by Victoria Tait (Author) 

A Book Review by Jackie Houchin

Dotty Sayers does it again in Scotland!  Passing over the Cotswold’s and the world of antiques, Dotty flies from her 3-month stay in France to visit her parents in Edinburgh, unsure what her future will hold.

While there and after some sightseeing, she inadvertently gets involved with a theatre group performing a murder mystery in a small theatre. It’s festival time, and two VIP tickets have come to the Sayers flat. They were meant for the previous renters, but Dotty and her father are coaxed to use the tickets themselves.

On stage is a mock-up of an Underground (Tube, subway) train car. The play is Murder Underground and in the story after one of the passengers dies, the play is to show how the murderer is caught. To make it more interesting, about a dozen of the VIP ticket holders are brought on stage as extra passengers. They are not to speak, but naturally react to what they see and hear. Dotty and her father reluctantly take part.

Everything changes, however, when a real gun is fired in the darkness.

A TRULY important person is the victim and the police are called to investigate. Dotty becomes friends with a young Sergeant named Morag (shades of Keya) and the game is afoot. Dotty’s observation skills and insights prove invaluable. The ending is suspenseful and sad in several ways, but also hopeful.

Visiting her parents (an ex-military man and a posh businesswoman) is a life and attitude changing experience for Dotty. Old roles are changed and both Sayers parents now rightly view her as a woman of her own instead of a schoolgirl. It took them seeing her in the role of sleuth and helping to solve an actual murder.

Tait’s writing is engaging and clear, and I love her descriptions of Edinburgh.  I especially like the way she writes an entertaining mystery and at the same time is able to show serious character growth and change, and even tragedy. Yes, Deadly Performance is a fun cozy, but the deeper aspects ring true to real life. Well done!

5 stars

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