and in others.
This fifth installment of Ivy Meadows is the first I have read. Definitely quirky! And a lot of fun. The characters are believable and the mysteries keep you invested in the story. The human stories around relationships and body image were also impactful. I especially liked the fact that the author made Ivy sick for a portion of the story – made the character and her situation even more real. This was an enjoyable read.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Henery Press, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Cindy Browns brings the Phantom of Oz to life with humor, heart and action. She applies her special magic to create wonderfully believable characters. Suspense permeates the tale and the novel highlights serious issues while Ivy’s antics and bad luck keep us laughing out loud.
As soon as Ivy sees her best friend for the first time in way too long, she recognizes that Candy has a deadly secret. That thought barely registers before a one ton chandelier lands right where they had been sitting just second before. To top it all off, Ivy is spooked when there seems to be no explanation for the ghostly visits that haunt the theater that even she witnesses. In spite of frustration from her friend’s many secrets, denials, evasions, and lies, not to mention innuendoes and half hints from actors, crew and stage mothers, Ivy’s race to resolve several mysteries is fast paced.
I was delighted to see Ivy’s sweet brother Cody continuing to push for his independence, but of course, Ivy isn’t so ready to let him experience all of the bad that too often comes with the good that life has to offer for the innocent.
I have to thank NetGalley and Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers' copy of this wonderful novel. It is my pleasure to shout to the world that Phantom of the Opera is an OUTSTANDING novel. I loved, loved, loved it.

The Phantom of Oz

by Cindy Brown

Despite its title, I don’t think The Phantom of Oz really started out to be a ghost story. Because the Ivy Meadows Mystery Series focuses on the theater and actors, there are a lot of stage tricks that imitate the paranormal. In the end, however, this cozy mystery does address the question “Do you believe in ghosts?” Bigger and more important themes are tackled as well in author Cindy Brown’s latest mystery: fake news, paparazzi, body image, jealousy, priorities, friendship, social media, scams and control.

As a theatre buff I enjoyed reading about the trials of Ivy Meadows who attempts to eek out a living by combining the life of an actress with learning detecting skills from her P.I. uncle and mentor Bobby. We watch as Ivy juggles trying to find her missing friend Candy while working as an actress. She also finds time to maintain relationships with boyfriend Matt and mentally challenged brother Cody.

The Phantom of Oz has a good mystery, interesting setting (the Grand Phoenician Theatre), and some wacky theatre types. My only criticism is that the thread of Cody’s desire to become an actor and his sudden willingness to drop the pursuit could have been developed more thoroughly. In general, however, this is a fun book that addresses some serious issues.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery

Notes: The end of the book includes:
1. Reader’s Discussion Guide
2. Topics and Questions for Discussion
3. Enhance Your Book Club or Class
This book is #5 in the Ivy Meadows Mystery Series. It could be read as a standalone.

Publication: January 30, 2018—Henery Press

Memorable Lines:

Looking at petit-fours: I could almost hear their come-hither voices: “I’m the most delicious cake ever. I’m moist and sweet. And I’m free.” It was the last line that did it. We actors are suckers for free food.

I stood for a moment backstage, where the murky blue lighting matched my mood. I watched the revelers around me, feeling like an outsider who’d crashed the party.

This confronting-the-suspects thing was never as easy as it looked in Agatha Christie’s books.

Ivy Meadows, actress and almost private-investigator, is at it again in the fifth installment in the series Phantom of Oz by Cindy Brown. Ivy gets word that her close friend Candace Moon is going to be in town performing a space opera version of the Wizard of Oz. But, Candy isn't looking like her usual vibrant, voluptuous self. It looks like she's developed an eating disorder or an addiction to diet pills or perhaps both. A chandelier drops on some of the cast during a rehearsal. Then Candy up and disappears. The wicked witch who is auditioning the munchkins, Babette, doesn't seem too concerned. Candy's boyfriend hires Ivy to find Candy. Meanwhile, accidents continue to plague the production. People begin to wonder if the rumored theater ghost is real.

