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A Fatal Finale

(An Ella Shane Mystery #1)

Kathleen Marple Kalb (Goodreads Author)

3.95 · Rating details · 110 ratings · 57 reviews

On the cusp of the twentieth century, Manhattan is a lively metropolis buzzing with talent. But after a young soprano meets an untimely end on stage, can one go-getting leading lady hit the right notes in a case of murder?

New York City, 1899. When it comes to show business, Gilded Age opera singer Ella Shane wears the pants. The unconventional diva breaks the mold ...more

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Hardcover, 304 pages

Published April 28th 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

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Apr 10, 2020 Natalia R rated it really liked it

This is the first book in Kathleen Marple Kalb's An Ella Shane Mystery series. It's set in New York 1899 and follows Ella Shane, a successful opera singer known for singing men's roles. She runs her own company with her cousin Tommy, and during one of their Romeo and Juliet performances, the soprano Violette, who is playing Juliet to Ella's Romeo, dies in a suspicious manner. The death is ruled an accident, but Violette's cousin, who happens to be a duke, travels to New York to find out what rea ...more

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Aug 19, 2020 Elizabeth A.G. rated it really liked it

An entertaining debut historical cozy mystery novel by Kathleen Kalb in her Ella Shane Mystery series set in Gilded Age New York City in which industrialization, a concentration of wealth and status, poverty, and the rise of an immigrant population were characteristic of the era. We are introduced to opera star Ella Shane who has overcome her "lower class" upbringing to run an opera company, along with her former boxing champion cousin Tommy. The mysterious death occurs early in the book with th An entertaining debut historical cozy mystery novel by Kathleen Kalb in her Ella Shane Mystery series set in Gilded Age New York City in which industrialization, a concentration of wealth and status, poverty, and the rise of an immigrant population were characteristic of the era. We are introduced to opera star Ella Shane who has overcome her "lower class" upbringing to run an opera company, along with her former boxing champion cousin Tommy. The mysterious death occurs early in the book with the aspiring, secretive and disdainful young opera singer, Violette, who plays Juliet and collapses on stage during the death scene of Bellini's "Capuleti e i Montecchi" and falling across Romeo who is played by Ella Shane known for her "trouser roles" where she assumes the operatic roles of male characters. Is the death an accident, suicide or murder?? Pronounced an accident, the inquiry into Violette's death begins after the young actress's cousin, a Duke from England, comes to New York to learn about how she died and we find potentially suspicious characters and some near "accidents" encountered by Ella Shane and the Duke, and a budding romantic attraction, even though Ella claims she is married to her art.

Ella is an attractive, talented and kind woman who is departing from the old ways of society in which a woman's place is solely marriage and motherhood. Society's mores are changing and she is in the forefront of women's independence but still looked down upon by those of wealth and "upper class" status due to her poor background. The author presents other characters who also reflect the changing social scene - Ella's friend, Marie who is able to carry on her operatic singing career as well as being a wife and mother; and Hetty who is breaking into the male dominated newspaper reporting world. Through Ella's thoughts and actions the author conveys commentary about social barriers, about a women's position in society, about proper behavior between men and women (as well as improper behavior), about woman's status in marriage, about industry's lack of safety concerns and the politicians' lack of oversight to prevent dangerous marketplace products and medicines.
The author's characters come across as real life people with human aspirations, desires, and emotions. I did think, however, that the final scenes of "battle" in the opera theater were over the top, you just had to laugh! Perhaps this was the author's intent. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to the next adventure with Ella and friends (and enemies)!
I received this book as a giveaway from the author. ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 Patricia rated it liked it

Shelves: giveaway, mystery, crime, romantic-suspense, family-dynamics, romance, murder, advance-reader-s-copy, death, chick-lit

I did enjoy reading A FATAL FINALE as it was worth my time. The story concerns a strong woman, Ella Shane, who is a singer in an opera. I thought this novel was a little more romance than mystery, and I believe most will enjoy reading this!

