Murder in the Dressing Room

Fun concept, just mediocre execution. This felt like a first attempt, though I’d be curious to see how Misty gets fleashed out for future books.

I’ve read 60 books this year so far and this was the worst

Murder in the Dressing Room is a fun cozy mystery with a great new amateur sleuth.Misty Devine is a drag queen who sings and performs at clubs around London. Her favorite place to perform is Lady's Bar, owned by Lady Lady and Mandy. When Lady Lady is found poisoned one night after a show, Misty feels compelled to investigate, and gets herself into a lot of trouble!The main character spends part of her time in the book as Misty, and part as Joe, a non-binary person. I really enjoyed how the author showed their different sides through whether they were in drag or not. I also learned a little about drag and its importance in the queer world. Joe puts on their Misty persona to give themselves courage, but realizes in the end that they also have courage as themselves.If you like fun mysteries, you'll enjoy this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

Murder in the Dressing Room features a person who is a mild accountant by day, a drag artiste by night. The unusual characterisation adds detail to this light but well written crime tale set in London. The murder weapon is a poisoned box of chocolates, so no great violence is involved, but it's extremely distressing for all concerned. A theatre owner is killed just before or during a show, and the artistes who were backstage are under suspicion.Anyone with an interest in live performance and acting will like a look at the story, and obviously people in the gay or drag community will be interested. While the understanding is that the book is for adults, it could be read by mature teen readers. I'm pleased to see central London locations featured, and I would be interested in reading more by this author.I read an e-ARC from Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.

While this sounds like an over-the-top, campy outing, it’s really a straightforward cozy mystery, simply set in a world of over-the-top performers. Misty Divine comes across as likable, as do most of the main characters. One problem most amateur sleuth stories have is readers asking, “Why don’t they go to the police!?” but Misty has legitimate reasons not to, given the queer phobia and long history of drag performers and police, in addition to the specifics in this story. It was a relief that most of Misty’s actions felt “reasonable” in the moment. There was a bit too much rehashing of “this is what we know so far” when there’d been virtually no new information added, but the story didn’t drag. (No pun intended.) Some writers have that “readability” factor and some don’t, and Holly Stars has it. The conclusion was over the top, but it truly fit the story. I can’t wait to read the next book.