Curtain Call for Murder
(2026)(The fourth book in the Track and Tails Mystery series)
A novel by Hailey Hartley
Lauren Hastings has coordinated dozens of themed train journeys for Crossroads Railway, but hosting a murder mystery dinner party aboard the luxurious Northern Belle should be her crowning achievement. The passengers are dressed to the nines in 1920s costumes, the script is delightfully dramatic, and even her elegant Standard Poodle, Gatsby, seems to enjoy the theatrical atmosphere. But when the scripted "victim" is discovered with a real bullet wound instead of a fake one, the playful evening turns deadly serious. Someone has used Lauren's carefully orchestrated event as the perfect cover for murder, and one of the amateur actors is actually a killer.
As the train stops at a remote junction and police board to investigate, Lauren finds herself sorting through decades-old theatre feuds, bitter rivalries, and wounded egos. Each passenger harbored resentment toward the victim—a charismatic but cruel retired theatre director who left a trail of destroyed careers and broken dreams in his wake. With the killer hidden among suspects who all had motive and opportunity, Lauren must rely on her stage management skills and Gatsby's exceptional nose to uncover the truth. Her refined poodle, trained in scent work as a hobby, keeps returning to one particular passenger, drawn to something only his keen senses can detect.
The motive reaches back thirty years to a scandal that destroyed lives and reputations, and someone has waited long enough for revenge. Now Lauren must discover which of her passengers planned the perfect theatrical murder—before the killer strikes again. In a case where everyone wanted the victim dead, sometimes the real mystery isn't who committed the crime, but what drove them to it.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
As the train stops at a remote junction and police board to investigate, Lauren finds herself sorting through decades-old theatre feuds, bitter rivalries, and wounded egos. Each passenger harbored resentment toward the victim—a charismatic but cruel retired theatre director who left a trail of destroyed careers and broken dreams in his wake. With the killer hidden among suspects who all had motive and opportunity, Lauren must rely on her stage management skills and Gatsby's exceptional nose to uncover the truth. Her refined poodle, trained in scent work as a hobby, keeps returning to one particular passenger, drawn to something only his keen senses can detect.
The motive reaches back thirty years to a scandal that destroyed lives and reputations, and someone has waited long enough for revenge. Now Lauren must discover which of her passengers planned the perfect theatrical murder—before the killer strikes again. In a case where everyone wanted the victim dead, sometimes the real mystery isn't who committed the crime, but what drove them to it.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Hailey Hartley's Curtain Call for Murder