Trouble in the Brasses

 In  this blog post, I reviewed Charlotte MacLeod’s (aka Alisa Craig) Trouble in the Brasses, the 4th installment in the Madoc Rhys mystery series, this Canadian caper has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. It all started for Inspector Madoc Rhys when he was requested by his father, Tad, to see him conduct the Wagstaffe Symphony play their concert. But some things went awfully wrong, when one of the lead trombonists had gotten sick and then later died on the site. Though undercover, he had to blend in with the other musicians to find out what happened to Wilhem Ochs and who wanted him dead. When he made his presence known with his title, he investigated all the players and discovered Ochs’s background along with learning about his sordid past. When there was an attempted strangulation on another musician, things turned dicey as they were stranded on Lodestone Flat with a busted airplane to make things get awfully wrong and later awry.  The more he later learned the truth, another brutal death had befallen them. Now before they were rescued, he would later learn whodunit and why in this locked-door mystery before it would be too late.

This intriguing mystery novel is captivating and full of suspense. I cared for Madoc because though he visited his parents in Wagstaffe, he had a job to do and did it well to discover the culprit when things might’ve gotten tense. I liked the dual locations of Wagstaffe and Lodestone Flat, Canada. It had good visualization for the scenic settings. The theme of the story is looks might be deceiving when murder is afoot. 

This fascinating mystery is compelling to keep you reading to the end in a quick read.  I rated this book, three out of five stars for no reason.  If you love fast-paced mystery capers with  plenty of dramatic action, heart-stopping suspense, and shocking gasps, Trouble in the Brasses  is a great read.. This book is recommended for those who love locked-room mystery capers set in Canada or in the USA, and those who love police procedurals and cozy mysteries.