Exit Stage Death was such an entertaining and enthralling YA mystery. I absolutely adore both mysteries and theatre, so a book that combined the two was something I had to pick up. Eldred has crafted such a love letter to both artforms with plenty of theatrical Easter eggs scattered throughout. It celebrates the community that is formed around the theatre, sharing snippets of your favourite shows with a fellow fan and the joy from performing. On the flipside, there is a lot of competitiveness with plenty of talented performers pursuing the same role – depictions of this can often be on the cattier side. Eldred’s depiction highlights that ruthlessness and diligence to your craft, but in more of a tongue in cheek way, up until murder is added to the mix. There is an additional throughline about nepotism, stunt casting and influencer culture, focusing on the more cynical business aspects the industry can sometimes seem to uphold. It all folds together in the theatricality and the focus on creating a story, allowing for some interesting and brilliant surprises in store. At the centre of it all we have Livi, who embodies that mix of passion and drive. She is determined to prove herself with this final summer – to finally show her parents once and for all that she can pursue her dreams. Within this, she’s not above a little sneakiness to succeed and claim the top billing in the summer showcase. I enjoyed her voice and how theatrical she was, immersed in various musicals and thriving around her people. That lends itself well to her investigation and the unlikely connections she makes along the way. I enjoy the fraught dynamics between them and how this developed over the course of the story. It added a new layer to the high stakes, especially as ominous notes start to come into play (very Phantom esque). Exit Stage Death was a dream come true for a theatre obsessed reader like myself, but also a well-executed and enjoyable YA thriller.