A Fatal Finale
  • Published: 16 June 2021
  • ISBN: 9781496727268
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $30.00

A Fatal Finale

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Kathleen Marple Kalb debuts with the first book in a new historical mystery series set in Gilded Age New York and
following the adventures of swashbuckling opera singer Ella Shane, an Irish-Jewish Lower East Side orphan who finds fame and fortune singing male "trouser roles."

Kathleen Marple Kalb debuts with the first book in a new historical mystery series set in Gilded Age New York and
following the adventures of swashbuckling opera singer Ella Shane, an Irish-Jewish Lower East Side orphan who finds fame and fortune singing male "trouser roles."

On the cusp of the twentieth century, Manhattan is a lively metropolis buzzing with talent. But after a young soprano meets an untimely end on stage, can one go-getting leading lady hit the right notes in a case of murder?

New York City, 1899. When it comes to show business, Gilded Age opera singer Ella Shane wears the pants. The unconventional diva breaks the mold by assuming "trouser roles"--male characters played by women--and captivating audiences far and wide with her travelling theatre company. But Ella's flair for the dramatic takes a terrifying turn when an overacting Juliet to her Romeo drinks real poison during the final act of Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi.

Weeks after the woman's death is ruled a tragic accident, a mysterious English duke arrives in Greenwich Village on a mission. He's certain someone is getting away with murder, and the refined aristocrat won't travel back across the Atlantic until Ella helps him expose the truth.

As Ella finds herself caught between her craft and a growing infatuation with her dashing new acquaintance, she's determined to
decode the dark secrets surrounding her co-star's fatale finale--before the lights go dark and the culprit appears for an encore...
  • Published: 16 June 2021
  • ISBN: 9781496727268
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $30.00
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Also by Kathleen Marple Kalb

A Fatal Overture
A Fatal First Night
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Praise for A Fatal Finale

Praise for A Fatal Finale

"Sparkling...A Fatal Finale hits the ground running, with lively storytelling, a great milieu, and wonderful characters...Kalb may be a debut author, but her storytelling skills are already top-notch...Fun, romance, swordplay, music, and a well-done mystery take the stage for an outstanding debut. Brava!" --Mystery Scene Magazine

"This is the start of a wonderful new series. Ella is an amazing character, an expert at fencing and cycling, besides her singing career. She is fiercely independent, having resisted all suitors, and wants to stay that way, even though people keep reminding her that, in her mid-thirties, she will soon be too old for motherhood. Kalb paints a vivid portrait of New York at the end of the 19th century. The supporting cast includes several strong women as well, such as Ella's friends, reporter Hetty and physician Dr. Silver. Highly recommended." --Historical Novel Society (EDITOR'S CHOICE)

"Ella Shane is the epitome of dashing stage glamour...A Fatal Finale is an immersive romp in the life of a Gilded Age opera singer from humble beginnings, featuring a murder mystery and a chaste romance. It sets the stage for a series that could really explore the complicated career and interior life of an independent woman of the early 1900s." --Criminal Element

"A thoroughly enjoyable book, for both the plot centering around a still-contemporary malady, as well as its historical description of a world on the brink of a new century." --New York Journal of Books

"Filled with period detail and well-drawn characters, including an intelligent parrot named Montezuma, this story provides a nice start to a series for those who enjoy feisty heroines in cozies with theatrical frames." --Booklist

"Appealing characters...Well-drawn opera-world setting." --Publishers Weekly