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Sep 11, 2020 QNPoohBear rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, kisses-only, victorian-gilded-age, clean-romance, cozy-mystery

Opera diva Ella Shane has made the most of her life. Born to Irish and Jewish parents in the Lower East Side of New York, orphaned at 8, she discovered a talent for music at a young age. Now Ella runs her own touring operatic company. A RESPECTABLE opera company, thank you, just because she plays breeches roles doesn’t mean Ella is a mere chorus girl! Ella is having some problems with her new soprano, Violette Saint Clair, overacting but the girl is young and will learn if she’s not too stubborn ...more

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Mar 21, 2020 Ell rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Interesting premise set in an intriguing time and place. The murder happens quite quickly, setting the scene for intrigue early on. The introduction of characters and twists are clever. However, I just couldn’t connect with the main character, although I’m sure others will. I love an original story and this adventure set in 1899 New York City is unique.

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May 13, 2020 Missi Martin (Stockwell) rated it it was amazing

I am a fan of historical mysteries because it is interesting to read about a time before technology, DNA testing and all that. It is fun to read about a much simplier time with no technology where women were treated differently. And to see how a murder is solved.....

A Fatal Finale is the debut novel in the Ella Shane Mystery series by Kathleen Marple Kalb. In A Fatal Finale we meet Ella Shane who is a opera singer, playing male characters called "trouser roles" and owning her own traveling opera I am a fan of historical mysteries because it is interesting to read about a time before technology, DNA testing and all that. It is fun to read about a much simplier time with no technology where women were treated differently. And to see how a murder is solved.....

A Fatal Finale is the debut novel in the Ella Shane Mystery series by Kathleen Marple Kalb. In A Fatal Finale we meet Ella Shane who is a opera singer, playing male characters called "trouser roles" and owning her own traveling opera company. Ella lives with her cousin Tommy who is a retired boxing champion who helps her run her company. They live in a townhouse in New York City with a very talkative parrot named Montezuma. They are very comfortable living together and watching out for each other.

Unfortunately on the last night of their Romeo and Juliet tour, the female playing Juliet drops dead during the final scene. Now even though Juliet is suppose to die at the end of the play, this Juliet whose real name was Violette (or so we are to believe) really does die !!! Even though Violette tended to over act and try to upstage Ella, this was not one of those times....she really was dead !!!

Nothing comes of her death until a few months later when Ella's opera company is home and not yet working on their next tour that an English Duke shows up looking for answers regarding his cousin Lady Frances Saint Aubyn who Ella knew as Violette. Come to find out his sister and this actress Violette are one and the same. While Ella tries to hide her growing feelings from the Duke, she decides to help him figure out why his sister ran away from home and changed her name and was playing Juliet for a traveling opera company.

A Fatal Finale is a lot of fun to read. Readers will instantly get lost in the story and will enjoy how things were back in New York City during the 1800's. You will love the relationship that Ella and Tommy have and the friendships and lifestyle they enjoy. It will be a treat for all readers escaping back in time....even though there is a murder !! ...more

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Apr 24, 2020 H.M.S. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mysteries

Read as an ARC via NetGalley on the Kindle App.

A Fatal Finale by Kathleen Marple Kalb is a terrific historical, cozy mystery led by the lead character, Diva Ella Shane (A true diva, not the pejorative kind!). Set in New York City in 1899, we are quickly reminded of how different things are for women both working and otherwise. My how times have changed!

Ella Shane runs an opera company with her cousin, Tommy, and during a performance their lead soprano, Violette, collapses and dies. Originally r ...more

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Aug 02, 2020 Jensen Smith rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, giveaways, fiction

I got a free copy of this book from Kensington Books through a Goodreads giveaway! Thanks so much! My review comes late because I received it just a couple weeks ago.

TL;DR: if you want a story about a woman singing opera and having a weirdly fourth wall awareness of the 20th century with barely a sliver of mystery thrown in, this book is for you.

I had major issues with this story. I don't think it should be classified as a mystery novel, honestly. While there is the aspect of what happened to Ju I got a free copy of this book from Kensington Books through a Goodreads giveaway! Thanks so much! My review comes late because I received it just a couple weeks ago.

TL;DR: if you want a story about a woman singing opera and having a weirdly fourth wall awareness of the 20th century with barely a sliver of mystery thrown in, this book is for you.

