Dead Musical

If you don't sing in tune, you could end up dead.

When Leo is approached by Elena (the first woman he ever slept with) claiming that her choir director has been murdered, he isn't sure what to believe at first. After all, Elena does admit to a touch of dementia - sadly, she can't remember her encounter with Leo, over fifty years ago - but he becomes involved when she explains that a rival singing group is after their boy soprano, Owen, who got them ten million downloads on TikTok.

Now a powerful rival singing group, financed by the predatory music publisher, Randall Thrupp, want him for themselves. . If Owen's group doesn't agree to a merger, they will be threatened and harried until they do.

First come the threats. Then a murder. Then a near fatal road accident that almost claims another life.

When intimidation fails, Thrupp escalates. Owen and fellow young soprano Scarlett are kidnapped. When even that doesn't break the choir's resolve, a gang is sent to seize the deconsecrated church where they rehearse.

What Thrupp hasn't counted on is the stubborn courage of ordinary singers, a network of detectives with personal stakes in the case, an ex-SAS busker, a remarkable young singer, and of course the skills of Leo's extraordinary dog, Pumpernickel.

As danger mounts and the battle for Owen's future reaches a crescendo, Leo must uncover the truth before more lives are lost. Can he foil the plot and restore musical harmony?

A witty, fast-paced mystery filled with music, mayhem, murder, and memorable characters, Dead Musical is another delightfully entertaining case in Peter Buckman's much-loved Pumpernickel Mysteries series.