Author:
Writer, singer and actor Joanne Sydney Lessner draws on her own experiences pursuing a performing career in New York City for her acclaimed Isobel Spice Mysteries. With her husband, composer/conductor Joshua Rosenblum, she has co-authored several musicals, including the cult hit Fermat’s Last Tango and Einstein’s Dreams, based on the celebrated novel by Alan Lightman, opening Off Broadway in November 2019. Her play Critical Mass received its Off Broadway premiere in October 2010. Joanne is also a regular contributor to Opera News and a graduate of Yale University.

Dinner theater can be a death sentence. 

Actress Isobel Spice and her best friend Delphi Kramer are thrilled to finally have an opportunity to perform together, even if it’s just a cheesy interactive murder mystery at a judge’s lifetime achievement dinner. But when Isobel’s dramatic death scene is upstaged by a real murder and Delphi is left holding the still-smoking gun, Isobel drops the role of victim and assumes the role of detective. With the help of her precocious brother Percival and her reluctant temp agent James Cooke, Isobel peels back layers of deception to reveal a shocking abuse of power—and no shortage of suspects eager to deliver justice to a man who denied it to so many.

And Justice for Some

Sarah slammed the door shut behind her. "You came to see Maggie," she accused.


Isobel's hands flew up defensively. "She was a total surprise. Honest!"


"So you didn't talk about the judge at all?" Sarah raised a dubious eyebrow.


Isobel gave a wan smile. "I didn't say that."


Sarah circled behind her desk and sat down. "I really like you, Isobel. But I'm still very angry about what you pulled with Candy."


"I know," Isobel said, sinking into the visitor's chair. "That was completely out of line. In every way. I'm so sorry."


"Do you have another job?" Sarah asked finally.


"I'm hostessing at the restaurant where Delphi works."


Pushing aside an image of Carlo furiously grabbing Delphi's iPhone from her, Isobel forced a smile. "It's going."


"Empire State Youth Camp and Candy's connection to it."


"Candy had nothing to do with it," Sarah said quickly. 


Chapter 39