I had major issues with this story. I don't think it should be classified as a mystery novel, honestly. While there is the aspect of what happened to Juliet, it's more about the life of Ella as an opera singer- and her not wishing to be married though she likes a duke. If I'd known how much of this content was going to be about her singing and her performances, I would not have entered the giveaway. There is more discussion about Romeo and Juliet than there is about the possible murder.

In fact, I noticed around page 130 that there was hardly anything at all about the mysterious circumstances around Violette's (playing Juliet) death. There was definitely more information on the singing, the various acts of plays, how Ella is a "confident, handsome" woman even though she's nearly a spinster, while every 20 pages felt like someone was pointing this out to her. I honestly can say that I didn't really enjoy her character. I love a strong female lead, but this was not hitting right for me.

Her relationship with her cousin, Tommy, started out likable, but by the end I was so tired of hearing about how it was them against the world. We get it, they love each other and have each other's backs. It seemed the author felt the need to reinforce the cousin relationship over and over again.

There was also this aspect of overly aware characters. It seemed to me that the author was having them break the fourth wall continually referencing the coming century. While I get it, you want your characters to be progressive, etc, it's still a book set in 1899. How much can these characters reference "maybe this next century?" It became so old and overused, I just rolled my eyes.

By the end of this, I did not care what happened to Violette, the duke and Ella, or if there was a tornado that hopped down in NYC and killed them all. It was not interesting enough to make it worth it. ...more

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Jun 21, 2020 Anjana rated it really liked it

A strong, intelligent and multi-dimensional female lead character and set in an Opera company in 1899 has the capacity to enthral. The historical aspect in this was immersive in such a way that when I watched some police procedurals during my meals, between reading this book, I had to blink and caught myself wondering why they dressed in contemporary attire because I was still living in Ella Shane’s world! In the beginning, there were not many outward indicators of the time period, which we are ...more

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Mar 30, 2020 Toni rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 Stars

This looks to be a standalone historic cozy mystery by Kathleen Marple Kalb. I do hope it will become a series.

I am totally intrigued by the relationship between the Duke Gilbert and Ella Shane. That alone will keep me coming back for more.

Basic premise: A girl in the role of Juliet is found dead by an overdose of nicotine. Turns out the girl is more than she seems and is related to English royalty. She had been working for Ella’s theater company and she feels compelled to find the reas ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Karren Hodgkins rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I just loved this book and was really sad when it came to an end.

Wow, this author can create characters that not only have depth but are ones to whom I relate.

While the story does revolve around the unfortunate and untimely death of Ella Shane’s employee, the story is so much more than the solving of the ‘case’. The intrigue is built in an intelligent manner and for once, the reader is not led to believe that every person we meet is a potential murderer.

I enjoyed coming alongside the lead, lear ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 Megsbookclub rated it really liked it

Hi Friends! Are you a cozy mystery fan? A Fatal Finale is a historical cozy mystery that I really enjoyed! As my last book for April I was happy to end on a high note that well written. I like cozy mysteries because they are never as violent as the thrillers I read but still have murder and mystery. This first book in a new series take place in NYC, in 1899, in the world of opera! So, I even got to learn a few things. .

Ella, the main character, and opera singer is shocked when one of her theater ...more

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Apr 03, 2020 Kathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: track-this-series

After a slump of not so good books, this was such a relief! The story of Ella Shane, a opera singer in 1899, is told with a great deal of verve, humor and talent. Kalb's characterization is top-notch and I was particularly pleased that she has clearly done her historical research into the setting and what was proper in society at the time. Fair warning, the mystery in this is particularly slight, but you'll have so much fun with her characters that you probably won't notice.

