3.5
Death at the Dress Rehearsal
ByPublisher Description
‘Douglas brings a light touch to an intriguing mystery centred on two opposites… Together they give a flying start to a new crime series’ The Daily Mail
Two ageing actors attempt to solve a murder after a body is found on the set in this witty, fun whodunnit, perfect for fans of Thursday Murder Club and Death & Croissants.
In 1970, on the set of downmarket sitcom 'Floggit and Leggit', leading man Edward Lowe stumbles across the body of a woman, apparently the victim of a tragic drowning accident. But there's something about her that rings the faintest of bells in Edward's head and, convinced the woman has been murdered, he enlists the help of his co-star John le Breton to investigate further. Crossing the country and back again during gaps in filming, the two men uncover both a series of murders in the modern day, and links to another unfortunate death during the War. As the body count mounts, Edward and John face a race against time to save the innocent victims of a serial killer...
Two ageing actors attempt to solve a murder after a body is found on the set in this witty, fun whodunnit, perfect for fans of Thursday Murder Club and Death & Croissants.
In 1970, on the set of downmarket sitcom 'Floggit and Leggit', leading man Edward Lowe stumbles across the body of a woman, apparently the victim of a tragic drowning accident. But there's something about her that rings the faintest of bells in Edward's head and, convinced the woman has been murdered, he enlists the help of his co-star John le Breton to investigate further. Crossing the country and back again during gaps in filming, the two men uncover both a series of murders in the modern day, and links to another unfortunate death during the War. As the body count mounts, Edward and John face a race against time to save the innocent victims of a serial killer...
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesDeath at the Dress Rehearsal Reviews
3.5
“I was quite bored with the first half of this book. It really picked up towards the end, and I enjoyed it a lot more. I think it could have been shorter by 100 pages or so, but I liked it over all.”
“Taking a break from filming a cheap BBC sitcom, aging actor Edward Lowe stumbles across the body of a young woman in a nearby reservoir. And so begins this 70s-set cosy mystery novel, as Edward's convinced the police are wrong to write this off as an accident and he recruits co-star John Le Breton to delve into the case as amateur sleuths. Soon the bodies start to pile up and our actors realise their days playing detective might be getting out of hand.
This was a fine book I definitely got into more as it went along. At first, it was difficult to invest in Edward as a character, due to his fuddy pompous attitude and the impatient, disdainful way he treats everyone around him. However, the moment I clocked that our protagonists - Edward Lowe and John Le Breton - are quite clearly stand-ins for Dad's Army actors Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier, I had to laugh. The names and spot-on characterisations aren't subtle allusions.
As with all cosy murder mysteries, there were twists and turns along the way - although one big one came out of nowhere and I don't feel it was earned or had been breadcrumbed enough for the reader.
That didn't detract from what was a decently fun read, pretty charming in places, and I'll be following up with the sequel down the line.”
About Stuart Douglas
Stuart Douglas is an author and editor based in Edinburgh. He runs Obverse Books, and has written four Sherlock Holmes novels for Titan Books. In 2016, he co-created the award winning Black Archive series of books, and has also written and edited novellas and short story anthologies for several publishers.
Other books by Stuart Douglas
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