Book Review: Dead Man Waltzing by Ella Barrick (Ballroom Dance Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Entertaining characters and a surprisingly moving climax

Cons: Plot bogs down a bit in the middle

The Bottom Line:

Dancing through murder

Provides us with a fun read

Cozy fans will love

Waltzing Through a Murder

If there is a hobby or interest that doesn't have a cozy series devoted to it yet, just wait - one is coming shortly.  I'm more convinced of that than ever after enjoying the Ballroom Dance Mysteries.  Dead Man Waltzing is the second book in the fun series.

Our main character is Stacy Graysin, own of Graysin Motion Dance Studio.  It's a struggling studio in the Washington DC area.  In the first book of the series, she had to clear herself of the murder of her former fiancee and business partner.  Now, murder has once again danced into her life.

Corinne Blakely was a legend in the ballroom dance community, having competed for years.  So naturally, the entire ballroom dance community is shocked when Corinne is murdered - poisoned.

Stacy is just as upset as everyone else, but she is shocked when her friend and employee Maurice is the chief suspect.  I mean, just because he was one of Corinne's ex-husbands and was having lunch with her when she died doesn't mean he did it, right?  Can Stacy find the real killer before Maurice is sent to prison for something he didn't commit?

I really like the characters; I liked them in the first book, and they are a huge draw again here.  In fact, watching them all come together to support Maurice was very touching.  Stacy can be a bit foolish at times, but she manages to skate close to the stupid line without crossing over.  And a sub-plot with her family really helps flesh her out.  Some of the supporting characters are a bit one dimensional, but they work.

The plot starts off strongly and quickly introduces several suspects and motives.  However, it seems to stall out somewhere in the middle and the plot developments are fewer.  The characters carry us through that section, however, and the book reaches a logical climax.

The last 50 pages of the book manage to include a laugh out loud funny scene and a much more somber chapter.  The change in tone is handled with great ease, and even reading them in one sitting felt completely natural.  It helps make for a very satisfying read overall.

Overall, this is a fun read that will appeal to cozy fans, especially those who love to dance or watch the dancing shows on TV.  Dead Man Waltzing hits all the right steps to be an entertaining read.