Publication Date: 01/07/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425252493
ISBN-13: 978-0425252499
(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound
Joelle Charbonneau on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads
Books in the series:
Murder of Choir (2012), End Me a Tenor (2013), A Chorus Lineup (2014)
Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.
Excerpt from, A Chorus Lineup, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.
Synopsis:
Paige Marshall is back in the spotlight in Joelle Charbonneau’s newest Glee Club Mystery. This time the high school show choir coach is fighting to keep her singers in a national competition despite charges of sabotage…
They have the talent. They have the heart. Nothing can stop Prospect Glen’s choir from taking home the trophy in the Show Choir National Competition. But below the soaring voices, there are murmurs of suspicion. So-called accidents keep befalling the other choirs. Yet Prospect Glen remains untouched.
With their competitors clamoring for them to be disqualified, the group may soon be singing a different tune. If there’s anyone who can restore harmony to the competition, it’s Paige. But this time she’ll needs to stick her neck out to discover who’s behind the sabotage, or she may end up singing her own swan song…
Thoughts:
Joelle Charbonneau is on a roll with the third book in the Glee Club mystery series, A Chorus Lineup. Cozy fans who love music will really enjoy the Show Choir from Prospect High and their director Paige Marshall. It's a combination of the hit television series, Glee and the movie Pitch Perfect with a murder thrown in for good measure. Full of action, twists and turns galore and a red herring or two, this cozy will appeal to readers and music lovers a like. A great addition to the series!
What I liked:
The theme for this cozy series is a lot of fun. Singing groups of all kinds from acapella to those with instrumentalists have become all the rage with successful television shows and movies, and now Joelle Charbonneau is bringing it to cozy readers as well. I loved all the information about the rehearsals and costumes and all of the behind the scenes stories. I thought it was a great theme and somewhat unique. The idea that the director is waiting for her big break is also a fun element to the story.
Paige is quit the sleuth, and in this one she is definitely a person of interest in the murder. She has a beef with the lady who becomes the victim, LuAnn. When she is accused of cutting up costumes and causing trouble at a competition she and her choir are attending. I liked the way that Charbonneau set up the murder in order to make Paige look possibly guilty. It gave the book an edge that was enjoyable. Wondering whether it was going to get better instead of worse for the heroine gave it an urgency we haven't had before in this series.
The mystery aspects were well written. There were plenty of suspects besides Paige and once she convinces Christine it wasn't her, she goes about finding a killer. There were a few unexpected twists and turns that had me going for awhile, but eventually it figured it out close to the end. I thought the motive a wee bit predictable, but that didn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Paige's big audition turns out as well as her relationship with Devlyn and with Mike. Changes are around the corner it appears and I can't wait to see what happens next.
What I didn't like:
Not too much to report here. I do admit that I wonder how much potential there is for this to be a long running series. The motive for this one was slightly predictable and I wonder how many more musically related ideas the author can come up with. A ton, I hope. This is a great series.
Bottom Line:
If you haven't tried this series yet, I think you will be pleasantly surprised, especially if you are a music lover. A Chorus Lineup is a fun cozy read with a personal touch.
A Chorus Lineup is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
Joelle lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband, Andy, and their toddler son. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime.
Giveaway Details:
The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of A Chorus Lineup by Joelle Charbonneau.
~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, February 7th.
1. Please leave a comment describing any singing or chorus classes or things you have taken or participated in.
2. Please fill out the FORM.
22 comments:
I was never in a chorus nor sang. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
I was in chorus in high school and had fun
I only sang in choir is elementary school. then was not so good.
nlb1050@yahoo.com
In grades 7-12 I sang in a variety of school groups, and our church choir.
I was always placed next to the boys in any choir. My best singing is done alone in the car.
I haven't ever been in a chorus.
I was in a church choir as a child, but once I recorded my own voice and listened to it, I realized just how very horrid I am and quickly saved the choir the embarrassment of my presence.
I have never been in a choir or a chorus. I can't sing or dance! lol
My singing leaves a lot to be desired! I do remember a new youth choir teacher trying to teach us a French carol for the Christmas program at church one year. Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
I have a horrible singing voice that only my dogs will tolerate. But I can play the piano, so I was the pianist who accompanied the chorus in high school.
I sang in the elementory high school and was purged! The bad thing is that I love to sing! I have a weird voice when I sing. I will be singing and then my voice will go completely out and then come back in later on! Sort like bad reception on a radio.
I started singing in 4th grade in school. Then in 7th grade I joined the choir, that was in the 1960s. I've been in a choir of some sort ever sense then. Once I left home I started taking voice lessons, sang in small talent show, a few weddings, song leading in church and church choirs, still singing as a medzo soprano. For you non singers that means I have a wide range. That does not count, singing in the shower, or while I used to run the sweeper at work.
Music has always been an important part of my life. Having played the piano since I was three, I was a member of the High School Glee Club, the church youth choir, and then the adult choir at church. Throw in the occasional wedding, funeral, and Vacation Bible School, and you see how music kept me busy. It's only been the last couple of years that I have taken a break from my involvement with music.
No singing from me.
CABWNANA1@bellsouth.net
my one & only chorus class was in high school...
it was fun, as I learned some new classic songs.......
thank you for the giveaway!!
I was in Chorus in middle school. When I got to high school I had 4 periods a day of music. I was in Senior Band, Dance Band, Marching Band and Orchestra. I only took the one semester mandated music class where we learned the school theme song. I was part of groups that backed up various performances of the school choral and chorus groups though.
Haven't dont any of those things
Band & choir were mandatory in 5th grade. At the end of the school year, My 5th grade choir teacher suggested that concentrate on band for the 6th grade. :( I did, & played piccolo, alto & tenor saxophone through high school.
I can't carry a tune in a bucket. So not talented...
lag110 at mchsi dot com
I took two years of chorus classes in high school. It was my favorite class, I had so much fun.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com
Well, I was in chorus in 5th grade in elementary school -- I'm not sure why I was picked cuz I can't sing very well. (I think maybe because they needed people to "Perform" in their Nutcracker Christmas production.) I got to be a Persian Maiden--- no singing required!
I participated in choir, senior ensemble and jazz ensemble while I was in high school. I loved it! I enjoyed singing at competitions, nursing homes, school concerts and more.
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