Murder in the Dressing Room is the first book in a new mystery series by UK comedian and writer Holly Stars. The story features accountant-by-day Joe who turns into drag-queen-by-night Misty Divine.
Title: Murder in the Dressing Room
Author: Holly Stars
Series: Misty Divine Mysteries book 1
First Published: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley
*** Thank you to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with an ebook via Netgalley for review purposes. ***
By day, Joe is a hotel accountant, invisibly sitting behind their desk and playing by the rules. By night, donned in sequins, they take to the stage as Misty Divine, a star of the London drag scene.
But when Misty’s drag mother, Lady Lady, is found dead in her dressing room beside a poisoned box of chocolates, Misty and her fellow performers become the prime suspects.
Heartbroken by the loss, and frustrated by the clear biases of the police, Misty must solve the crime before the culprit strikes again. Among the drop-dead gorgeous lurks a cutthroat killer, and Misty Divine won’t rest until she finds out who it is.
A great new mystery series with the most interesting new amateur sleuth
Is it right that a mystery be so much fun?
I loved the character of Joe – quiet, shy, introverted, but then they transform into Misty, who is loud, confident, extroverted… in most ways, the opposite of Joe. What a complex, & memorable amateur sleuth! It was so easy to root for Misty and I really liked the look at the real personality behind the drag queen persona.
Alongside Joe/Misty Divine is a whole gang of friends and rivals to keep the action moving. The mystery had suspects aplenty and, as expected with a story involving drag queens, there was a lot of drama, but also some humour as well.
The mystery is well laid-out and has the expected twists & turns. A few reveals did catch me by surprise & overall it was a really well-written story, full of important lessons into character, prejudices, trust & judgement. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a heavy-handed morality book – but there are some important lessons learned along the way.
I’m really looking foward to (hopefully) a sequel so that we get to spend more time with Joe/Misty!
Quote from Murder in the Dressing Room
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