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Bestselling author Joe Cosentino won Divine Magazine’s awards for best mystery novel, best humorous novel, and best contemporary novel of 2015. He is the author of the Jana Lane mysteries: PAPER DOLL, PORCELAIN DOLL, SATIN DOLL, CHINA DOLL, and the upcoming RAG DOLL (The Wild Rose Press); the Nicky and Noah mysteries: DRAMA QUEEN, DRAMA MUSCLE, and the upcoming DRAMA CRUISE (Lethe Press); the Cozzi Cove beach series: COZZI COVE: BOUNCING BACK and COZZI COVE: MOVING FORWARD (NineStar Press); the romance novellas: IN MY HEART anthology (AN INFATUATION and A SHOOTING STAR), A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, and THE NAKED PRINCE AND OTHER TALES FROM FAIRYLAND (Dreamspinner Press); and THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING (Eldridge Plays and Musicals). As an actor, he has appeared in principal roles in film, television, and theatre opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married.
Reviewed by Java Davis for Readers' Favorite
Drama Queen by Joe Cosentino is the first book in his Nicky and Noah mystery series. The premise is that these two men are teachers at the fictional Treemeadow College in New England. They teach in the Theatre Department, an enormous department that includes many other teachers, student interns, techies, and students. But the ranks are thinned thanks to a serial killer in their midst. In hunting for the killer, a boatload of secrets comes out - everyone has at least one secret, if not more.
A counterpoint to the mystery in Drama Queen is the budding romance between Professor Nicky Abbondanza, a tenured teacher of Directing, and Professor Noah Oliver, an acting teacher who is up for tenure. Joe Cosentino provides the reader with plenty of interdepartmental politics that are completely realistic in my experience. Will Noah get his tenure? Will Nicky's theater production finally see its opening night? Can Nicky and Noah become a helpful Sherlock and Watson for Martin, the Department Head, who wants this whole serial killer mess behind them? I like what I term "ensemble fiction," and this book is full of a wide assortment of characters.
Obviously, the basic premise of the Nicky and Noah mystery series is that they become a couple. I don't think this statement needs a spoiler alert. They become a loving couple, who, presumably will continue to solve mysteries together. The book's several plots are never forced into their moulds. They seem natural and effortless. Throughout the book, we can hear Nicky's thoughts, which makes him a very endearing character, full of strengths and doubts (and massive endowments).
