Review of A Stab in the Dark by Suzannah Rowntree (Miss Dark’s Apparitions 5)

Blurb

Undead dancers, underhanded management…and a deadly opera ghost in 1890s Paris!

Now comfortably wealthy for the first time in her life, Miss Dark finds herself looking forward to her crew’s newest assignment at the Paris Opera. 

Certainly, it’s tough luck on the tenor whose grisly death has put an unceremonious halt to the new Wagner production. But helping Vasily to steal the Paris Opera in the guise of a squabbling married couple could be exactly the introduction to high society Molly has been itching for.

Miss Nijam, meanwhile, has always longed to solve a murder, and helping her to evade the death-traps littered around the Opera might finally give Alphonse Schmidt the opportunity to confess his feelings. 

And Mimi Laine, whose talents as a cat-burglar have always outstripped her abilities as a ballerina, is eager for her long-awaited chance to study with a master, the mysterious M Christophe.

But life isn’t easy for a crew of thieves who’ve relinquished their burglar to the pursuit of Art. And meanwhile, ballerinas like Mimi are disappearing into the depths of the Opera.

If Molly and her crew can’t solve the mystery of the Opera Ghost, one of their own might be next…

Leverage meets The Phantom of the Opera in the next thrilling episode of Miss Dark’s Apparitions, a gaslamp series of ghostly mayhem! Follow Miss Dark and her chaotic crew into the deadly catacombs of the Paris Opera – read A Stab in the Dark today

My Review

So, on to the final book ( I mean it’s not the final, but the next one is on pre-order, so at the moment, this is the last.) and this one was just as good as the others. The author knows well how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats with a gripping plot and a set of very flawed characters who feel more human than they have a right to be.

The crew is in Paris again, this time investigating a series of deaths that had happened in the Paris Opera. Vasily is disguised as a Baron and Mimi has joined as a ballet dancer. Molly is to be Vasily’s wife and the two are supposed to get divorced soon. Nijam is Mimi’s maid and Alphonse is Vasily’s assistant.

Even though they can find no obvious clues or suspects, the opera does look suspicious. Artists go missing only to reappear on stage and go missing once they step off the stage. Mimi is working too hard, putting her health in jeopardy, and Molly is having to face some truths about herself. As they dig deeper, things get more confusing, but the chilling secret that the opera holds has links to Alphonse’s forgotten past and the crew may find themselves stumped for the first time.

Once again, I loved the flowing prose, enthralling plot and the characters. The characters are the highlight for me. I adored their growth and development, even as the plot moved forward. I can’t wait for the next book, but the author who likes to torment her readers has it on pre-order to be released in October 2025.

How shall I ever survive! But I guess I can always re-read the rest of the series!

You can find A Stab in the Dark here!