Unlucky for some… I’m going to use that as my excuse for taking over a week to read this one!
Book 13 – A Comedian Dies, by Simon Brett. This book was my nan’s, who always loved a crime story; she’s no longer able to enjoy her books but it makes me feel closer to her to read them.
This one follows Charles Paris, an unemployed actor, as he uses his free time and sense of the macabre to investigate the death of an up-and-coming comedian live on stage. Charles is not a great detective, but he is certain that the death was no accident, and sets out to find out who was responsible. His lack of work proves useful, as he uses his free time to seek out the truth.
The settings – backstage at theatres,smoky pubs, grubby flats and studios, to name a few – are very effective at showing that Charles is more at home in the seedy world than the successful one, however much he would like to have the accolades of a stage great.
Meanwhile Charles is an unusual protagonist: middle-aged, poor, bad at his job, self-indulgent and a little dim. On the plus side is – well, what happens at the end of the story, which I won’t tell you.
This is one of a set of Charles Paris mysteries. I only have the one and probably won’t be scurrying off to find more, but I did enjoy it and it made me laugh quite a few times. It’s a murder mystery which is tongue in cheek and witty; for once the reviews printed on the cover were correct!
It’s not Sherlock Holmes: there’s no trail of clues for our hero to pick up and position according to his own unwavering logic. Instead, there’s a bumbling luvvie with too much time on his hands and a propensity for getting everything mixed up. But it was entertaining, and that’s what I fancied!
Happy reading,
EJ
🙂
Becoming a writer 
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