BREAK A LEG DARLINGS (Marion Babson)

Many mystery series allow you the opportunity to read non-consecutively; each novel includes a brief introduction to the ongoing characters and their relationships as well to the community in which the action takes place. This novel, unfortunately, is not one of those. Trixie and Evangeline, the main characters in this quirky novel, are aging actresses who are looking for a play in which to star and, with this goal in mind, attend a series of 'pub theater" productions. While the novel itself is interesting enough, it would have been so much more interesting to read if one didn't have to spend nearly the whole 184 pages trying to figure out the who, what, where, and why of the main characters. I didn't realize that Martha was Trixie's daughter until about 1/3 of the way through the book and I wasn't quite sure if Trixie and Evangeline, who live together, were old friends or something more. I enjoyed the descriptions 0f the different pubs and the characters who seemed to be staples in the series, but I have to admit that the mystery left a little to be desired. Sweetums, a rival aging actress, dies tragically in the middle of the book, but it isn't until the very end that anyone even considers the possibility of murder. The reader is left out of almost all of the plotting and planning leading up to the finale and it is not clear who exactly is supposed to be the sleuth in all of this. I have read some of Marion Babson's other mysteries and I wouldn't NOT recommend this one, but I would caution the reader to just sit back and enjoy the atmosphere if you haven't read any of the previous Trixie and Evangeline mysteries. It's confusing, otherwise!