This is the first in the Ivy Meadows Mystery series and it is a great start. I love the character if Ivy (real name Olive Ziegwart). "My name is Ivy Meadows, and I am an actress" is her affirmation statement as she is getting ready for her audition for Macbeth. Little does she know a new chapter in her life is about to begin. Ivy gets the part of witch #3 in this adaptation of Macbeth set in a circus. When the name of the play is uttered in the theatre on opening night, the curse is set. This is known as the Curse of the Scottish Play and something bad is going to happen. What happens is that one of the actors dies that night and Ivy is sure that he has been murdered. When she loses her day job as a waitress at Olive Garden, her uncle, a Private Investigator offers her a job. This gives her ample time and opportunity to do some digging regarding the death of Simon. She finally convinces her uncle to investigate the death and this sets in motion danger to others.

With this being the first in the series, we learn some background about Ivy/Olive and her family situation. We meet her brother, who will appear in future books. Ivy also is involved in a budding romance with another character in the play, but I do not know if this will continue in future books or if it has run its course. Personally, I hope it is finished. The characters of Uncle Bob and "Pink" the detective were great characters for Ivy to play off. There was quite a bit of humor in this story, I mean, Macbeth in a circus as well as situations in Ivy's personal life. The mystery was well plotted and I did not guess the culprit at all. I understand why this person did it at the end, but was not on my radar during the story. I enjoyed this story with spunky Ivy and look forward to seeing what she gets herself into next. If you enjoy humorous cozy mysteries, pick this one up. ( )

What reading fun Cindy Brown’s novel Macdeath offers to cozy readers who enjoy some belly laughs along the read. This is the first of the Ivy Meadows series. Even if you are not a Shakespeare aficionado, you’ll have fun taking a mysterious romp through the theater. The play is a hoot, the plot intriguing, and amateur sleuth Ivy Meadows, not her real name, is unafraid to take on a mystery no matter what the outcome may be.

Fluffy fun set in an Arizona community theater. Nice job on the setting, but the characters didn't hold up. Might read the next in the series though. ( )

I'm a huge fan of Henery Press mysteries, but not a huge fan of drama, acting, drama...so take my lukewarm review in context.

I liked Ivy but struggled to respect her; she carries her past to heavily and allows it to overly define her. She's still blaming herself for an accident she couldn't control when she was a child, even after therapy. The rest of the cast of characters were mostly throwaways and as such not worth remembering. Ivy's uncle seems as though he'll not only be a recurring character, but the humorous relief in future mysteries.

The plot was...so-so. It was great because I never even guessed the culprit but meh because when the murderer was revealed I didn't feel any sense of urgency or tension. Again, probably more to do with my lack of interest in what happens behind the theatre curtain.

All in all, well written and engaging. Despite my enthusiasm the story held me in when lesser writing would have given me the excuse to put down the book and walk away.

#2? ehhh, maybe. ( )

i know cindy a little, but think i stay objective in my reading.

this is quick and fun. ivy is not quite as formidable as i'd like, but she's probably realistic, and her not-so-steely personality lends to some good moments of humor. also she probably gets a bit more formidable as she goes and grows. i don't usually like such light reads, which this was, but it's what i needed right now. i might not have enjoyed it as much normally, but the timing was right and i found it funny and easy, with enough to keep me going. i'm not sure that the mystery was wrapped up perfectly, but i also can't find holes. i suspect that the others in the series improve on that front. and i would read them to see, as long as i wanted something fun and fast. because i really did have fun reading this, and seeing where she was going with the characters. speaking of, it was nice to have some of the backstory we got with ivy, and to set up some of the secondary players that i expect to see as the series continues (not the actors, which i would think would change from book to book). uncle bob is great, and she can get a lot of mileage out of cody (who i was so surprised and glad to find alive! and his story, and even her parents. lots of potential to continue on. and it's worth saying how fun it is to have a book center around shakespeare's scottish play and all the quotes and references and, of course, the curse. she does a good job clueing the reader in, if they don't know much about the play, but i'm sure the more you know, the more fun this is. and cindy obviously knows a lot, and had fun with it in this. plus, setting the book in a theater is atypical and was fun to be a part of. on top of that, there are other (non macbeth) literary references, so i enjoyed it.

"He leaned in close enough I could smell masculinity and romance and hope, or maybe just shaving cream."

"Betrayal. Such a Shakespearean concept. Well, Shakespeare's truths are timeless. I felt like such a fool. Another Shakespearean concept. He wrote about two kinds of fools, though. There are the fools who were really wise, like Lear's fool, and then there were the poor deluded suckers like Duncan who believed in friends who killed them in their sleep. So which on was I?" ( )