Meet Charles Paris: a washed-up actor with a taste for wine, women . . . and solving crimes! A binge-worthy cozy mystery series 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! "Like a little malice in your mysteries? Some cynicism in your cosies? Simon Brett is happy to oblige" THE NEW YORK TIMES "Few crime writers are as enchantingly gifted" THE SUNDAY TIMES "One of British crime's most assured craftsmen . . . Perfect entertainment" THE GUARDIAN "A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans" P.D. JAMES "Murder most enjoyable" COLIN DEXTER _______________________ One washed-up actor, with a taste for wine, women - and solving crimes One starlet with a seedy secret One man murdered - one man missing Introducing our CAST, IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE It's the 1970s, and jobbing actor Charles Paris (47, and fine with it) is indulging his taste for drink and showbiz gossip at a club in London's West End when he unexpectedly bumps into an old acquaintance. Jacqui is blonde, beautiful, talented - and upset. She confides in Charles that she can't get in touch with her boyfriend, wealthy theatrical tycoon Marcus Steen. Has he tired of her . . . or is there more to the story? Soon, to his mixed bewilderment and pleasure, Charles finds himself mixed up in a curious case of blackmail, missing millionaires, showbiz sex parties - and murder most horrid. There's only one thing for it: he must investigate on Jacqui's behalf, whilst wearing a variety of well-thought-out disguises. But can Charles solve the case, catch the killer . . . and still find time to earn his paycheque playing an evil coachman in The Zombie Walk, a film he suspects will be the worst ever made? Fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club, Anthony Horowitz, Alexander McCall Smith, M.C. Beaton and Faith Martin will love this hilarious cozy traditional mystery series featuring one of the funniest antiheroes in crime fiction. Written over a fifty-year-period, it perfectly captures life and contemporary attitudes in 1970s London - and beyond! READERS ADORE CHARLES PARIS: "Charles is good company - disheveled, amusing, quick" Kirkus Reviews "Undeniable charm and humor. Paris is an engaging fellow" Mystery*File "An entertaining and clever read" MysteriesAhoy.com "A cozy, frightfully entertaining novel" Margitte, 5*GoodReads review "A classic British amateur sleuth in the best traditions of classic British amateur sleuths . . . Pure fun, smart, complicated, cozy, intriguing, a little risque at times and witty" Randee, 5*GoodReads review "Fantastically funny and brilliantly written" Silverymoonlady, 5*GoodReads review "A fun plot, great characters, complex relationships. [The Charles Paris novels] are quickly becoming my go to reads!" Sam, 5*GoodReads review THE CHARLES PARIS MYSTERIES, IN ORDER: 1. Cast in Order of Disappearance 2. So Much Blood 3. Star Trap 4. An Amateur Corpse 5. A Comedian Dies 6. The Dead Side of the Mike 7. Situation Tragedy 8. Murder Unprompted 9. Murder in the Title 10. Not Dead, Only Resting 11. Dead Giveaway 12. What Bloody Man is That 13. A Series of Murders 14. Corporate Bodies 15. A Reconstructed Corpse 16. Sicken and So Die 17. Dead Room Farce 18. A Decent Interval 19. The Cinderella Killer 20. A Deadly Habit

Een oudere acteur probeert als amateurdetective een moord op te helderen en gebruikt daarbij zijn toneelervaring door zich voor verschillende personen uit te geven.

An analysis of American murder narratives across a number of genres including novels, sociological texts and true crime accounts.

Contains over 600 entries describing novels that have theatrical settings or in which characters work in the theatre.

Discussing more than 80 full-length plays, this volume provides an overview of the most important and memorable theatrical works of crime and detection produced between 1975 and 2000. Each entry includes a plot synopsis, production data, and the opinions of well-known and respected critics and scholars.

For the first time in one place, Roger M. Sobin has compiled a list of nominees and award winners of virtually every mystery award ever presented. He has also included many of the “best of” lists by more than fifty of the most important contributors to the genre.; Mr. Sobin spent more than two decades gathering the data and lists in this volume, much of that time he used to recheck the accuracy of the material he had collected. Several of the “best of” lists appear here for the first time in book form. Several others have been unavailable for a number of years.; Of special note, are Anthony Boucher’s “Best Picks for the Year.” Boucher, one of the major mystery reviewers of all time, reviewed for The San Francisco Chronicle, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and The New York Times. From these resources Mr. Sobin created “Boucher’s Best” and “Important Lists to Consider,” lists that provide insight into important writing in the field from 1942 through Boucher’s death in 1968.? This is a great resource for all mystery readers and collectors.; ; Winner of the 2008 Macavity Awards for Best Mystery Nonfiction.