- Paperback: 259 pages
- Publisher: Five Star Trade (Nov 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1410402045
- ISBN-13: 978-1410402042
- Product Dimensions: 50.3 x 21.1 x 2 cm
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Stagestruck, a Jubilee Showboat Mystery, Book 1
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Certificate, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Synopsis
This is written by Cynthia Thomason, and is a Jubilee Showboat Mystery. Gwen Barlow gets more than expected when she inherits her uncle's Mississippi showboat and discovers that the Jubilee Palace is in serious financial straits, her uncle's death is under suspicion and the showboat family of actors and musicians are prime suspects. Life is further complicated when she hires Carson Stockwell and they team up to find the murderer before he or she can strike again.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
engaging historical amateur sleuth
26 Dec 2003
By Harriet Klausner
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
In 1898 Apple Creek, Ohio, Lillian Barlow learns that her brother Eli died in a freak accident on his showboat, the Jubilee Palace. Eli's lawyer informs Lillian that she inherited the showboat. The showboat is deep in debt. Still Lillian persuades her reluctant adult children, college librarian Gwen Barlow and hard good store worker Preston, that they need to move to Hickory Bend, Missouri to manage the boat.
In Hickory Bend, Gwen ends up taking charge of the showboat as her mother cannot handle anything negative and her brother is Stagestruck with one of the performers. Gwen quickly realizes that several people had the motive to murder Eli as she agrees with the constable that a homicide occurred. Gwen wonders if one of the performers, the workers, the townsfolk, or the handsome captain she just hired to run "Eli's Folly" killed her uncle.
Readers will enjoy this engaging historical amateur sleuth tale that emphasizes the Mississippi River at the end of the nineteenth century. The who-done-it is cleverly worked to the pleasure of mystery readers. The strong characters whether the troupe or the townsfolk are a delight especially the embattled Gwen. However, STAGESTRUCK is a winner due to Cynthia Thomason making 1898 Missouri seems vividly alive.
Harriet Klausner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing Historical Romance
22 Nov 2011
By Nancy J. Cohen
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition
This engaging historical romance will take you through the doors of a showboat to a unique place in American history. A spunky sleuth, distinctive secondary characters, and a solid mystery will keep you turning pages. Cynthia Thomason really places you in a scene and makes you feel as though you're there. You'll be wanting to cruise down the river after reading this charming whodunit.
2.0 out of 5 stars
U.S.A. Missouri - 1898
14 July 2009
By Lyn Reese
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Upon the murder of her uncle, 28 year old Gwen Barlow with her 19 year old brother and mother inherits the Jubilee Palace, a lavish Mississippi river showboat. Waiting for them to take possession is the theater company and a raft of debts incurred by her uncle. Before the theater can open its doors and set off for a hopefully lucrative season on the river, the perpetrator of the uncle's murder must be found. When others of the troupe meet the same fate, and the town constable seems notably incompetent, Gwen knows she must solve the murders herself.
The idea of a mystery involving a showboat, theater troupe, and life along the Mississippi has great appeal. This story offers nice details of the boat itself and the workings of a late 19th century stage. Expanded transportation in the latter part of the19th century greatly expanded the professional theater industry throughout the United States. Most of the plays embraced romantic plots, as seen by the one performed by the Jubilee Palace group. The difficulties of managing the Mississippi river also are touched on, including the disreputable "shanty boats." It is a bit of a push, however, to believe that Gwen, previously a librarian in a small Ohio town, could so rapidly relocate to Missouri and jump into the role of investigator, theater financier, manager, and director, all without the aid of her flaky brother and mother. And with no help from the sullen acting troupe. Readers might also spot a few minor historical lapses such as the importance to the plot of rolls of tape, given that adhesive tape was invented in the 1920s.
The author's main forte is as a writer of romance novels. This, her first mystery, seems to lack crime solving tension. Gwen is a likable character, nevertheless, and descriptions of her dress, demeanor, and even her new found freedom riding a bike are right on. First of a Gwen Barlow series. No author notes.
The idea of a mystery involving a showboat, theater troupe, and life along the Mississippi has great appeal. This story offers nice details of the boat itself and the workings of a late 19th century stage. Expanded transportation in the latter part of the19th century greatly expanded the professional theater industry throughout the United States. Most of the plays embraced romantic plots, as seen by the one performed by the Jubilee Palace group. The difficulties of managing the Mississippi river also are touched on, including the disreputable "shanty boats." It is a bit of a push, however, to believe that Gwen, previously a librarian in a small Ohio town, could so rapidly relocate to Missouri and jump into the role of investigator, theater financier, manager, and director, all without the aid of her flaky brother and mother. And with no help from the sullen acting troupe. Readers might also spot a few minor historical lapses such as the importance to the plot of rolls of tape, given that adhesive tape was invented in the 1920s.
The author's main forte is as a writer of romance novels. This, her first mystery, seems to lack crime solving tension. Gwen is a likable character, nevertheless, and descriptions of her dress, demeanor, and even her new found freedom riding a bike are right on. First of a Gwen Barlow series. No author notes.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