I thoroughly enjoyed ...more

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Apr 26, 2020 Caroline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, favorites

A quiet, cozy Gilded Age mystery where the whodunnit takes a step back and allows the atmosphere and exposition take center stage. Maybe because I’m also a classically trained singer it resonated more, but I adored it. I could see Ella and Tom’s townhouse, and each beautifully described clothing ensemble, and I wanted to become part of their troop and live with them! Of course, introducing a forward thinking British duke never hurt, either... I cannot wait for book two and our diva’s next advent ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 Meredith rated it it was amazing

I thoroughly enjoyed this first book of a new series! The main character, Ella Shane, is fascinating to me as a turn of the century diva who runs her own company along with her cousin, a former boxer. The rest of the characters are interesting and the mystery is very well done. I like the turn of the century setting and the insights into the world of opera at that time. That Ella is dealing with falling in love for the first time and considering that a man might accept her career after marriage ...more

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May 20, 2020 Vanessa Westermann rated it it was amazing

Gilded Age opera singer Ella Shane plays "trouser roles", can fence like nobody's business and is a fabulously witty narrator. This cozy mystery has all the elements necessary for a page-turner, including an intriguing cast of characters, sparkling dialogue, and just the right amount of historical accuracy. I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel!

*I received a free copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest feedback. ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the first of new series Ella Stone Mysteries. This is set in New York 1899 and Ella Stone (i.e. Ellen O’Shaunessy) is an opera singer who sings men’s roles and runs her own Opera Company with her cousin Tommy. In the final performance of their tour of Romeo and Juliet in New Haven the soprano Violette Saint Claire playing Juliet to Ella’s Romeo really dies in the death scene. The death is deemed an accident, but her cousin Gilbert Saint Aubyn Duke of Leith arrives to learn what happened. This is the first of new series Ella Stone Mysteries. This is set in New York 1899 and Ella Stone (i.e. Ellen O’Shaunessy) is an opera singer who sings men’s roles and runs her own Opera Company with her cousin Tommy. In the final performance of their tour of Romeo and Juliet in New Haven the soprano Violette Saint Claire playing Juliet to Ella’s Romeo really dies in the death scene. The death is deemed an accident, but her cousin Gilbert Saint Aubyn Duke of Leith arrives to learn what happened. Violette was really Lady Frances Saint Aubyn and had run away from home a couple of years prior, when he arrives at Ella and Tommy’s residence, he assumes they are of questionable moral character as all theater people are. Ella who is practicing her fencing then challenges St. Aubyn. Great scene in which she puts him in his place and forces him to concede that Ella and Tommy are not what he thinks, and he asks for her assistance. Ella agrees to help because she is a good person and feels responsible that this happened while Violette was on tour in her company. This historical mystery takes us back to a turning point in history where immigrants are assimilating into America and face discrimination for coming from humble beginnings. Ella is the daughter of a Jewish immigrant and Irish immigrant who meet when entering the country. Both of her parents have died, and her Mother died in her arms when she was just eight years old. She was taken in by her Aunt Ellen (her Irish father’s sister and Tommy’s Mother) and these reflections are so powerful to the person that Ella has become who wants to only do good. She is respectable and faces prejudice at ever turn from members of New York’s upper crust. Her cousin Tommy is a former boxing champ, business partner and protector and is not so sure about the Duke. There is a connection between the Duke and Ella but both are acting respectable, so nothing is going to happen. Ella and Tommy have a strong circle of friends with reporters (Hetty, Landry, and Uncle Preston), opera company (Marie, Louis, and Anna along with all of their kids.. love the Morsel) to complete their family and who are willing to listen and help Ella if they can. All of her female friends are pushing her to think about the Duke in a romantic way and the subtle hint of the clock ticking on her age. There is so much in this story and it just draws you into her world and Ella’s quest for the truth for Frances although she was not friends with her. The reveal of the killer is ultimately dramatic and fitting. This was such an enjoyable read and I cannot wait for the next installment. This is a winner.

...more

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Jul 05, 2020 Ileana Renfroe rated it it was amazing

Description
On the cusp of the twentieth century, Manhattan is a lively metropolis buzzing with talent. But after a young soprano meets an untimely end on stage, can one go-getting leading lady hit the right notes in a case of murder?

New York City, 1899. When it comes to show business, Gilded Age opera singer Ella Shane wears the pants. The unconventional diva breaks the mold by assuming “trouser roles”—male characters played by women—and captivating audiences far and wide with her travelling th Description
On the cusp of the twentieth century, Manhattan is a lively metropolis buzzing with talent. But after a young soprano meets an untimely end on stage, can one go-getting leading lady hit the right notes in a case of murder?

