Murder on Pointe by C. S. McDonald

Murder on Pointe by C.S. McDonald
Series: Fiona Quinn Mystery #1
Published by McWriter Books on July 19, 2016
Source: Gift
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 220
Format: Paperback
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Fiona can't wait to attend the performance of Coppelia at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh. Her old friend, Silja Ramsay, is dancing the principal role. They have dinner after the show, but when they return Pittsburgh Ballet Theater is down one dancer! Ballerina, Alexis Cartwright, has been found dead in the dressing room.

Is this murder a result of hot tempers among the cast members? Or is it a random act of violence? Will there be more murders? Homicide Detective, Nathan Landry, isn't taking any chances. After finding out Fiona has a strong background in ballet he recruits her to go undercover among the cast of Coppelia. Can Fiona help catch a killer, or will she be the next victim?

C. S. McDonald had a table at a craft fair my mom and I went to before Christmas, and of course, book tables always draw my attention. McDonald told us a little about her Fiona Quinn, a cozy mystery series set in Pittsburgh. Yeah, I was sold. My mom picked up the first two for me, signed, provided she could read the Christmas one (#2) after me. I was hoping to get the Christmas one read in December, but since that didn’t happen I decided to go ahead and start with the first, Murder on Pointe.

Fiona and her old friend, Silja, a ballerina in the show currently playing at the Benedum, go out for a bite to eat. When they get back, however, they discover that one of the other dancers has been murdered. Silja’s not a suspect, but handsome Detective Landy finds out that Fiona used to be a dancer, so he convinces her to join the cast and be his eyes and ears inside the ballet. Fiona is a good main character. She has a bit of “the girl next door” about her. She makes mistakes and babbles and I liked her. She and Detective Landry will make a good couple, too.

It’s a fun, quick read. I loved the “behind the scenes” look at the ballet. The dancers are graceful and hard-working, but maybe it takes more than talent and practice to make it to the top. The clues are well-done and there are a few people who I had my suspicions about. I really liked the twist at the end; I was surprised. Maybe it was a little too coincidental, but it worked for me.

I should probably add that Fiona’s grandmother’s ghost “haunts” her house, but in a friendly, helpful way. She makes coffee, turns on lights, moves furniture to protect Fiona, that kind of thing. That’s the only touch of supernatural and it’s cute, but I don’t think the blurb should have left it out.