Friday, May 22, 2020

Book Review and Giveaway - Killing Time (A Dodie O’Dell Mystery) by Suzanne Trauth

My Review
Killing Time is a cozy mystery set at Halloween on the Jersey Shore.  Dodie O'Dell manages a restaurant called the Windjammer and works with the Etonville Little Theatre.  She's currently working on a production of Dracula, but when a mysterious murder takes place that may involve one of her actors, she starts sleuthing ...

I wanted to read Killing Time because of the community theater setting.  I worked in theater years ago and love books with theater settings.  I also love cozy mysteries and Halloween, so this sounded like a fun read!

This was my first read in the Dodie O'Dell Mystery series.  I picked up on the characters and setting very quickly and enjoyed this book as a standalone.  That said, I have now added the rest of the books in the series to my "to read" list!

I throughly enjoyed this mystery.  It is especially well paced, with Dodie balancing work at the theater, work at her restaurant job, and planning a wedding with her police chief boyfriend, Bill ... all while doing some great sleuthing.

Dodie is a talented amateur detective who manages to get herself in jeopardy several times by taking chances.  She's a likable character, smart, hard working, and relentless about solving the case.

The mystery aspect of this book was well done.  There were a couple of surprising little twists along the way, and the denouement was exciting.

I recommend Killing Time for fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for anyone who enjoys Halloween mysteries or back stage theater settings.  It's a fun read!

Book Synopsis

With Halloween just around the corner, Dodie O’Dell is making preparations to transform the Windjammer Restaurant on the Jersey Shore into a haunted house, while the Etonville Little Theatre is staging Dracula. But casting the titular Transylvanian is proving challenging. The amateur actors in the company are not shy about chewing the scenery, but who among them can convincingly sink their fangs into a victim’s neck? When a mysterious newcomer with a transfixing Eastern European accent lands the part, rumors that he might be an actual vampire start to take flight—not unlike the bat who’s recently been spotted in the town park.

But everyone’s blood really runs cold when a stranger is found in the cemetery with a real stake in his heart. Dodie decides to put her Halloween theme menu on the back burner and stick her neck out to bring the killer into the light of day. She’d better keep her wits about her, though—or Dodie may be the next one to go down for the Count . . .

Author Bio

Suzanne Trauth is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and a former theatre professor at a university. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Dramatists Guild, and League of Professional Theatre Women. When she is not writing, Suzanne coaches actors and serves as a celebrant performing wedding ceremonies. She lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

Author Links 
Webpage: www.suzannetrauth.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneTrauth/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuzanneMTrauth
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6187623.Suzanne_M_Trauth

Purchase Links
Amazon – B&N – Kobo

Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment:

Suzanne Trauth said...


Thanks so much for the review... Much appreciated!

Suzanne