There are really 3 mysteries in this book. The first is about the accidents plaguing the production. The second is where has Candy gone? And the third is a murder mystery. Cindy Brown handles them all well. Entwined within the mysteries is a theme of body image and how mean people can be to those that differ from their ideal especially perhaps in the theater/film crowd. Ms. Brown promotes the idea of a healthy body image using the costumer for the company.

The mysteries are well-written. They all kept my attention. One scene has Ivy down in a room with a pool of water of unknown depth looking for Candace. The suspense and tension of the scene were such that I had trouble reading what happens even knowing that the heroine will most likely be okay in the end. It might not be a long scene, but it's definitely one that shows the talent the author has for creating suspense.

Overall I give this mystery 4 stars out of 5. It's well-written. The characters are believable. The mysteries are suspenseful and resolved well. I liked the theme of body image woven into the story. It's an important and timely topic. I was able to read and enjoy this book without having read the earlier books in the series. I liked the story and writing enough to look into them at a future date though.

The Phantom of Oz is due to be released January 30, 2018 from Henery Press.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

The Phantom of Oz is the fifth book in the Ivy Meadows Mystery Series by Cindy Brown. In this story, Ivy, actress and part time PI (or is it the other way around?) is faced with unraveling the disappearance of her best friend, Candy, as well as a torrent of her own emotions and thoughts.

Candy moved to LA a few years back to pursue her acting career and is now back in Phoenix with the touring company of The Wizard: A Space OZpera. However, she did not contact Ivy until she was in town, and then she is sketchy, vague, and noncommittal. When they are able to get together, Ivy is appalled by the change in Candy's appearance. She is cadaver thin, her eyes sunken, her hair limp and dull, even her teeth look gray. What is she doing to herself?

Then Ivy learns Candy is Babette Firman's new It Girl for the reality show of the same name, but before Ivy can ask Candy about it, she mysteriously disappears. As the mystery unfolds, Ivy learns more about herself than she does about her friend, that is until there is a death and the mystery escalates.

Another well written Ivy Meadows mystery, but this one has even more personal depth than the previous ones and will lead you to multiple conclusions. I did enjoy this book and do recommend it.

Part cozy mystery, part behind the scenes, and 100% about friendship.
There is so much in this story that will appeal to book clubs. Thankfully the author includes some discussion topics at the end of the book. With its discussion about body image and body shaming and more, this is a very timely novel. And if you could care less about social issues, this is a wonderful mystery and action packed adventure. Plus we get Toto and the Lady in White!
The plot moved at a decent pace, but this was not a quick read. There is so much here to devour and absorb. A theatre production, a haunted showhouse, real, engineered or imagined accidents, and more than one wicked witch. Anyone who has ever participated in theatre, on any level or in any capacity, will enjoy this series. As mentioned, this is about friendship, the ups, downs, misunderstandings, and tested strength. How well do we know people around us? Who can be trusted? What are we teaching our children by example?
Ivy Meadows is in a state of transition and figuring out where her life is headed. Does she want to be a P.I. or should she take her shot with a nationally recognized touring company? Follow along and see how she deals with what life throws at her!

Ivy Meadows is an actress and part-time PI in Phoenix, Arizona. One day she receives a call from her best friend Candy, who has moved to California to pursue her acting career. It seems she's in Phoenix touring with a roadshow of The Wizard: A Space Ozpera - a sort of The Wizard of Oz in outer space. While Ivy is excited that she's going to see Candy again, she's totally floored when she finally does.

Candy isn't the same voluptuous woman she parted with: she's now razor thin to the point of emaciation, with dingy hair and grey teeth. In fact, it pretty much looks like Candy is doing some sort of drug and Ivy is sure she's killing herself. But she won't talk about it, and she doesn't want to spend a lot of time with Ivy.

