Final Curtain in Chicago
(2026)(The second book in the Murder in the Wings series)
A novel by Vivian Vale
She came to Chicago to perform. She stayed to catch a killer.
Sophia Bellini thought she'd left murder investigations behind in San Francisco. But when she and best friend Emma arrive in Chicago for a four-week run of the glitzy musical "All That Razzle" at the historic Chicago Theatre, death follows them to the Windy City.
Opening night should have been a triumph. Instead, it became a crime scene.
During the performance, wealthy arts patron Vivian Langford is found dead in her private box, poisoned by cyanide-laced champagne. With hundreds of suspects in the crowded theatre and a killer who planned the perfect murder, Detective James Kowalski has his hands full.
But Sophia notices what others miss. The missing champagne glass. The suspicious bottle swap. The way everyone seemed to want Vivian dead.
Then she discovers the truth goes back twenty years...
As Sophia digs deeper, she uncovers a devastating tragedy: a fire at the Hamilton Theater that killed a young stage manager and was covered up by powerful people. Catherine Walsh died because someone chose money over safety. And now, two decades later, someone wants revenge.
The suspects are everywhere:
-- Vivian's embezzling financial advisor, desperate to hide half a million dollars in stolen funds
-- A blackmailer seeking justice for his sister who died in the fire
-- A beverage manager with secrets darker than her burgundy lipstick
-- A brilliant professor who's spent twenty years planning the perfect murder
With help from costume designer Emma and Emma's cousin Tyler, Sophia must untangle a conspiracy involving embezzlement, blackmail, and three people willing to kill for revenge. The closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous the investigation becomes.
Because this killer waited twenty years. They won't hesitate to kill again.
Genre: Mystery
Sophia Bellini thought she'd left murder investigations behind in San Francisco. But when she and best friend Emma arrive in Chicago for a four-week run of the glitzy musical "All That Razzle" at the historic Chicago Theatre, death follows them to the Windy City.
Opening night should have been a triumph. Instead, it became a crime scene.
During the performance, wealthy arts patron Vivian Langford is found dead in her private box, poisoned by cyanide-laced champagne. With hundreds of suspects in the crowded theatre and a killer who planned the perfect murder, Detective James Kowalski has his hands full.
But Sophia notices what others miss. The missing champagne glass. The suspicious bottle swap. The way everyone seemed to want Vivian dead.
Then she discovers the truth goes back twenty years...
As Sophia digs deeper, she uncovers a devastating tragedy: a fire at the Hamilton Theater that killed a young stage manager and was covered up by powerful people. Catherine Walsh died because someone chose money over safety. And now, two decades later, someone wants revenge.
The suspects are everywhere:
-- Vivian's embezzling financial advisor, desperate to hide half a million dollars in stolen funds
-- A blackmailer seeking justice for his sister who died in the fire
-- A beverage manager with secrets darker than her burgundy lipstick
-- A brilliant professor who's spent twenty years planning the perfect murder
With help from costume designer Emma and Emma's cousin Tyler, Sophia must untangle a conspiracy involving embezzlement, blackmail, and three people willing to kill for revenge. The closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous the investigation becomes.
Because this killer waited twenty years. They won't hesitate to kill again.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Vivian Vale's Final Curtain in Chicago