B.J. Bowen spent nineteen years in the principal chairs of a professional symphony. Now she puts her fellow musicians, their tempers, their rivalries, and their instruments, on trial.
When a symphony musician is murdered, bludgeoned with her own bassoon, flutist Emily Wilson becomes the prime suspect.
To clear her name and find justice for her friend, Emily has one movement left before the final bar: catch the killer, or become the next victim. Backstage rivalries, tuning room secrets, and a conductor who trusts no one: the orchestra pit has never been this dangerous.
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A bassoon becomes a murder weapon, and flutist Emily Wilson must find the killer before the orchestra finds a new victim.
The curtain rises on a new stage, and a new body. Emily's amateur sleuthing takes her from the pit to the wings.
The finale closed out the trilogy with the biggest stage yet: fireworks, chaos, and one last mystery for Emily to solve.
Barbara Bowen is a freelance writer and an accomplished professional oboist who played with the Colorado Springs Symphony for nineteen years. Drawing on her quirky fellow musicians and years inside the orchestra, she writes as B.J. Bowen, turning backstage rivalries into absorbing crime fiction.
Her article "Letting Go with Grace," published in Unity Magazine, was a finalist and Honorable Mention in the 2018 Focus: Eddy Awards. She lives in Colorado with one dog, a stock of musical puns, and a song for any occasion.
Every musician has a motive, and Bowen's years on stage make each rivalry feel authentic.
Emily Wilson isn't a detective. She's a suspect racing the clock to clear her own name.
From tuning rooms to touring buses, the setting comes from a real career in a professional symphony.
All three Musical Murder Mysteries, including the finale, "Fireworks on the Fourth," are out now. Leave your email to hear about new releases, signings, and encore appearances from B.J. Bowen.