A Christmas Portrait by J.P. Bowie

19012782Title: A Christmas Portrait

Series: Portrait #6

Author: J.P. Bowie

Genre: Seasonal/Murder Mystery

Length: Novella (29 K)

Publisher: MLR Press (November 29th, 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating:
♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb: When Peter and Jeff accept an invitation from their longtime friends Rod and ‘A’ to spend Christmas in London, they don’t expect murder and mayhem to be part of the festivities!

A Christmas pantomime, a British tradition, when families flock to the theatre for ribald entertainment, gender bending roles and thinly veiled innuendo. But jealousy, hate, murder? Surely, that’s not part of the entertainment? Or so Peter and Jeff think when they accept an invitation to spend Christmas in London from their longtime friends Rod and ‘A’ (short for Arthur). ‘A’ is making his return to the stage in Cinderella, playing one of the ugly sisters.

Things get really ugly when Ken Blackwell, the other sister, tries to shake up Arthur’s self-esteem by calling him a washed up old has-been, then goes on a rampage when the show’s director falls ill and Rod is asked to replace him.

Peter’s psychic intuition helps him see past the pantomime’s gaudy glitter and into the dark secrets, some people are desperate to conceal.

Product Link: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=JPBACHRP

Reviewer:   GiGi

Review: Written with an insider’s perspective of the theater, producing and participating in a show is a big part of this dark Christmas mystery.

Intuition, melancholy, guilt, and regret are going through Rod’s mind throughout the story, and we see the connection in the end. Murder and insider fighting blow through the theater as “A” and Rod try to keep the show together. This rather dark tale does reunite favorite characters from earlier in the series. But for me this book is really about relationships, showing the many stages of romantic relationships, the new and red-hot stage between Bruce and Roger, the comfortable and still new stage that Peter and Jeff enjoy, and the mature love and dedication of Rod and Arthur. We also see what happens when partners overcome troubled times in their love lives.

Even when relationships become toxic, but I can’t tell you who or why…you’ll have to pick up this mysterious book and read for yourself!