Murder at the Mikado by Julianna Deering

Read First Chapter Excerpt Here

Just as Drew Farthering thinks his life has calmed down some, Fleur Landis, a former girlfriend, reappears, in dire need of his help. She's married now, no longer an actress--but the lead actor in her former troupe's production of The Mikado has been murdered, and Fleur is the police's number one suspect.

Drew would rather focus on his fiancée, Madeline Parker, and their upcoming wedding, but he can't leave Fleur and her family in the lurch--even if she did break his heart once. As Drew, Nick, and Madeline begin investigating, they discover more going on behind the scenes of the theater troupe than could ever have been imagined. It seems nearly everyone had a motive, and alibis are few and far between.

Both the murder case and the presence of the beautiful, exotic Fleur put a heavy strain on Drew and Madeline's relationship. Will their still-young romance survive the pressure?

Murder and the Mikado (Book 3 in the Drew Farthering Mysteries) by Julianna Deering was an interesting and intriguing mystery full of unexpected twists, turns, and revelations. The alibis appeared to be unbreakable, and the murders were unexpected and hard to explain. But as the mystery continued, new and unsettling discoveries rocked all of those who were involved. Drew and Madeline's relationship reached an interesting point in this novel. Madeline was so unsettled and mistrusting of Fleur, Drew's old heartbreak, and Drew's interest in her case, that she became quite unreasonable and I had trouble understanding her because I could not believe why she went to such an extreme. However, since I have always thought that Madeline and Drew's relationship started too quickly, I was glad to see them take some time to reevaluate their feelings about each other and their own selves before entering marriage. It was good to see them begin to work through old trust issues and begin to trust one another (and God) better with their futures. Drew was rather unfeeling to Madeline's desires, but eventually he saw the truth and became a better person from his struggle. Overall, I thought the mystery in this novel was fantastic, and while I was not completely fond of how Drew and Madeline's relationship changed, it did seem realistic and necessary to the continuation of a strong relationship between them.

I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.