The Importance of Being Wright (The Mysteries of Just Another John Smith Shorts Book 7)
About
In a theater full of actors pretending to be “Ernest,” John Smith is the only one being sincere.
Eighteen-year-old John Smith is a person of principle in a world that often feels like a poorly rehearsed play. As a private investigator for the Noble Detective Agency, he has traded a “stereotypical” teenage life for a world of background checks, surveillance, and meticulous observation. In his line of work, John knows that the truth isn’t found in a script—it’s found in the details others miss.
When Jacklyn Wright, the Assistant Director of a local touring company, vanishes from a hotel in Little Rock, the “ticking clock” is literal. Jacklyn is a Type 1 diabetic, and without her daily insulin, her “disappearance” can quickly become a tragedy.
As John and his partner, Detective Evans, navigate the drafty wings of the theater during a rehearsal of The Importance of Being Earnest, they find a cast of characters who seem to be hiding behind their masks:
- Jacob Wright: The stage manager and husband whose “nonchalant” attitude about his wife’s disappearance sets off every one of John’s alarm bells.
- Martha Crump: The impatient Director who believes talent should be earned, not inherited—and has exactly five minutes to spare for the truth.
- Oscar: Jacklyn’s son, whose revelation stirs fear in the two detectives.
From the warm, cinnamon-scented refuge of a bakery named the Cookie Kingdom to the shadowy, dated surroundings of the theater, John must look past the “metaphysical speculations” of the actors to find the heart of the truth. In a case where identity is a performance and being “Wright” might be the biggest deception of all, John Smith is determined to find Jacklyn before the final curtain falls.
A grounded cozy mystery with a literary edge, The Importance of Being Wright explores the heavy cost of integrity and the enduring power of being earnest.