Welcome to the Palace movie theater! Now Showing: Philandering husbands, ghostly sidekicks, and a murder or two.When Nora Paige’s movie-star husband leaves her for his latest co-star, she flees Hollywood to take refuge in San Francisco at the Palace, a historic movie theater that shows the classic films she loves. There she finds a band of misfit film buffs who care about movies (almost) as much … much as she does. She also finds some shady financial dealings and the body of a murdered stranger. Oh, and then there’s Trixie, the lively ghost of a 1930’s usherette who appears only to Nora and has a lot to catch up on. With the help of her new ghostly friend, can Nora catch the killer before there’s another murder at the Palace?
more
I really liked the movie references and suggestions at the end of each chapter! I love old movies and it was a reminder of some great ones!
Great cozy mystery with great characters. Really liked this book and am now on Book 2 of the series.
I really enjoyed this book and read the whole series as a result. Am looking forward to seeing some of the classic movies described.
A ghost, a classic movie theater and murder make a great combination in this mystery. I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.
“Murder at the Palace” Earns 5/5 Classic Films…Clever and Totally Engaging!
Day 1—Nora is introduced to the vintage Palace Theater as its new manager, but notices it needs some TLC…there goes the ice machine! Down in the basement, set to haul up ice from the back-up machine, she finds a body…frozen…dead! Authorities suggest the body had been dead for about two weeks…right around the same time Kate Winslow, the previous manager, had her deadly “accident.” In the light of this dead body, the circumstances surrounding Kate’s death become curious, if not downright suspicious. And then there’s the rumors of hauntings? The Palace was even the subject of one of those ghost-hunting reality shows, but other than some flickering lights and cold spots in the balcony, nothing was caught on film. Nora doesn’t believe in ghosts, of course, but when she suffers a concussion after falling off a ladder, she sees…Trixie?
I always enjoy a little paranormal in my cozy, and this first-in-a-series is just what I wanted…it all works brilliantly! Margaret Dumas has penned an excellent cozy with more than one mystery to explore with secrets, surprises, classic film references, wonderful quirky characters, and a ghost! Everything…everything was fascinating from the movie references linked to the plot, highlights of San Francisco, pasts coming back to haunt, and each character having the strength to let another person in. It was a page-turner extraordinaire with a well-written first-person narrative sharing Nora’s inner thoughts, vivid descriptions to fill the senses, and entertaining banter that illustrated personality and emotion. Nora is an injured soul, who isn’t, but she may just have found the right place to shine and find her strength. I loved it! Ooooh, is that a cliffhanger prefacing a book two?
I also love the bonus that many authors incorporate in to the story: tips, ideas, or extra information on a particular subject or the theme of their series. With Margaret’s focus on an old theater and classic films, she includes facts to provide a connection to the drama or educate the reader. In the Author’s Notes at the beginning of the book, Margaret does alert readers to some spoilers when discussing some old films. Every few chapters or so, she includes a blog-like post written by a mysterious character. “Movies My Friends Should Watch by Sally Lee” focuses on a specific film by giving facts, plot details, and insights. Don’t skip those parts, they are fascinating!
An entertaining cozy mystery with an chatty ghost!
Nora has been her husband’s unpaid manager for years. He thanks her by leaving her for a much younger woman. The old movie theater in San Francisco provides a new start for her. But on her first day… yep, you guessed it!
The story was good! I was drawn in completely. I really liked all the main characters. But Trixie stole the show for me. I LOVED HER!!! The ghost of a 1930’s usherette. And she’s so excited because finally – finally! – someone can see her and actually talk to her! Her lonely days are over.
I am not a huge connoisseur of old movies, no, I’m sorry: classic films. But that didn’t matter at all. The references were well explained. And those little blog thingies: I didn’t really care for them. For me, they took the flow out of the story, but by first skimming through them then skipping them altogether that was easily remedied. But if you’re a fan of old movies, you will love these blogs.
And I’m happy to say I was wrong about whodunit and about some important clues. I like being wrong in a murder mystery. I like being surprised! Yes, I will definitely want to read more by this author.
Murder at the Palace by Margaret Dumas was an intriguing mystery by a “new to me” author.
Nora Paige comes to San Francisco from Hollywood to hide out from the paparazzi after her movie-star husband leaves her for his current co-star. She takes over the management of the Palace movie theater for her best friend, Ronni. I liked Nora and found her to be smart, curious and intuitive. The staff at the Palace are quirky individuals who all seem to fit in this historic movie theater.
A smoothly paced plot, possibly more than one murder, Columbian money men, a legal marijuana shop nearby and the big question – where do you hide $7 million dollars led me down a twisted path until the reveal. I enjoyed reading the story; but I do have one small thing that bothered me while reading. Whenever Ms. Dumas named a classic film, the title of the film was always followed, in parenthesis, by the year the film was made and the principal cast members. I found this to be distracting. I would rather see this type of information in a list at the beginning of the book rather than it breaking up the story. All in all, a complex mystery with some great characters.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Henery Press via Edelweiss. All of the above opinions are my own.