DEATH IN A MAJOR: A Music Lover’s Mystery
By Sarah Fox
Witness Impulse
January 5, 2016
E-ISBN 9780062413017 * $2.99
Synopsis
The new season for the Point Grey Philharmonic starts off on a sour note when one of the symphony’s wealthy benefactors drops dead in the second Music Lover’s Mystery from author Sarah Fox.
When Archibald Major, local big wig and nasty tyrant, drops dead at a post-concert reception, violinist Midori Bishop soon suspects foul play. Although Midori has no intention of getting involved in another murder investigation, that all changes when Jordan – her violin student and the victim’s grandson – seeks her help convincing the police that the real killer is his uncle, a low-level criminal.
As Midori digs into the victim’s life, she discovers that he was a man who created discord at every turn, even within his own family, and there is no shortage of potential suspects. When someone close to Midori unexpectedly confesses to the crime, Midori must race to discover the identity of the true killer before an innocent person goes to jail for a crime they didn’t commit… and before Midori herself becomes a victim in the killer’s deadly encore.
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Excerpt
Standing ovations never got old. Not for me, at least. As Maestro Hans Clausen flicked his baton to signal the end of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1 in D Minor, the audience rose amid a thundering of applause. A thrill of happiness ran up from my toes, right out to the tips of my fingers. We’d pulled off a successful opening of another season for the Point Grey Philharmonic.
My fellow musicians and I stood as one to acknowledge the audience. I soaked in the appreciative applause that filled the theater, enjoying every roaring second. In time the noise died down and the audience members jammed up into bunches as they tried to file out of their rows and head for the lobby.
With the first concert of the new season truly over, I scooped up my folder of music and wended my way through chairs, music stands, and other musicians until I reached the wings of the stage. From there I made slow progress as I headed down a carpeted hallway with at least twenty other members of the orchestra, many of whom were walking slowly to chat with one another and created a human traffic jam.
Eventually I reached the musicians’ lounge where we stored our instrument cases and other belongings during concerts and rehearsals. I tucked my violin and bow safely away in their case and placed it in my locker. I would take my instrument home with me later, but the night wasn’t yet over.
“Ready to head to the reception?” Mikayla Deinhardt, my friend and stand partner, leaned against the neighboring locker.
I unfastened the clip at the back of my head and let my dark hair fall over my shoulders. “Almost.” I tossed the clip onto the shelf in my locker and shut the door.
As I ran my fingers through my hair to make sure it was free of tangles, first violinist Janine Ko removed a hot pink handbag from her locker. Aggie, a viola player, and Melissa, a flautist, immediately zeroed in on her.
“Oh my gosh! That’s gorgeous!” Aggie gushed.
“Is it a Michael Kors bag?” Melissa asked.
Janine beamed at them. “Yes.”
The women continued to chatter excitedly about the handbag as I secured my locker door with a combination lock.
“Now I’m ready,” I said to Mikayla. But as I turned around, a cascade of blond hair swatted me in the face.
Wincing, I stepped back and hit the bank of lockers. Mikayla grabbed my arm to steady me as I wavered off balance. I blinked and saw Elena Vasilyeva, the Point Grey Philharmonic’s concertmaster, fixing her long and ridiculously gorgeous blond hair right in front of me.
I glared at the back of her head, my distaste for her stemming from far more than getting swatted in the face by her golden locks. Finished with her hair, she now stood with her hands on her hips, talking to two of her fellow first violinists.
“It’s probably a knockoff,” she said, her accented words disdainful. “There’s no way she could afford a real one.”
I realized that she was referring to Janine and her handbag. Unfortunately, Janine realized that too. Her smile faltered and she returned the handbag to her locker, turning her back on the rest of the room.
Anger bubbled up inside of me as Elena swept past Janine and out of the musicians’ lounge, walking—as always—as if she were strutting along a catwalk in a fashion show.
I growled under my breath, my eyes following Elena until she disappeared from view.
Why did she always have to be so snooty? Even if I hadn’t discovered that she was involved with the man I’d fallen for a few months earlier, I still wouldn’t have liked her. She always acted as if she were superior to everyone else. And poor Janine. Elena’s words must have hurt all the more because Janine idolized her. She always hung on the concertmaster’s every word and tried to emulate her hairstyles and fashion choices. Sometimes I wanted to shake Janine. She’d be far better off just being herself.
“Forget about Elena,” Mikayla said, noting my reaction and giving my arm a tug. “Let’s go to the reception.”
Praise for Sarah Fox
“Readers are kept in suspense as each spinetingling event moves them towards an unforgettable ending. Sarah Fox delivers murder mystery with believable characters and earns a thumbs up.” — Authors on the Air Global Radio Network on DEAD RINGER
“While Midori may be clueless in love, she is good at asking questions. It is easy to understand how difficult it is for her to leave the investigating to the police, particularly once she has begun. Her actions are believable, if at times rash. Dead Ringer is an entertaining cozy with just the right amount of suspense. It is a great choice for reading on a lazy summer afternoon.” — Mutt Cafe on DEAD RINGER
“Readers are in for a treat with Sarah Fox’s new cozy…out of love, Midori sticks her nose in every place she can, which makes her a perfect heroine for lovers of mysteries. Readers will be pleased with the sheer entertainment of Fox’s plot.” — Suspense Magazine on DEAD RINGER
About the Author
Sarah Fox was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia where she developed a love for mysteries at a young age. When not writing novels or working as a legal writer she is often reading her way through a stack of books or spending time outdoors with her English Springer Spaniel.
