Murder, Music, and Manuscripts

A Spotlight on Angels’ Blood: Murder in the Chorus

What happens when the soaring harmonies of Handel’s Messiah are interrupted by a soprano’s fatal fall? In Roberta Mantell’s debut novel Angels’ Blood: Murder in the Chorus, the answer is a tangled web of secrets, scandals, and symphonic intrigue.

WSHU’s Joan Baum dives into Mantell’s choral whodunit in her latest Baum on Books podcast, praising the novel’s rich musical backdrop and its feminist firepower. Mantell, herself a seasoned singer with New York’s Oratorio Society and Cecilia Chorus, brings authenticity and passion to every page—especially when challenging outdated views on women composers.

The story opens with arts reporter Piper Morgan sprinting barefoot down a backstage ramp after a soprano collapses on the stairs. Was it an accident? A case of mistaken identity? Or something far more sinister? As the chorus reels from the tragedy, Piper and the conductor’s sharp-tongued wife Nicole Jennings-Barlow uncover a second mystery: two identical Requiem manuscripts—one signed by a forgotten 19th-century housewife, Lisha Lovington, and the other by none other than Sir Edward Elgar.

Mantell masterfully alternates between present-day sleuthing and historical letters, weaving a tale that’s equal parts murder mystery and musical reclamation. Themes of female friendship, artistic legacy, and journalistic ethics pulse through the narrative, making Angels’ Blood more than just a page-turner—it’s a call to recognize the unsung voices of music history.

And if you’re wondering how a forgotten manuscript could rewrite the legacy of one of Britain’s most celebrated composers—or what secrets lie behind the soprano’s final aria—Joan Baum’s podcast delivers the intrigue with wit and warmth. You’ll never look at a choral rehearsal the same way again.

Whether you’re a seasoned chorister or a curious reader, this novel hits all the right notes. And if Piper Morgan’s tenacity is any indication, we haven’t seen the last of her.