Hard-boiled 1920s private detective Buck Baxter has a new romance to kindle with playboy Holden Hart while at the same time trying to solve a new murder mystery at a seemingly cursed theater on Broadville. But if he doesn't solve this case in time, Buck and Holden might be taking their final bows.

Something sinister is occurring at the Maharaja Majestic Theatre on Broadville Boulevard. The domineering actress, Dominique Duprey, has vanished without a trace, the opening night of the theatre’s new production of The Snake Charmer’s Slave is now in jeopardy, and six suspects are about to have the pleasure of meeting Buck Baxter, Private Detective, as he investigates whether there’s a killer on the loose… or a phantom at the opera?

Could it be the handsome leading man, Errol Hemingway, who’s responsible for the disappearance of his leading lady… or perhaps it’s that sweet, doe-eyed understudy Olivia Overton? Is it the theatre owner himself, the tall and mysterious Raja Khan who has committed the crime… or the show’s investor, the autocratic aristocrat Serafina Somerset? Or is it possible that the meek and mild stage manager Stanley Small, or the flamboyant and frustrated director Barnabas Blake, is guilty? And what of Buck’s romance with playboy millionaire Holden Hart? Will Buck get a backstage pass to access all areas of his one true love… or will this be the final curtain for Buck and Holden? Follow the clues, and you might just solve… the mystery of the disappearing divas!

Buck Baxter and the Disappearing Divas is the second adventure in the Buck Baxter Mysteries. It is a campy, noir, 28k-word detective mystery featuring a tough and troubled leading man, a heartthrob love interest with secrets of his own and a hilarious cast of supporting characters. Enter a world of prohibition, gangsters, speakeasies, jazz clubs, star-crossed romance, brooding heroes and a mystery with a twist.

Art Brown

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