Secrets and Scrabble: Corpse at Captain’s Seat – Josh Lanyon

At long last, the renovations of stately Captain’s Seat are complete, and to celebrate, mystery bookseller and sometimes amateur sleuth Ellery Page decides to throw a house-warming party and invite all his New York theater friends to stay for the weekend.

When a freak snowstorm leaves the house-party cut off from the village of Pirate’s Cove, there’s nothing to do but drink, reminisce, and play board games. Or so Ellery thinks.

Until he’s trapped in a real-life game of Clue.

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Since the beginning of Secrets and Scrabble, when Ellery Page moved to Pirate’s Cove and inherited Crow’s Nest, a bookstore, and Captain’s Seat, he has been lamenting the sorry state of his sprawling ancestral mansion.

Fast forward to Corpse at Captain’s Seat, Book 8 of the cozy mystery series the titular house is now renovated. Ellery is hosting a housewarming party with his friends from the island and his old friends from Tisch in New York.

His New York friends arrived and were suitably awed by Captain’s Seat. But with a snowstorm coming, the party was canceled. Ellery and his friends hunkered down with wine and some board games. It wasn’t long before old habits and old grudges surfaced, the atmosphere made even tenser by the news of an escaped axe murderer loose in Buck Island.

I loved this! Josh Lanyon was having fun with metas. She’s done it before, but here, she’s layering the meta stuff pretty thick.

First, Ellery was a former actor, not an especially good one, he’s first to admit. He starred in a cult-favorite slasher series and is known as the Final Boy. He’s set to reprise his role in another sequel of his horror movie franchise. And now, there’s a missing hatchet, and he may or may not be trapped in a house with an axe murderer.

Ellery is also the owner of a bookstore specializing in mysteries. And he frequently stumbles upon mysteries whether he wants to or not. Even when there is no actual mystery yet, he’s roped in by his friends to solve some historical mystery because of his reputation as an amateur sleuth.

Here, he was reading Wikipedia about a missing diamond pendant stolen by the ancestor of the axe murderer while his group speculated where it is hidden on the island.

His fiancé, Jack Carson, is the chief of police. Jack met and quickly assessed Ellery’s college friends. Upon learning that one of their group, Noah, died in a hit-and-run when they were still students, Jack became intrigued with the circumstances of his death and started asking questions.

Ellery’s friends are mostly jobbing actors:

Tosh – a talented actress and special events organizer at a theater. She used to be married to Freddie, but she hooked up with Oscar during their stay in Captain’s Seat. Her split with Freddie was amicable

Oscar – works in film and television. He has a thing for Tosh since their college days.

Lenny – she’s a Goth girl and is close to Flip.

Phillip, a.k.a. Flip – is considered the better actor in the group. He and Lenny bunked together during their stay

Freddie – is a passable actor, but his good looks make him more appealing to the masses. His genial personality made him well-liked. He has a regular stint in the tv drama, LAPD Blues, as a detective

Chelsea – is the more talented actress but less attractive. She’s bitter about a lot of things. She’s known to pull pranks. She also stole the box of old photos Tosh brought with her. She more or less threw herself all over Freddie causing friction with Tosh

Belle – she’s engaged to a viscount. She’s a no-show because of a cancelled flight.

The group reminisces about a murder mystery play they starred in. They found themselves in an actual murder mystery in Captain’s Seat when one of them was lying dead in the secret passageway with an axe to the head. This person allegedly knew something about Noah’s death.

They played Clue to pass the time while waiting for the police to arrive. Per Jack’s instructions, because they were snowed in and roads still had to be cleared, Ellery is also gathering preliminary statements and securing the crime scene.

Captain’s Seat, with its countless secret passageways and underground tunnels, is an enigma on its own. Ellery’s ancestor, Horatio Page, was a famous pirate hunter. Buck Island was a notorious haven for pirates, and is full of underground tunnels and hidden lairs.

I lost count of the tropes and layers here, but this was the best installment so far! Ellery appreciates Jack’s solid dependability and trustworthiness more than ever. The supporting characters all stood out, whether in a good or bad way. The plot was mostly wining, dining, and snarking, but I was engrossed with the group’s history and dynamics.

However, the resolution was rushed, the big reveal was anti-climactic, and the confession was too convenient.

Corpse at Captain’s Seat is a reunion of old friends, opening of old wounds, and creating new memories. All in all, a highly entertaining cozy mystery where a party for old time’s sake ends in murder for old crime’s sake.

Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: Old Friend
Artist: Elderbrook
Album: Friends

P.S.

Secrets and Scrabbles must be read in order. Witness Ellery go from fish out of water to Buck Island’s very own amateur sleuth in the following:

Murder at Pirate’s Cove
Secret At Skull House
Mystery at the Masquerade
Scandal at the Salty Dog
Body at Buccaneer’s Bay
Lament at Loon Landing
Death at the Deep Dive

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