A Cadenza for Caruso

Book excerpt: History’s greatest tenor hunts a killer at the Metropolitan Opera in this “hilarious” and “thoroughly delightful” mystery from a Shamus Award nominee (Publishers Weekly). Giacomo Puccini has always been a flirt. When he isn’t writing the most popular operas the world has ever known, he has an eye for the ladies, and he doesn’t care if his wife, Elvira, knows it. But after the composer participates in a harmless bit of chitchat with a servant girl, Elvira explodes with jealousy, driving the girl from the house and spreading lies so terrible that the innocent young woman takes her own life. Puccini is left shattered, driven nearly to suicide, and only Enrico Caruso can save him. The legendary tenor lures Puccini to New York to premiere his new opera on the Metropolitan stage. At first, all goes well. But when a member of the Metropolitan family is found murdered, all signs point to Puccini as the killer. To avert a real-life tragedy, the great Caruso takes on the most challenging role of his career: detective. A Cadenza for Caruso is the 1st book in the Opera Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.