An interesting start to what could be a new series that walks the line between cozy and a little darker. Thematically, it's cozy-with Ellie having returned home to open a community theater only to have one of Reginald, one of the key players murdered, a murder she works with her old pal Bill, now the chief of police to solve. And like a cozy, more than one person disliked the victim but for far more heinous reasons than usual. Add in that there isn't a romance between Ellie and Bill-both of whom are married to other people and indeed have some issues in their marriages-and you've walked into a story that's more serious. I liked the characters, the story was twisty enough and then there's the fact that Ellie is neurodiverse. Lylerly incorporates Ellie's Tourette's seamlessly and makes it an aspect of and not the sum of her being. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This dark theatre cozy is set in Avalon, Massachusetts, in the tiny Kaleidoscope Theater. Theater owner and producer Ellie Marlowe, our main character, is opening a solid sounding show titled Murder in a Teacup. The attendance numbers look good and the show looks to be a success, with just one problem: the leading man is not a nice guy. In the first few scenes, in encounter after encounter, the reader is shown (not told) of the man’s arrogant, demeaning, and downright rude behavior to basically all other humans in his orbit. Since this is a murder mystery, he is quickly dispatched, though the question remains: did he simply have a heart attack? Again, this is a murder mystery.

Ellie is a wonderfully drawn character, who happens to have Tourette’s. While she doesn’t have the type that causes reflexive swearing, her Tourettes takes the form of blinking, nodding and grunting, especially when she’s tense. I was interested in the author’s choice here and even more interested in that not only was Ellie quite matter of fact about her condition, so was everyone around her. When I checked, I found the author had the same syndrome, and the simple authenticity he brings to his portrayal of Ellie is an extremely strong element of her character.

While this is an unusual trait, there’s much more to Ellie. She loves her theatre, for one thing, and because one of her theatre family has died on her watch, she’s determined to get to the bottom of things. Her partner in crime, so to speak, is her old family friend, Bill, now the Avalon police chief, who is being squeezed out of the death investigation. He used to be in the State police but exposed some corruption there and made his way to Avalon. The Staties taking over the case are full of resentment and dismissive of his suggestions, though allowing him to conduct some interviews if he feels the need to do so. He feels the need, and he and Ellie set out to sleuth.

Both are married to others and while they have a strong bond, it’s one of friendship; both of them had loved Ellie’s sister, who died in a drowning accident many years before. The shared trauma (and love for the same person) has created a powerful and lasting friendship. While Ellie’s husband fears she’ll become overly involved in the investigation, it’s refreshing to see that she listens to him, and does pay attention to both her marriage and her job. Among other things, she has to replace her leading man.

While this is a book I would consider a cozy, with a classic murder-in-the-theatre set up – a plot type that has a long, long history in mystery fiction - many of the issues uncovered in the course of Ellie and Bill’s investigation are not so cozy. There’s also the very serious and advanced cancer of the play’s director. She’s a pivotal witness, as she’s known many of the players in the drama for decades.

That said, I liked Ellie and Bill’s fairly drama free collaboration and their intelligent investigation of the, ultimately, crimes (plural) in the novel. I liked Ellie herself and I thought newbie Lyerly has a good way with all the side bar characters, the characters that bring a book to life in so many ways. I was interested in all of them. The story is well paced and well told, and in cozy fashion, the ending provides justice and a bit of hope for the main players in the drama. Order is restored, as it must be in a true cozy. This is a lovely debut.

Ellie Marlowe has given up her high stress job and returned to the town where she grew up to open a theater. She lives with Tourette's syndrome. Her new theater is in danger of going under if she doesn't have some financially successful performances soon.

When the star of her latest production dies in the final act, she fears that will be the end for her theater. No one liked the leading man, but Ellie needs to find out who of a host of possibilities murdered him. She is assisted by her childhood friend Bill who is now the Chief of Police. They are pretty much on their own because Bill left the State Police after exposing a scam and many of the investigators there are holding a grudge.

As Ellie and Bill look into Reginald Thornton IV's life, they find that he had many enemies and a lot of them are working on the theater's current production Murder in a Teacup. The director, who is dying of cancer, was being blackmailed by Thornton. The lead actress had been assaulted by him and was being harassed by him. Thornton had argued and belittled most of the cast and crew of the production.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Bill are dealing with other problems too. Bill's wife is jealous of his relationship with Ellie who was his sister's best friend. And Ellie and her husband are having some marital problems relating to their desire to have a child which adds more pressure to Ellie.

This was an entertaining story with interesting characters. I don't think I've ever read a story where the main character had Tourette's and appreciated the way the author included details of that syndrome.

This book was just ok. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. I didn't find the characters to be particularly exciting or sympathetic, and I struggled to get into the book. I did finish, and I found the solution to the mystery to be ok enough that I don't feel like I wasted my life finishing, but I don't think I would have missed out on anything if I didn't pick this book up.

