Death in the Dressing Room - (Fethering Mystery) by Simon Brett (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Carole Seddon, a very respectable retired woman living in the English seaside village of Fethering, doesn't care for the theatre. But her neighbor Jude counts the job of actress among her many and varied past careers. So when Jude attends the closing night of a new play based on a classic TV sitcom, Carole is interested--but only because she suspects the leading man, Drake Purslow, is one of her scandalous friend's ex-lovers. The night turns out to be more dramatic than either Carole or Jude could have ever predicted. After the performance, Jude makes her way to Drake's dressing room, only to find him dead--in what, to Jude's experienced sleuthing eye, seem very suspicious circumstances. Did one of the play's cast--made up almost entirely of the original sitcom's actors--have a long-held grudge against the show's star? Or are more recent hatreds to blame? Jude is determined to find out--and Carole, who despite protestations is almost pathologically nosy, is right there to investigate alongside her"--

Book Synopsis

Neighbours Carole and Jude investigate murder most horrid in the theatre in the latest Fethering village mystery from the original king of British cozy crime, internationally best-selling, award-winning author Simon Brett, OBE. For fans of Richard Osman - but with added bite!

Carole Seddon, a very respectable retired woman living in the English seaside village of Fethering, doesn't care for the theatre. But her neighbour Jude counts the job of actress among her many and varied past careers. So when Jude attends the closing night of a new play based on a classic TV sitcom, Carole is interested - but only because she suspects the leading man, Drake Purslow, is one of her scandalous friend's ex-lovers.

The night turns out to be more dramatic than either Carole or Jude could have ever predicted. After the performance, Jude makes her way to Drake's dressing room, only to find him dead - in what, to Jude's experienced sleuthing eye, seem very suspicious circumstances.

Did one of the play's cast - made up almost entirely of the original sitcom's actors - have a long-held grudge against the show's star? Or are more recent hatreds to blame? Jude is determined to find out - and Carole, who despite protestations is almost pathologically nosy, is right there to investigate alongside her.

Not met Carole and Jude yet? Dive right in, and discover why The Guardian called Simon Brett "one of British crime's most assured craftsmen". Fans of Janice Hallett and M.C. Beaton are in for a treat.

Review Quotes

Suspense and comedy keep bubbling throughout. A feast-- "Booklist Starred Review"

One of the great pleasures of reading any of Simon Brett's (A Messy Murder, Death and the Decorator) four series is that you can just pick a volume and get going . . . Fun, fast, and totally credible

-- "First Clue"

A low-simmering puzzle spiced with theatrical gossip and an unusually well-hidden killer-- "Kirkus Reviews"

An edgy cozy, filled with dry wit and deft plot twists-- "Booklist Starred Review of Death and the Decorator"

Brett is brilliant at showing how throwaway comments and casual snubs intensify cruelty to outsiders. This is an especially incisive Fethering adventure with a shocker of an ending-- "Booklist Starred Review of Guilt at the Garage"

Full of surprising twists and amusing detours. This is sprightly good fun-- "Publishers Weekly on Death and the Decorator"

Ingeniously drawn characters, deft timing of twists, and a to-die-for climax. A stunner-- "Booklist Starred Review of The Killer in the Choir"

Peppered with wry wit, the story unfurls smoothly and swiftly-- "Publishers Weekly on The Killer in the Choir"

Slyly witty . . . Well-developed subplots support the intricate narrative. Brett proves once again to be a master of the amateur sleuth genre-- "Publishers Weekly on Guilt at the Garage"

The familiar but still unlikely duo play to their strengths in this mannerly cozy-- "Kirkus Reviews on Death and the Decorator"