The Fallen One

Classical music lovers will welcome this compelling mystery from Arthur Ellis Award–finalist Blechta (A Case of You). While Canadian opera singer Marta Hendricks is performing her first leading role as Violetta in La Traviata at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the tenor playing Alfredo expresses surprise during the final act that she can continue to sing knowing that her husband, Marc, has just died. The distraught Marta later learns Marc perished in a fire at the site of the house he was building for them in eastern Ontario. Determined to resume her career after two years of therapy, Marta accepts an offer to play Violetta for the Paris Opera. Then on a stroll in Paris, during a sudden rain storm, she spots her supposedly deceased husband. Though Marta fears she may have lost her mind, she begins a long and perilous search for Marc. The suspense will keep readers turning the pages until the dramatic conclusion. (Oct.)