When Ivy visits the theater to watch rehearsal, she encounters a most unpleasant woman - Babette, who runs a reality show that 'discovers' new talent, and she thinks nothing of destroying others' dreams nor humiliating them in public. There's also someone else in the theater, but unseen: the ghost of a broken-hearted actress who killed herself after a tragic love, the Lady in White. She's been disrupting rehearsal, causing accidents, and while not everyone believes in her, enough do that the accidents are causing problems with the play. And Babette is making the most of it, using the media to tell everyone how the ghost is targeting her and trying to kill her.

But it's not until after a particular incident when Candy disappears that Ivy begins to seriously worry about her friend and if something's happened to her. Surely it couldn't be a real ghost causing all these problems? What if it's something - or someone - more sinister, and why would they want Candy out of the way? But it's not until she receives a phone call from Arrestadt Giry - the director and Candy's boyfriend - wanting to hire her to locate her missing friend that she begins to worry in earnest. Then, when another tragedy befalls production and someone is murdered, Ivy is in a race against time to find and save Candy - but is it from an unseen force or herself?

I have to tell you that I absolutely love the Ivy Meadows mysteries. They're smart, funny, suspenseful, and intelligently written. Ivy is no flaky miss who stumbles around in investigations. While she sometimes gets a slow start, she's on the ball: she asks questions, has a curious nature that propels her along, and doesn't walk head on into iffy situations (although she does sometimes go places I probably never would - like cobwebbed hallways). She's sharp and cute, and even though she sometimes has a lapse of judgment where her personal life is concerned, her heart is always in the right place.

In this book, when Ivy goes to see Candy perform in The Wizard, she doesn't have a clue that things are about to change - not just Candy's physical and mental changes, but that her own life will change. She winds up as a temporary cast member (which could lead to a permanent job) who's taken over Candy's role when she disappears. While everyone is telling her Candy left on purpose Ivy's gut is telling her something else.

It doesn't help that she develops a cold which can threaten her performances; her brother Cody has a secret that worries her - and she's keeping one from her boyfriend Matt; and her Uncle Bob is out of town on a romantic rendezvous with his girlfriend, so she's on her own, unless you count on the help of an unseen and possibly unworldly spirit.

I found the book to start a little slow, but once it picked up it was quite intriguing and kept me reading in one sitting. Ivy is not only an extremely likable person, she surrounds herself with others who are also likable but quirky. I think this is what makes the series so much fun to read. Everyone has a little bit of strangeness in them, and it makes them human somehow.

When we finally come to the end and the killer is discovered it is put together extremely well, believable and satisfying. Ms. Brown has written another suspenseful tale full of humor and enough twists and turns to keep one interested throughout. This is the fifth book in the series but can be read as a stand alone, and I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

There is a certain mystique about the theater--especially ones that are rumored to be haunted, like the Grand Phoenician Theatre. The venue is hosting a tour stop of "The Wizard: A Space OZpera" and Ivy's best friend Candy is with the company. But something is clearly amiss, not just with the theater, but with Candy, too. Ivy is shocked to see her best friends who seems to be dangerously thin and missing the more sparkling aspects of her spunky personality. And then, before Ivy can fully uncover just what is going on with Candy, she's missing. Time for Ivy to put on her almost-P.I. cap and pick up the Case of the Disappearing Starlet. 

I've long been a fan of Cindy Brown's Ivy Meadows mystery series, but The Phantom of Oz stands out among the rest. There's an extra element of creepiness in the story that almost led me to turn on an extra light in the room while I read. Even now, having finished the book, the descriptions of cobwebbed tunnels underneath a theater leading to a spring room with a body of water of unknown depth still gives me a bit of a chill. The story stands out for another reason, too, that being the theme of body image that is woven into the mystery, humor, and bits of romance. Ivy learns some fairly significant lessons in Oz, lessons about judgement, friendship, and reliable cell phone providers. It feels a bit more serious than previous books in the series, but that's not a bad thing. In fact, the slight shift grounds Ivy a bit, making her seem a touch more mature - and a lot more ready to take on whatever comes next for her.