Murder Takes the Stage

Agatha Christie’s housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, gets a taste of the theatrical spotlight in this jaunty historical cozy from Cambridge (the fourth in a series, after Murder by Invitation). With one of Agatha’s plays in the early stages of production on the West End, she and her husband, Max, lease a house in London to facilitate rehearsal visits. The move means Phyllida—whose feelings about London are “exceedingly complicated”—has her hands full organizing the housemaids, dealing with the Christies’ arrogant new French chef (who looks unnervingly like Hercule Poirot), and bickering with their handsome chauffeur. Shortly after the household arrives in London, an actor dies onstage, presumably of natural causes. When two more West End performers turn up dead, Agatha starts to suspect a serial killer. She taps Phyllida to investigate discreetly, plunging the housekeeper into a world of backstabbing thespians. Like its predecessors, this frothy fair-play mystery is a cut above the standard, with just enough wit and well-drawn characters to make an impression. Series fans will be delighted. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Nov.)