I received an advanced copy of this book from netgalley. Opinions are my own.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

An easy read, the plot wasn't too complicated to follow.

2.75☆

As soon as I read that there was a murder, a community theatre troupe, and a neurodivergent protagonist, I was all in to read this ARC! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing it in exchange for my honest review.

There were many things to enjoy about this book. The main investigators in this book, Ellie and Bill, have a good dynamic between them and I liked the storytelling from their alternating points of view. The author mentions having wanted to write about a character with Tourette syndrome for whom that's one aspect of who they are, not their entire character. I felt the author achieved that balance well.

With a murder taking place on stage in a community theatre production, I wasn't sure whether I was expecting something funny, something cozy, or something dark. This book walks a cozy line but ventures into the darker territory when the motive behind the murder is revealed, which I wasn't expecting, and didn't quite seem to fit with the tone of the rest of the book. I found the mystery itself a little bit flat, not quite doing enough to keep the pages turning in a riveting way.

The Last Line is about a theater owner named Ellie and a a death of one of her actors that happened at one of her productions. When the death is considered a heart attack, she sets off to figure out what really happened with the help of her police chief friend Bill.

I liked the story and it wrapped up well with the epilogue. It was nice to have a main character be neurodiverse. I found the main characters likable and some of the supporting cast likable too.

It would have been nice to see more perspectives than just the two main characters to understand what the others might’ve been thinking as suspects. For me there wasn’t really a much of a mystery aspect to it, besides the death and trying to figure out who did it. I think that it could have a little more mystery to it.

If you like books with a lighter mystery to it and neurodiverse characters, I think this book could be for you.

I thought Ellie was a unique character and enjoyed the way she was written. It had a great mystery element to it and worked with everything that I enjoyed from the genre. It had me guessing from start to finish. I was engaged with the play and thought it was beautifully done. Scott Lyerly writes a strong story and I'm glad I was able to read this.

Scott Lyerly’s debut mystery, The Last Line, is set in the world of community theater. It’s not unusual for a body in such a mystery to be a disliked cast member. What is unusual, and what you’ll remember, is the owner of the theater, Ellie Marlowe, the amateur sleuth who has Tourette syndrome.

“Murder in a Teacup”, the latest production at the Kaleidoscope Theater in Avalon, Massachusetts, might just save Ellie from financial ruin. Tickets are selling fast. Unfortunately, the cast and crew has to put up with the leading man, Reginald Thornton IV, who is making everyone miserable. He has a way of picking on everyone’s biggest weakness, even Ellie with her tics and grunts. No one grieves when Thornton dies on stage in the final scene on opening night. But, when she realizes he actually is dead, Ellie is terrified she could lose everything.

The Massachusetts state police write the death off as a heart attack, but it doesn’t feel right to the local police chief, Bill Starlin. He and Ellie have been friends since childhood, and they find a way to start their own investigation. It won’t be easy, and it’s additional stress Ellie doesn’t need. It can only make her Tourette syndrome symptoms worse. But, she needs to find the truth.

I read two mysteries in a row set in the world of community theater. They both feature amateur sleuths investigating the death of an obnoxious leading man. Fortunately, the sleuths and the solutions were both dissimilar. Lyerly’s notes say he wanted to introduce a character who lives with Tourette syndrome, not the character seen on so many television shows. Ellie Marlowe can break your heart at times, but she’s determined to be a survivor. And, an amateur sleuth.

A cozy crime with some different elements (such as a lead character having Tourette’s). It was quite a long read for a cozy crime but nice easy read and I particularly liked a lot of the characters, especially the vile Reginald!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to review.

A local theater’s production takes an unexpected turn when its leading man dies during the final act. Was his sudden demise due to natural causes or is something darker at play? It’s up to theater owner Ellie Marlowe and her childhood friend (and local chief of police) Bill Stalin to uncover the truth.

The book primarily alternates viewpoints between Ellie and Bill. Both are decent characters, though the background of their relationship feels like an unnecessary addition. It is also hard to buy how much Bill includes Ellie in his investigations without facing repercussions, especially given she is a civilian.

Regarding the other characters, had there been more viewpoints from them throughout the book, it would have added more depth to the mystery. It was a bit challenging to keep track of why certain characters were relevant because they simply were not featured enough.

As far as the plot, it was a good premise overall. However, there were a few odd choices for the style of the book. With how closed-door some of the romance in the book is, having porn and prostitution play into it so heavily felt like a disconnect; it ended up reading like a cozy mystery wanting to be a darker thriller.

While some elements could have been better explored and characters more developed, this was ultimately a fun read. It will make a good selection for those wanting a lighter mystery to pass the time.