Elizabeth Elwood – författare

Angela Benson inherits a fortune when her Aunt Maud is murdered, but the killer is never found, and suspicion continues to cloud her life. Then as Angela''s career begins to take off, new evidence comes to light that throws her back into the center of a murder investigation. As Angela prepares for the role of Amanda in Noel Coward''s Private Lives, she finds herself embroiled in a sinister play beyond the footlights.

To Catch an Actress and Other Mystery Stories is a new collection of short stories by Elizabeth Elwood, whose murder mystery play, Casting for Murder, produced in the year 2000, was based on the lead story in this anthology. Elizabeth''s extensive background in theatre, opera, education, politics, and arts administration has resulted in this light-hearted and thoroughly entertaining series of ten mystery stories which feature Bertram Beary, the feisty city councillor who was introduced in Casting for Murder, his opera-singing daughter, Philippa, and his detective inspector son, Richard. The stories combine the lively Vancouver musical theatre scene with the traditional British cozy. Witty, sophisticated, and cleverly developed, this anthology provides intriguing plots that will appeal to mystery lovers everywhere.

Of Renovations: "[A] delightful comedy with a dash of murder mystery thrown in for good measure"-Surrey Now

Of Casting for Murder: "[G]ood dialogue, snappy one-liners suspense and surprises "-The Record

Cover Photo: Michael Broderick and Donna Thompson in Casting for Murder, World Premiere, November 2000, directed by Dwayne Campbell, Bernie Legge Theatre

Opera singer and part-time sleuth, Philippa Beary, returns in the second of a series of lighthearted mystery books featuring the Beary family. In A Black Tie Affair and Other Mystery Stories, Philippa-together with her feisty city councillor father and her detective inspector brother-foils would-be criminals in a variety of settings.

In the title story, set against the backdrop of the world of professional singing, Bertram Beary thwarts the poisoning of a beautiful prima donna during a New Year''s Eve gala performance of Die Fledermaus. In "The Mephisto Waltz Jump," rivalry between two young champions at the skating rink results in a catastrophic accident-or was it an accident? And an abandoned dog becomes the key to the unravelling of a deadly plot in "A Grim Ferry Tale."

With subjects that range from political controversies to disasters at the Christmas pantomime, these nine intriguing stories will challenge mystery lovers everywhere.

Well-crafted stories which will delight mystery fans. Kirkus Discoveries

Elwoods believable situations, natural dialogue and wit make her stories a pleasure to read. Annie Boulanger, Burnaby Now

I found great enjoyment reading the stories Original and evocative. Barbara Kay, National Post columnist

The Beary family returns in The Beacon and Other Mystery Stories, the third book featuring feisty city councillor, Bertram Beary, his opera-singing daughter, Philippa, and his detective inspector son, Richard. In the title story, a former opera singer who was renowned for her performance as La Gioconda becomes the prime suspect when her husbands body washes ashore near their waterfront home the same day that his mistress dies in a fiery inferno on the other side of the channel.

As the book progresses, the senior members of the Beary family solve The Mystery of the Boston Teapots while walking The Freedom Trail during a visit to Massachusetts. Back at home, Philippa discovers that no one can solve a problem like Maria when she takes on the leading role in a local production of The Sound of Music.

While every story presents a puzzle of its own, Philippas own story is interwoven throughout the book as she overcomes personal disappointments and forms new friendships. Ultimately, when she and her sister, Juliette, undertake a prestigious engagement at a high-society Christmas party, even the blanket of snow covering the Lower Mainland cannot quell her spirits as she realizes that someone who seemed an enemy in the past may well turn out to be a very special somebody in her future.

The least likely person is the killer, and no one is really who they seem. So Jordan Hope tells his cast as they prepare to rehearse Agatha Christies The Mousetrap. However, Jordan does not realize that, nearby, in the snowy streets of Gastown, a real murder has taken place. By the time the show is over, another will die and The Agatha Principle will strike again. In her fourth book featuring the Beary family, Elizabeth Elwood delivers another thoroughly satisfying collection. The Agatha Principle is followed by seven cleverly crafted shorter stories with a variety of settings. In The Man in the Cage, a child falls into deadly peril at the 2010 Winter Olympics; a dramatic historical mystery dating back to the War of 1812 is featured in Tragedy at The Oaks, and the book closes on a delightfully light-hearted note as the Bearys visit Vancouvers Bright Nights and solve The Mystery of the Christmas Train. With intriguing puzzles to challenge the reader and an engaging story of a charming heroine whose relationship with a Vancouver detective is as captivating as the cases they solve together, The Agatha Principle and Other Mystery Stories is a must for lovers of classic mystery fiction.