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Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite
Farewell Performance by Donna Huston Murray is an intriguing mystery that hooks you right from the beginning. When Jan Fairchild returns to town, Ginger and her best friend Didi are excited to learn about her life as a star. But not everyone is happy with the actress’s return. Her reappearance stirs old grudges which take a deadly turn when Didi’s old-fashioned sleepover ends with Jan found murdered. Ginger can’t imagine one of the guests being capable of something so violent. To top it off, a homicide specialist seems to draw the wrong conclusions from Ginger’s observations and this could make her a suspect. Now, she has no choice but to dig into Jan’s arrival and see if any of the old grudges could be a motive for murder.
The opening is unique as it takes you directly into the crime scene and tells you who the victim is. This kicks off the mystery from the get-go and immediately captures your attention. The sleepover introduces the various suspects before going back and seeing what their motives are for murder. The sleepover takes a sharp turn from a cozy gathering of friends to murder. The format of the mystery incorporates a flashback to Jan’s arrival which introduces her and sets up what could potentially be what led to her death. This allows you to play catch-up with the different clues and motives that are highlighted from Ginger’s perspective. Present-day interjections interrupt the story to remind you that what you are reading is Ginger’s recap of what happened. Donna Huston Murry succeeds in crafting a mystery with this unique structure, setting the story apart from others in the genre. This is useful in showing the inner workings of the various friendships and to show that not everyone was happy to see her return, including whoever sent a mysterious letter threatening her. The other characters are well-rounded and make for ideal suspects. Farewell Performance is full of originality, suspense, charm, and endearing characters that make the mystery addictive and delightful.
