Ghost in the Wings

Inspector Cameron Rande is head of Homicide in Toronto's Police Service but he doesn't want to be chained to a desk. He assigns himself to head the investigation into the murder of a high-profile developer in one of Toronto's modern skyscrapers with a bullet from an ancient rifle. Rande and his team are soon plunged into a double murder probe as a contractor is beaten to death with a musical instrument out of the 1950s. Both deaths are tied to The Revelle, a downtown, iconic theatre, which had been slated for demolition by the dead men. Rande and his college-bound daughter Amelia then meet Estelle Croft, an actress who starred at The Revelle in its heyday in plays like Bell, Book and Candle. Estelle becomes the strangest suspect Rande had ever met. She introduces Cam and Amelia Rande to Franklin, her mysterious manservant, and to Denny Croft. Actually, Denny is a ghost. Estelle's former husband is interred in a crypt in Estelle's big house downtown, but pops out regularly to read books and talk with his wife. Amelia takes to Estelle and, eventually, Denny, but Rande tries to avoid believing in spirits. His detectives are attacked at the theatre as they tie the murder weapons to The Revelle's huge storage room. Rande then finds the theatre is haunted by another former actor and war hero Frank Cavello who died at the Revelle decades before. It is Frank who leads Rande to his prime suspect. It is also Frank who is the Ghost waiting in the wings. This is an intricate murder mystery set in North America's fourth largest city. It's also a ghost story of unrequited love between actors and of a marvelous theatre that just won't die. Thrills, chills and romance.