Published by Constable
Publication date - 29 February 2024
Source - library copy
One murder mystery movie. Three Dahlias. And a whole cast of suspects...
Ex child star Posy Starling is finally filming her dream role - Dahlia Lively in The Lady Detective movie. But things take a nightmare turn when a prop weapon is replaced with the real thing - with almost fatal consequences for her fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King. There's something very wrong on the set of The Lady Detective - which means it's time to call in Caro Hooper, so the three Dahlias can investigate.
In between filming scenes, signing autographs for locals, photoshoots on set and jetting off to France for an impromptu party, the three Dahlias do what they do best - surreptitiously sleuth. And very soon the evidence starts to point towards one particular co-star...
But before they can prove it, a murder rocks the production. And this time, with a storm raging, the river flooded and the bridge washed out, there are no police to rely on so it's up to the three Dahlias to stop a murderer in their tracks... before another victim is claimed.
The three Dahlias are reunited. Rosalind King, the first actress to play the role of Dahlia Lively in adaptations of the books featuring the amateur sleuth, receives death threats on the set of the latest Lively film. Co-star and current Dahlia, Posy Starling, calls in Caro Hooper, the middle Dahlia, to help investigate. Throw in a country house, a death or two and a storm that cuts of the village and the trio find themselves asking What Would Dahlia Do? The answer- find the killer of course.
I love a country house murder mystery and I love golden age crime. And books about books. So the Dahlia Lively series is made for me. I enjoy the mixture of modern day investigation with an historic feel and the cosy feel from a closed room mystery.
In this novel the three women work together more seamlessly. The worry for competition between the embodiments of Dahlia has passed. They are friends, they have been proved to be successful in investigating and this time it feels more personal because it's one of them who is being targeted.
There are the return of characters from the first book, which adds to the familiarity. There are also a variety of characters with clashes inevitable on a film set, with competing egos butting heads.
The mystery itself is engaging. Why is Rosalind being targeted? Why was the first victim killed when there seems to be little connection between the pair?
The three Dahlias each have to tackle issues that are stopping their lives going forward, Posy with hang ups from her child actor past, Rosalind having to face an old friend and Caro having to deal with the fact that her acting career may be over.
There are little excerpts from the Dahlia Lively novels at the beginning of each chapter and reading those made me wish there were actual Lively novels to read.
I was soon caught up in their investigation and thoroughly enjoyed my time back with the three Dahlias. I'm already looking forward to their next adventure.
You can buy a copy of the book here.
(This is an affiliate link. You can also purchase A Very Lively Murder from your local independent bookshop.)
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