Murder on a TV Set

Sunshine Cove Cozy Mystery #0.5

by Ava Zuma

When Celia gets a job as a makeup artist on a popular TV show, she can't believe her luck. She's even more surprised when she's tasked with doing the makeup of the celebrities who host and attend a popular show. She's warned about the flirting ways of one of the stars of the show and told to be wary of his charm.

She is confused, dumfounded, and anxious when this flirting star is found dead on the set of his TV show, moments before he was meant to go live. Things only take a turn for the worse when she's identified as a prime suspect as she was one of the last people to interact with him before his demise.

Celia's world comes crashing down when she's fired from the show.

With big egos and bigger wallets conspiring to make Celia the scapegoat for this well-orchestrated murder, she has to employ all her wits and any sleuthing skills she possesses to find the murderer before her fledgling career in the big city is cut short.

Genres: Cozy Mystery

50 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this e-book when I joined the CleanTales Publishing mailing list. This is the prequel to the Sunshine Cove cozy mystery series starting with Makeup and Mayhem. In this novella, we see Celia Matinise has just finished cosmetics school and has gotten a job at a TV station in Johannesburg, South Africa. But then the TV anchor whose makeup she had just done is murdered! We get to see the very beginning of Celia and Trevor's relationship and that was sweet. I'd like more prequels with Trevor.

[PAR · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading this author and I was provided the book free for providing an honest review. I am not much of a romance reader and perhaps that affected my feeling about how the romance played out. I enjoy that the main character was naïve and experience the big city for the fist time - I wondered how I would have handle her experiences. The characters were solid and the storyline well defined. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to you

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first time reading Ava Zuma. I liked the main character. She is a naive young woman who's moved to the big city. I didn't really like the way the story played out. Especially the climax. But I did like the way the romance started. I would have liked to read more of that.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written cozy murder story.
Celia is working as a makeup artist at a TV studio, when the star is poisoned. She is fired but gets a new job and meets a new man. The poiser is captured by the police and her new man calls for a dinner date.

[Eveie Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia is a budding makeup artist who has gained work in a TV station doing makeup to the stars. When one of the stars turns up dead, she is in the frame for murder. And now she has to clear her name so she resorts to sleuthing to solve the case.
A short read well written.

[Melisende]

Prequel to a cosy mystery series set in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Naive country girl comes to work in the big city on a TV set. Serial killer and a murder - she is accused and sacked and thus sets out to solve the mystery.

Light, breezy, cosy mystery.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the setting and wished there were more details. The dialogue was... not great.

[Lee Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and Nicky done with the morals of the story, thanks for a good read

[Connie Charron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the plot too simplistic. There was a lot more that could have been expanded and explored, but then again it is a prequel.

[Cornel Diaconu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy mystery, indeed.
Quite likeable

[Nancy Hammons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for this very much.

[Denise Felce · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. It just had no flow. I can't even describe how I feel about it as it just left me feeling frustrated by the way it was written.

[Mazzy Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat and sweet. Nice to read a cozy set in Johannesburg.