I Only Read Murder : A Novel

Schitt’s Creek meets Only Murders in the Building in this humorous mystery introducing a former TV star who feels compelled to revisit the detective skills of her character when a murder occurs on-stage during a small-town theater performance.

A once-famous TV sleuth
An amateur theatre production
An on-stage murder
A town full of suspects…

Miranda Abbott, once known for the crime-solving, karate-chopping church pastor she played on network television, has hit hard times. Turned down for a role on a cable reality show, Miranda is facing ruin when a mysterious postcard arrives, summoning her to Happy Rock, a small town in the Pacific Northwest. But when she gets there, nothing is what she expected.

In dire straits, Miranda signs up for an amateur production at the Happy Rock Little Theatre, competing against the local real estate agent for the lead role. In front of a packed house, one of the actors is murdered, live, on stage. But out of 100 witnesses, no one actually saw what happened. Now everyone is under a cloud of suspicion, including the sardonic town doctor, the local high-school drama teacher, an oil-stained car mechanic, an elderly gentleman who may or may not have been in the CIA—and Miranda herself. Clearly, the only way to solve this mystery is for Miranda to summon her skills as television’s Pastor Fran and draw on the help of her new sidekick, Susan, a shy bookstore clerk who seems to know everyone’s secrets. Because the show must go on!