Title: Murder at Macbeth
Series: Flight Risk
By: Susan Harper
ASIN: B0799DPG7C
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary: 
There’s nothing more relaxing than a day at the theater…until Macbeth is actually murdered
A new cozy mystery from #1 Best Selling Author Susan Harper
Kendell, a fiery flight attendant, and Pauline, a globe-trotting retiree, get stuck in London. Determined to make the best of their layover, they decide to take in a play at the Globe Theater. When the lead actor is murdered on stage, the new friends are thrust into a murder investigation. Can the new friends work together to clear their names and catch the real killer of Macbeth?
Review:
Murder at Macbeth is the first book in the Flight Risk Cozy Mystery series by Susan Harper. This is my inaugural read by author Susan Harper. I anticipate this will not be the last book I read by this author.
We begin the story with flight attendant Kendell being stranded in London. Kendell offers to help an elderly passenger, Pauline (and her dog Dot), get situated in London. As Kendall has an over abundance of accumulated vacation time, she decides to take a few days off as a result of this unexpected delay in London. Pauline plans to go see MacBeth at the Globe Theatre – mostly to see the theatre and mentions this to Kendell, whom also hoped to go to the play. So off they go. But what happens at the theatre is far from a normal, relaxed evening at the theatre. I must say, I did find it a bit far-fetched that the theatre would allow Pauline to bring her dog in, but then again, if the dog is quiet and hiding in her purse – who is to know?
So of course, during the final act, Macduff comes on stage with Macbeth’s head…only this time it is the real thing (a real, blood, severed head) and not a prop! And of course, Pauline had wandered off to the washroom (and then backstage for some reason) so that when Kendell caught up with Pauline, she was being escorted by the police out to be take downtown for questioning.
Many times Pauline reminded me of a cantankerous, yet lovable old woman. Some of the words that came out of her mouth…. Pauline took no guff from anyone.
” Kendell smirked. She could not figure it out, but there was just something about this sweet old woman that she liked. She was funny and had this ‘I really don’t care what you think’ attitude Kendell admired.”
In order to clear Pauline, Kendell and Pauline begin to sleuth on their own, in the hopes of figuring out who the real killer is. Some hilarious moments ensue. All in all, a ‘whodunit’ that is not solved until the end – just the way I like it.
I enjoyed the scene where Kendell walked right into the morgue – what gall this gal has:
“Once inside the morgue, she did her best to remain unnoticed by staff. Being a stunning redhead automatically made her stand out in the States, but wit the good old Celtic countries of Scotland and Ireland being right there, redheads were not as much of an oddity around these parts…. She managed to slip down a hallway that required a key code by stepping in behind a man in a lab uniform. By simply acting like she knew where she was going, keeping her head upright and walking with purpose, no one bothered stopping her.”
When all is said and done and Pauline is cleared and the actual killer is brought to justice, the possibility of further adventures for Kendell and Pauline (and Dot) just seemed so natural. Not sure how that will play out with Kendell’s boyfriend, Jack. Time will tell.
Murder at Macbeth is a thoroughly entertaining cozy mystery. The cover art was definitely one factor that drew me to this book – it caught my eye. But what kept me interested in reading this book was the characters and writing of Susan Harper. I will most assuredly be looking for more titles by this author.
