Funeral of Figaro

 

Funeral of Figaro by Ellis Peters  192 pp.

Ellis Peters, the pseudonym of British author Edith Mary Pargeter, is best known for her series of mysteries featuring the medieval monk Brother Cadfael. This mystery is not part of that series. Instead it features an opera company homed in the Leander Theatre. Because of the death of the previous bass-baritone a replacement was hired for the roll of Figaro, one known to the European opera world. But Marc Chartrier has a problematic history involving his actions during WWII. Those actions affected multiple members of the cast in different ways. When Chartrier is stabbed with a rapier in a hidden part of the scenery during a performance the culprit has to be narrowed from several cast members. In fact, the number of suspects increases rapidly as the police investigate. In the end the police name the killer, one who may or may not have been the true murderer. I'm not sure I'm happy with the way this one ended.