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seetheworld1357
Posted March 24, 2011
An exciting mystery with great characters and plot!
"Murder in the Pit," the latest fascinating novel written by the multi-talented and award-winning Erica Miner, is a compelling murder mystery set in the luxurious Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. With its complex and intriguing plot, the novel is filled with cinematic details surrounding a cast of wonderfully distinctive characters, including musicians, conductors, singers, managers, stagehands and even an opera-loving police detective. Having performed for many years as a first-violinist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra herself, Erica brings her own musical experiences and writer's skills to create a novel that will be loved not only by all ardent opera fans and mystery story aficionados, but by anyone who enjoys excellent writing, great characters, witty dialogue, realistic details and a plot that keeps you on edge from beginning to end. Erica's novel also brilliantly captures the parallel social worlds that co-exist and intersect in New York: from the illustrious and charismatic older conductor to the virtuosic and beautiful violinist ingenue; from glitzy fox-stole-and-diamonds-wearing wealthy opera goers to gritty but talented street musicians; and from the highly emotional fantasy world of opera to the real-life crime of murder. Through her unique writing style that blends words and music, Erica establishes and changes the mood and tempo of her novel through both musical and textual techniques, just as an opera composer uses the lyricism of music and the power of words to create the fantasy and emotional expressiveness of opera on stage. In this her first foray--and we hope not her last--into the world of the murder mystery, Erica showcases how the fantasy of opera can mirror the reality of murder--and visa versa. May we all be lucky enough to read continuing sequels of the exploits of the young violin virtuoso Julia Kogan, who makes her novelistic debut in this book, which by way could definitely be a big hit on the silver screen. In fact, "Murder in the Pit" has all of the film potential of bringing together the visceral suspense and timing of Hitchcock with the musical beauty and power of "Amadeus." Now that's a movie!
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LargoLobo
Posted May 6, 2010
Tarantella Dramatica
This is a fast paced suspense with twists and turns not unlike those within the catacombs of the MET itself. The drama takes you to the very edge. Erica's first-hand knowledge of the MET and its politics carries the story to its conclusion with realism. The delicate violinist's debut into the hard-knock life in the pit soon turns her into a hardened veteran by stories end. The characters loom out at you at every corner. Bravo Erica.
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LesLD
Posted May 2, 2010
Murder in the Pit
A first-rate mystery, with an abundance of inside info about the Met Opera. Ms.Miner is a rare novelist who can switch the point of view from character to character without weakening the plot or narrative flow. Also, her command of dialogue (and dialect) is perfectly suited to each character---musicians, stagehands, detectives, opera singers, etc. Moreover, you don't have to be an opera buff to enjoy this novel.
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