The Spirit in Question is Cynthia Kuhn's third book in her Lila Maclean series, after The Semester of our Discontent and The Art of Vanishing, which I wrote about earlier here. Lots of humor, both in the voice and in the inside jokes. After reading this book, no one will ever want to teach at a small college.
English professor Lila Maclean knew drama would be involved when she agreed to consult on Stonedale University’s production of Puzzled: The Musical. But she didn’t expect to find herself cast into such chaos: the incomprehensible play is a disaster, the crumbling theater appears to be haunted, and, before long, murder takes center stage.
The show must go on—yet as they speed toward opening night, it becomes clear that other members of the company may be targeted as well. Lila searches for answers while contending with a tenacious historical society, an eccentric playwright, an unsettling psychic, an enigmatic apparition, and a paranormal search squad. With all of this in play, will she be able to identify who killed her colleague…or will it soon be curtains for Lila too?
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY
“Lila Maclean returns with theatrical hilarity and otherworldly suspense. A fabulous backstage whodunit.” -- Gretchen Archer, USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-nominated author of the Davis Way Crime Caper Series
“An A+ academic mystery! This delightful cozy deserves extra credit for its clever protagonist, laugh-out-loud dramatics, and layers of mystery. Add in ghostly intrigue and a haunted opera house, and The Spirit in Question is the perfect Halloween read.” -- Nora Page, author of the Bookmobile Mysteries
“Murder, protests and a haunted theater--Stonedale University English professor Lila Maclean deals with it all with wit and humor in The Spirit In Question, a must-read for cozy mystery fans.” --Sybil Johnson, author of the Aurora Anderson Mysteries
“Delightful heroine Lila and her supporting cast conjure a fun show stopper in The Spirit in Question. Old scandals, new rivalries, a ghostly menace--and a determined killer will keep readers puzzling over whodunit until the final act.” --Vickie Fee, author of the Liv & Di in Dixie Mysteries
WHERE TO FIND IT
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cynthia Kuhn writes the Lila Maclean Academic Mystery series: The Semester of Our Discontent, an Agatha Award recipient for Best First Novel; The Art of Vanishing, a Lefty Award nominee for Best Humorous Mystery; and The Spirit in Question. Her work has also appeared in McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Literary Mama, Copper Nickel, Prick of the Spindle, Mama PhD, and other publications. She is professor of English at Metropolitan State University of Denver and president of Sisters in Crime-Colorado. For more information, please visit cynthiakuhn.net.
FEARLESS BLOGGER TOUR
This blog is part of a tour organized by the International Thriller Writer's Association FEARLESS BLOGGER tour. The Fearless Bloggers were created by Alison McMahan to help new thriller writers who were members of ITW promote their work. Blogs are written about new thrillers by thriller writers. All work is done on a volunteer basis. Other blogs in this tour include: