Press Kit
On Amazon UK:
Page-turner mystery will have you deliciously perplexed!
You will find the pages of this theatre-oriented Noir mystery flipping faster than Philip Marlowe’s phonebook left open downwind of his desk fan!
Veteran Thespian Rayne Radley returns to his small Minnesota hometown after a long career as an actor, director, composer, playwright, and, most recently, an author. He has a book deal that puts him under pressure from his publisher to keep sending material for a textbook aimed at community theatres. His initial royalties advance is dwindling, and he is suffering from writer's block.
Combined with the strain of trying to assist a hostile amateur theatre company, the group's unsupportive Board of Directors, his writer’s block, and pressures from his publisher, he is distractingly haunted by dark visions of the recent abduction and brutal murder of a talented young performer, Moli O’Connor, a troubled, young, hazel-eyed, red-haired free-spirit.
A dark current swirls below the surface of the bucolic small town's local theatre, and Rayne treads on dangerous boards as his journey into shadows unfolds. -
Embedded in the story are passages from Rayne's book about theatre. That's an instructive bonus for anyone involved in community theatre.
A Noir Thriller that excites and edifies.
That’s a big combo!
TM
On Goodreads:
An Amazing Hidden Gem
By pure happenstance, I came across this new book while searching for something else on Amazon. The Fates were smiling on me that day. Discovering STAGES is a major highlight in my 2025 reading adventures.
With a unique blend of exploring the worlds of theatre, popular music, a bizarre murder mystery, supernatural forces, and the incident-packed timelines of multiple decades, I found the work of this unknown author to be an astonishing, mind-bending book.
I have to use a cliche because it's so appropriate: This is an authentic "page turner." I was sucked into the unusual worlds of STAGES so completely that I had no choice but to make it my sole activity throughout one weekend. By the time I reached the last page, the power of the unpredictable ending clobbered me.
Seek it out. It's a gem waiting to be discovered by more people.
RB
On Amazon US:
Stages is a definite must-read!
Hitching a ride with the main character, Rayne, is an amazing experience filled with theatre, time travel, and character perspective. We follow the protagonist, whose psyche has bonded with that of a murdered aspiring actor, to reveal the dark forces behind her fate. A real page turner!
CJ
