The Final Performance
(2026)(The sixth book in the Murder in the Wings series)
A novel by Vivian Vale
Six cities. Six murders. One final curtain call.
Sophia Bellini thought she'd seen it all. From San Francisco to Los Angeles, five theater stops have brought five murders—and five solutions. Now, as the tour reaches its final destination in Toronto, she's ready for a peaceful closing night.
But peace isn't on the program.
When legendary theater critic Bernard Whitmore arrives to review their production, the entire cast holds its breath. Whitmore is known for destroying careers with a single scathing review. He's ruined directors, shattered actors' dreams, and left a trail of broken performers in his wake.
And everyone in the Royal Alexandra Theatre has a reason to hate him.
Maxwell, desperate for the career-making review that could launch him to stardom. Claire, whose mother's career was destroyed by Whitmore's cruelty. Douglas, whose show closed after one devastating critique. Martin, Whitmore's bitter ex-partner who's been blackmailed for years.
When Whitmore is found dead in his private box on opening night—poisoned champagne at his side—the suspect list is as long as the playbill.
But this time, the investigation hits closer to home than ever before. Sophia's estranged mother, Diane, lives in Toronto. And she has her own devastating history with Bernard Whitmore—one that could make her a prime suspect.
As Sophia and her best friend Emma race to uncover the truth, they'll navigate family secrets, theatrical intrigue, and a web of revenge twenty-five years in the making. Because this murder wasn't spontaneous. It was a performance decades in the planning.
And the killer is about to take their final bow.
The final performance is about to begin. Will Sophia solve the mystery before the curtain falls on everything she loves?
Genre: Mystery
Sophia Bellini thought she'd seen it all. From San Francisco to Los Angeles, five theater stops have brought five murders—and five solutions. Now, as the tour reaches its final destination in Toronto, she's ready for a peaceful closing night.
But peace isn't on the program.
When legendary theater critic Bernard Whitmore arrives to review their production, the entire cast holds its breath. Whitmore is known for destroying careers with a single scathing review. He's ruined directors, shattered actors' dreams, and left a trail of broken performers in his wake.
And everyone in the Royal Alexandra Theatre has a reason to hate him.
Maxwell, desperate for the career-making review that could launch him to stardom. Claire, whose mother's career was destroyed by Whitmore's cruelty. Douglas, whose show closed after one devastating critique. Martin, Whitmore's bitter ex-partner who's been blackmailed for years.
When Whitmore is found dead in his private box on opening night—poisoned champagne at his side—the suspect list is as long as the playbill.
But this time, the investigation hits closer to home than ever before. Sophia's estranged mother, Diane, lives in Toronto. And she has her own devastating history with Bernard Whitmore—one that could make her a prime suspect.
As Sophia and her best friend Emma race to uncover the truth, they'll navigate family secrets, theatrical intrigue, and a web of revenge twenty-five years in the making. Because this murder wasn't spontaneous. It was a performance decades in the planning.
And the killer is about to take their final bow.
The final performance is about to begin. Will Sophia solve the mystery before the curtain falls on everything she loves?
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Vivian Vale's The Final Performance