Mrs. Pickles' Perilous Parting (A Mystery Theater Presents Cozy Mystery-Book 1) by K.P. Stafford

Mrs. Pickles' Perilous Parting (A Mystery Theater Presents Cozy Mystery-Book 1) Reviews

• 
  Nola Arganbright

  Short and fun
  
  A short fun mystery complete with non human characters. There was a little forming romance between the main characters and a bevy of second characters. A good plot although not terribly strong to me. The book was fast moving and enjoyable.
• 
  OjoAusana

  Cute
  
  Cute cozy mystery story with a paranormal twist! This book reminded me alot of another series i read, if both the MCs were real theyd be best friends! (And so would their ghosts lol)
• 
  Lise

  Let's start with the title: it's great. There are no words... just "great". Looking at the title makes me grin. Right from the start, I knew that I'd enjoy this book. And I did.
  
  It's set in an older, struggling theatre with plucky performers who aren't going to let a little thing like the lead actress being murdered get in the way of putting on a show! And, indeed, this theatre needs the revenue to come in so it can continue its life as a venue for live productions. (Soapbox mode on) Let's face it, too many places are closing because of a lack of interest in what was once the cornerstone of the entertainment business. (Soapbox mode off)
  
  Alright, so we have a struggling theatre and (happy dance) a genuine ghost. The theatre owner, whose parents owned the building until their death, needs to get the mystery solved so that the punters will come in and see her show and generate that cash flow she needs. Added to the mix, is a handsome new deputy in town who doesn't know the business or the people in the business and isn't willing to buy into their theatrics. It's a fine blend of everything that a cosy brings to the table and, despite being familiar, is a fresh new take on a tale we've heard before.
• 
  Krystyna

  All the world's a stage
  
  A good plot, although I must admit that i have read something like this before and so the culprit really didn't come as a surprise. The characters however were delightful although I wish the rat had had a bigger role.
  She has to pull off this performance to make the payment on the mortgage. The theatre is all she knows and like her parents running it is all she wants. However the latest rehearsal hasn't gone well. The leading lady has been acting like a diva with everyone and rows have erupted. Now thankfully she can lock up and go home, after checking everything is okay. Finding the leading lady's body was not what she expected. Now the sheriff and the new police officer have taken over. Her resident ghost doesn't know how the woman died but later it is classified as murder. Now with the new officer they start looking into the murder. An arson attempt, attempted murder, a new resident rat and the ghost plus our sleuthing team try to find out what happened. Are past accidents also part of the pattern?
• 
  David Caldwell

  Cozy mystery with a ghost
  
  This was a fun and easy cozy mystery set in a local theater. The town is named Peculiar and the locals are quirky. The theater is haunted by the ghost of an actor that died there. The owner of the theater decided to solve the mystery so it won't hurt opening night. Naturally, she owns a car and she exists her friends to help. The new deputy suspects she is keeping secrets (the ghost) but is attracted to her as well. As you can see, this story seems to have all the normal cozy mystery tropes. It is a first in a new series so later books may stand out a little more. But this one, is just familiar.
  
  As a mystery, it is decent but not too involved. The characters talk about trying to solve the murder more than actually looking for clues. It ends up jumping around a lot and then has a quick reveal and capture of the killer.
• 
  Mary Cokenour

  Loved this novel; it has a ghost (Farley), murder, mysterious accidents, very likable characters, very good plot line, and most of all, Jinx, a 25 lb. Maine Coon cat. Jessica James, no relation to outlaw jesse James, inherited a theater from her parents; she practically grew up there and acting is in her blood. Too bad that someone kills off leading lady Clara, and hunky new deputy sheriff in town, Luke Lassiter, has his eyes set on Jess...in more ways than one. If Jess doesn't get this murder business solved, the play she is trying to produce may fail, and that would mean losing the theater. Coincidence that murder and mayhem (wink at author K.P. Stafford) keep getting in the way of Jess' ambition to make her theater succeed. Methinks not!
• 
  Donna

  This was a cute cozy mystery. The characters are likable and the plot flows smoothly. It was very obvious who the culprit was yet no one seemed to have that person on their radar as the murderer. I find it hard to believe the person had been causing accidents and murders for 20 plus years and had never been caught. Farley was a hoot. I wish Pierre had had a little bit bigger role to play. I have no idea what the title refers to because the murdered woman was Clara and the title of the play being presented was never mentioned. If the author ever writes more books in this series, I would definitely read them.
• 
  Helen Agathocleous

  Look forward to more in this series
  
  This was a free download and I am pleased to say it was actually very good. When I finished this book I immediately downloaded the second book in the series. I liked the authors style of writing and there was continual flow of a storyline, so at no time did I lose interest and finished it in one sitting.
• 
  Kim Loomer

  The theatre is always a wonderful background for a good mystery and this was one. I loved the cast and Jessica of course. I have read similar stories but I enjoyed this one to the end. This story brought back the good old days again and a story that shouldn't be missed.
• 
  Maryteresa

  A murder, quirky theater characters, a ghost, a rat, a little humor and a little romance all adds up to a fun read.
• 
  Pearl Ann Curran

  A nice, entertaining read.
  
  I enjoyed reading “Mrs. Pickles’ Perilous Parting” by K. P. Stafford. It was a fun, light-hearted read. I liked ol’ Farley.
• 
  Karen

  Let's head to the theater!
  
  Good read for a short story, I liked it well enough. I liked Farley the ghost 👻 best of course, but what's a theater without a ghost?!
• 
  Sherry McWilliams

  Received a free copy for a review. Cute, fun, short story. Loved it!
• 
  Lonnia

  A really cute story. Loved the ghost.
• 
  Ms. Ingrid

  Farley the Ghost
  
  Best thing about the book. Entertainment for him was the only reason for continuing to the end.
  A lot could have been introduced.
• 
  Teri

  This was a new author and series to me. The characters were fun to get to know and the setting different. Jessica is trying to keep her parents dream alive in the theater and with the help of a ghost she is trying to find the killer of the lead actor.
  
  Hope there is more in the series.
• 
  Laura

  This brief cozy mystery was a fun read. It has a paranormal aspect in the form of ghost Farley. A wonderful Maine Coone cat called Jinx. How much does he really understand? And a slightly romantic slant when a new deputy arrives in town just as things get strange at Jessica James' theatre.
  Jess has never made much of a financial killing from her productions, but if this production fails, she could end up losing it all. The theatre is the only life she has ever known.
  Who stands to gain if this production fails? What motive could they have?
  
  My only negative comment is that it could use better proofreading and editing.
  
• 
  Aera

  I liked all the characters. They were fun and engaging. I particularly liked Farley. However, it read like a rough draft. The book was all over the place, excessively stretched out and redundant. For such a short book, it took me over a week to finish it because I kept losing interest. It was that boring and tediously prolonged. It would've been better if the book was more tightly written, 50 pages maximum.
  
  And I wish I knew beforehand that the author is a romance writer because she threw in all the corny tropes that are in romances (my least favorite genre). I found myself rolling my eyes. I detest Harlequin type romances.
• 
  aem

  Paranormal cozy mystery. How does the title relate to the story or characters?