New York City, 1899. When it comes to show business, Gilded Age opera singer Ella Shane wears the pants. The unconventional diva breaks the mold by assuming “trouser roles”—male characters played by women—and captivating audiences far and wide with her travelling theatre company. But Ella’s flair for the dramatic takes a terrifying turn when an overacting Juliet to her Romeo drinks real poison during the final act of Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi.

Weeks after the woman’s death is ruled a tragic accident, a mysterious English duke arrives in Greenwich Village on a mission. He’s certain someone is getting away with murder, and the refined aristocrat won’t travel back across the Atlantic until Ella helps him expose the truth.

As Ella finds herself caught between her craft and a growing infatuation with her dashing new acquaintance, she’s determined to decode the dark secrets surrounding her co-star’s fatal finale—before the lights go dark and the culprit appears for an encore . . .

My Review
A Fatal Finale is the first book by Kathleen Marple Kalb and one that was truly enjoyable to read. The historical cozy mystery is set during the late 1800s in New York City. The protagonist reminds me of Miss Phryne Fisher, an independent, glamorous amateur sleuth ahead of her time.

Ella Shane along with her cousin Tommy run an opera company in the city. During one of their performances, Violette their lead soprano singer dies. At first it is thought that the death is an accident. However, soon the victim's cousin an English Duke - Gilbert Saint Aubyn arrives at the opera company insisting the death is not an accident and asks Ella to help solve the mystery.

The characters are well-crafted and likable. I especially like Ella of course, but some of the other characters such as Father Michael and the Duke were very interesting. A Fatal Finale has all of the ingredients necessary to make this a great historical cozy mystery.

I was provided this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion, and this is definitely a 5 star historical cozy mystery!! A must read! ...more

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Feb 15, 2021 James Terry rated it really liked it

I must preface my review with a disclosure. I was otherwise engaged when I received A Fatal Finale so my wife, whose genre of choice is historical fiction, eagerly grabbed this one up. I watched with interest as she voraciously flew through the pages with delight.
Kathleen Marple Kalb offers a splendid illustration of turn of the 20th century etiquette and appropriate period dress codes of the various classes and professions. Judith Martin (Miss Manners) states that if one wishes to become an acc ...more

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Mar 08, 2021 Maria Johnson rated it it was amazing

It is New York in 1899. Diva Ella Shane is an opera singer famous for playing ‘trouser roles’ – playing the male leads.

When the Juliet to her Romeo drinks real poison at the end of a performance, at first everyone believes it’s an accident. However, after a dashing duke comes all the way from England with unanswered questions, Ella starts to suspect foul play.

This book has been amazing from start to finish. A brilliant balance of real mystery combined with one of the best developments of friends ...more

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Mar 03, 2020 Ashley rated it it was amazing

This book is absolutely INCREDIBLE! It is witty, hilarious, mysterious, intriguing, clever, romantic, and so much more! Every single time I picked up "A Fatal Finale", I felt like I traveled back in time to the Gilded Age, and absolutely did not want to put this book down! From start to finish, this book truly is amazing!

When I first read a summary of "A Fatal Finale", I was grabbed for a multitude of reasons! A cozy historical murder mystery novel set in the late 1800's, mixed in with opera, m ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Homerun2 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

3.75 stars

Entertaining debut set in New York City at the very end of the 19th century. Ella Shane, who came up the hard way from her childhood as an Irish orphan, is a strong and compassionate woman. She runs her own opera company which gives her control over her personal and professional life. She is a "trouser diva" who sings male roles in her performances.

