A Staged Death - A Review & Giveaway

Review

A STAGED DEATH by Samantha Larsen
The Fourth Lady Librarian Mystery 

 

Having catalogued the entire library at Astwell Palace Tiffany Lathrop is at loose ends. But before she can create a new task her good friend Thomas arrives with surprising news, he's engaged. His mother, the Marchioness of Harwood, is not pleased, especially as his fiancée is an actress. While Catherine wants Tiffany and her husband Samir to come to Bath to persuade Thomas to break his engagement, Thomas wants them to come to change his mother's mind. But when they stop at the theatre upon their arrival in the city they find the dead body of a young woman. Was Rosalyn Arden, Thomas' fiancée the intended victim and her understudy killed by mistake? The entire acting troupe is behaving suspiciously, as is Rosalyn's family. Plus the more Tiffany learns about Julia, the possibility that she was the actual target increases. Will she be able to discover the truth, find a killer, and save a wedding? In a big city with people she doesn't know Tiffany faces her biggest challenge yet. 

 

I really enjoy this series, especially for its historical detail. I was excited to travel to Bath and try the waters...without having to taste it! I found the details about the various event halls fascinating, especially how card playing was an almost daily event-and not just for men. I also appreciate the humor, both subtle and otherwise. I'm still giggling at that wedding scene.

 

The mystery here was quite complex and the killer nearly got away. I love how that in trying to shield Beau, he provided the way to solve the murder. I only hope as he gets older he doesn't become an arrogant Duke without redeeming qualities. Fortunately, I have a feeling his father will be able to keep him in check.

 

Dramatics abound in A STAGED DEATH where complex family relations make for an ingeniously plotted mystery.

 

NB: This review is for the print book, not the audible version. 

 

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 A Staged Death: Lady Librarian Mysteries by Samantha Larsen

About A Staged Death

A Staged Death: Lady Librarian Mysteries
Historical Cozy Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - 1787, Bath.
Publisher: Dreamscape
First Audible.com Release Date: March 31, 2026
Listening Length: 8 hours and 30 minutes Author: Samantha Larsen Narrator: Marni Penning

A cozy historical mystery set in the 18th century—perfect for Bridgerton fans!

1787, Bath. Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop has catalogued the entire library at Astwell Palace and is feeling rather dull when Mr. Thomas Montague invites her and her husband Samir to visit Bath. Thomas begs Tiffany to help reconcile his mother Catharine, the Marchioness of Harwood, on his engagement to the famous actress Miss Rosalyn Arden—a beautiful young woman with bright red curls and eyes of mismatched color.

Eager to see his beloved, Thomas stops at the Theatre Royal with Tiffany and they discover a dead body wearing a red wig in Rosalyn’s dressing room. The body is that of Miss Julia Shakespeare, Rosalyn’s understudy and the person who has been blackmailing members of the acting company. Not only are the actors behaving suspiciously, but so are Rosalyn’s newly reconciled relatives that cast her off nine years before when she jilted Sir Frederick Bingham, who then married her younger sister.

If all the world is a stage, then someone acting innocent must be the murderer. Can Tiffany solve the mystery before the final curtain?

©2018 Samantha Larsen (P)2026 Dreamscape First

About Samantha Larsen

 

Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chauffeuring her four kids. She teaches World Literature at Brigham Young University. Her young adult fiction books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections, and her historical romances are published around the world. She also writes murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen that Publisher’s Weekly called “wildly enjoyable.”  

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Purchase Links: Dreamscape - Amazon - B&N