Erin Kaste’s Foul Play presents itself as a murder mystery but leans heavily into romance, making it a mixed experience for mystery purists. While the central crime provides an intriguing backdrop, much of the narrative focuses on relationships, flirtations, and romantic entanglements rather than a gripping investigative journey.

The novel follows the protagonist as they navigate both danger and desire, often prioritizing personal connections over unraveling the crime. That being said, Kaste ensures that the murder plot remains present throughout, eventually bringing the story back to the mystery and its resolution. The pacing might feel uneven for readers expecting a tightly woven whodunit, but those who enjoy a blend of suspense and romance may find the novel engaging.

Overall, Foul Play offers a light mystery with a strong romantic subplot. While it may not satisfy die-hard fans of the genre, it succeeds in creating tension, intrigue, and emotional depth. Readers looking for a balance between crime and romance will likely appreciate its unique approach.

Kirsten Lindquist is an orchestral music librarian. I’ve never read a book about a character with that job before. The story focuses on the musicians and workers at a local orchestra. When accidents start happening to some musicians and more then one ends up dead, Kristen wants to figure out why. Helpful to her is Tonya the tv reporter she recently broke up with, Shay the womanizer who always hits on Kirsten and Stephanie who is the manager of the orchestra.

There are a lot of twists in the plot and a lot of characters introduced in the beginning. But it is easy to quickly sort them out. I found I wasn’t invested much in the romance between Shay and Kirsten. I did like Shay’s backstory and was glad to see her get some happiness. I did like the orchestra setting but it was very detailed and may be too much for some.

I had high hopes for a suspenseful, music-infused crime story, but this book moved too slowly for my taste. The excessive detail about the orchestra felt dull, and the romance between Kristin and Shay was underdeveloped. Unfortunately, I never connected with Kristin as a main character, making it hard to stay engaged. I ended up skimming through much of it, hoping for more intrigue and chemistry. If you're deeply interested in the orchestra world, this might work for you, but it wasn’t the right fit for me.

First book by this author and it didn't hit the mark for me. It was very slow paced for what I was expecting to be more suspenseful. Tons of detail about the orchestra which was boring in my opinion and not near enough romance between Kristin and Shay. I wish i has more to say, but barely finished this and ended up skimming through most of it.

I wanted to like this book, but I didn't. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review,

I wanted to like a book about musicians and a crime store linked. However, I never got into the story, way to many details about the orchestra world and way to little romance. Unfortunately the MC Kristen was never someone I rooted for. The story is in fact quite slow.

Kristen is overwhelmed with her job as orchestral music librarian even though she loves it. She somewhat gets involved with Shay who is known for her womanizer ways while she gets to know Stephanie who is the manger but this takes a turn when musicians starts to died from mysterious accidents. Kristen Stephanie and Shay team up to found what going on while also dealing with their own problems but will they be able to find the murderer without becoming the next victim. I enjoy this read love mystery and twists and turns and characters development was on point.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

A romance thriller at his best.

The twists, caracters was amazing. I was definitely hooked from the start.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.