Ella is of a very independent character and spirit, aided by her cousin Tom and an appealing cast of friends and co-workers. When a young w ...more

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Mar 15, 2021 Autumn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: craving-for-cozies-2021

A Fatal Finale by Kathleen Kalb is the first in the new Ella Shane mystery series. The series is set in 1899 New York and features Ella Shane, an opera singer who specializes in so-called “trouser roles”, or singing men’s roles in opera. During the final performance of Romeo and Juliet, Violette, the young woman playing Juliet collapses onstage after drinking the prop poison and actually dies, since the prop poison was real. When Violette’s cousin, an English duke, arrive to claim the body, he a ...more

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Apr 24, 2020 Susan rated it it was amazing

This is one of those special mysteries that I have so enjoyed that I have my fingers crossed that it will become a series. It's that good. Historical mysteries are a favorite of mine, especially those set in the Gilded Age, so my attention was drawn to the blurb and I wasted no time starting it. Ella Shane (full name Ellen O'Shaunessy, daughter of a Jewish immigrant father and an Irish immigrant mother) runs an opera company with her cousin Tommy. She sings the male roles and at the end of their ...more

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Apr 20, 2020 Sandra rated it really liked it

A Fatal Finale by Kathleen Marple Kalb is a first book in An Ella Shane Mystery series and a real pleasure to read.

Main protagonist is a young girl, an opera singer who came from poverty and rose to become hugely successful singer. She lives with her cousin in New York in 1899 and has a set of great people around her.
An accident happens and a fellow singer dies. Several months later, dead singer relative, Duke of Leith shows up to find out what really happened.
This will reveal many secrets as we ...more

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Apr 28, 2020 Tari rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, 2020-ebooks

Very well written, and I enjoyed how strong Ella's character was especially for 1899. While I liked her well enough, I couldn't feel any sort of connection. Maybe it was just the time period and the fact that I know nothing about opera that I couldn't relate to her, but I did really like Tommy's character. Father Michael was pretty cool too, and how about that Duke? Other characters I enjoyed were Hetty and Yardley from the newspaper. It was interesting how Marie had three children but apparentl ...more

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Apr 29, 2020 Gabriella Tutino rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley, arc

Ella Shane is a rather unconventional opera diva by 1899's standards. Brought up on the streets of the Lower East Side, she runs her own traveling theatre company with her cousin Tommy, and prefers to play "trouser roles," or male characters for the stage. Although used to dramatics, things take a turn for the worse during a performance of Berlini's I Capuleti e I Montecchi when her Juliet, a Miss Violette Saint Clare, consumes real poison. Weeks later, Gilbert Saint Aubyn, Duke of Leith, appear ...more

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Mar 22, 2020 Lindsey rated it really liked it

This was a very enjoyable historical mystery, I’m hoping it’s the first in a series because I’m definitely interested in these characters and would love to read more.

I really like Ella’s character, she was realistic and resourceful. Gil was great and the hints of romance between the two was just the right tone, not the main focus of the book but a part of it that didn’t overpower the murder mystery.

As for the murder, it happens to the company’s most recent Juliet dies by poison early on in the ...more

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Sep 25, 2020 Ann rated it really liked it

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fun read from cover to cover. New York City, 1899. When it comes to show business, Gilded Age opera singer Ella Shane wears the pants. The unconventional diva breaks the mold by assuming "trouser roles"--male characters played by women--and captivating audiences far and wide with her travelling theatre company. But Ella's flair for the dramatic takes a terrifying turn when an overacting Juliet to her Romeo drinks real poison during the final act of Bellin ...more

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Apr 13, 2020 Living My Best Book Life rated it really liked it

A Fatal Finale is a good cozy mystery with an interesting premise and fascinating characters. Kathleen Marple Kalb did a good job of entertaining us in the process. The main character is in show business so it fits very well.

Ella Shane is an opera singer who likes to take on roles that are meant for men. For example, she played Romeo in Rome and Juliet. During her performance, her 'Juliet' faced her own finale when she drank actual poison. This is so unexpected and throws her for a loop.

This is ...more

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About Kathleen Marple Kalb

Kathleen Marple Kalb

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Kathleen Marple Kalb grew up in front of a microphone and a keyboard. She started her radio career as a teenage DJ at a small station in her hometown of Brookville, Pennsylvania, and despite a brief flirtation with advanced study in history before taking her B.A. at the University of Pittsburgh (her mother will never forgive her for turning down an assistantship at William and Mary), worked her wa ...more