Clearance: Murder in Third Position

Lori Robbins

The Nutcracker ballet is filled with holiday cheer, but no one is happy, least of all lead dancer Leah Siderova. It's bad enough when Maurice Kaminsky forces her to perform upon a shaky platform, which teeters high above the stage. It's worse when the curtain opens on the first murder victim, and the scene looks more like the end of Romeo and Juliet than a child's vision of Christmas.

The dancers were unanimous in their dislike of Maurice, and they eagerly anticipated his departure. What they didn't foresee is that he would exit in a body bag, and not on a nonstop flight to LA.

Leah doesn't want to get involved in the ensuing murder investigation, but when suspicion falls upon Tex, her dance partner and friend, she has no choice but to act. She enlists the Choreographers of Crime for help, but it's her life, her career, and her complicated romance with homicide detective Jonah Sobol that's on the line.

With opening night less than a week away, and the future of American Ballet Company hanging in the balance, can Leah save Tex in time to save the show?