The Three Dahlias: 'An absolute treat of a read with all the ingredients of a vintage murder mystery' Janice Hallett (Three Dahlias Mysteries Book 1)

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When fictional death turns into real bodies, can the three Dahlias find the answers to the murders among the fans, the film crew, the family - or even in Lettice's books themselves? It all starts with someone who seems to be out to get all of them – only for that person to end up getting got. It’s a lovely little mystery, very atmospheric as a murder at a fan convention (my favorite in this vein is STILL Bimbos of the Death Sun), and as an homage to the Golden Age of Mystery and as a classic country-house murder all rolled into one. The thing is that Dahlia Lively reminds me a lot of Phryne Fisher, but that series didn’t even start being published until 1989. But it’s her three brilliant protagonists which are the stars (literally) of the show – three very different actresses, who have each played the same detective character at one point in their lives and are brought together to solve a crime.

A contemporary mystery with a Golden Age feel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Jessica Fellowes – and Janice Hallett and Richard Osman, of course! Each actress has her own interpretation of the character and her own secrets to hide - but this English summer weekend they will have to put aside their differences as the crimes at Aldermere turn anything but cosy. Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy, I was sold from the front cover ‘It wouldn’t be a country house weekend without a little murder’!

You'll be the first to hear all Katy's news, get sneak peeks at covers, and receive special subscriber extras, like exclusive Dahlia Lively short stories - and first look at the opening chapters of A Very Lively Murder. Each actress has her own interpretation of the character - but this English summer weekend they will have to put aside their differences, as the crimes at Aldermere turns anything but cosy. If you’re looking for a light distraction filled with just the right amount of found sisterhood and murderous intentions, The Three Dahlias is quite the treat.

In attendance at Aldermere: the VIP fans, staying at house; the fan club president turned convention organiser; the team behind the newest movie adaptation of Davenport's books; the Davenport family themselves; and the three actresses famous for portraying Dahlia Lively through the decades. But anyone who was a true student of those mysteries would tell you that the convention is also the perfect setting for murder. Ex-child star Posy Starling is finally filming her dream role - Dahlia Lively in The Lady Detective movie. But along the way, what makes the story fun is the way that these women, literally set up to be rivals at every turn, band together in an unusual bond of sisterhood.A contemporary mystery with a Golden Age feel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Jessica Fellowes.

In between filming scenes, signing autographs for locals, photoshoots, talk show appearances in London and jetting off to France for an impromptu party, the three Dahlias do what they do best - surrupticiously sleuth. Three rival actresses team up to solve a murder at the stately home of the author who made them famous - only to discover the solution lies in the stories themselves. Watson brilliantly pays homage to the Golden Age of Detective fiction, while giving the genre a contemporary feel. This is truly a great classic cosy crime which no doubt Agatha Christie would love to read, perhaps would even wish to have written.The answer would be, of course, a murder mystery at a stately home, which is one of many reasons why The Three Dahliasreally is a perfect summer read. What made this fun as a reader was that I kept wanting to figure out, not so much whodunnit, as ‘who is Dahlia? I applauded the ending, this series promises much and I look forward to A Very Lively Murder which appears next. An affectionate homage to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and a wry nod to our continuing fascination with it. What better way to combine the golden age of mystery with the present than by a convention of mystery fans, set on the grounds where one of their favorite mystery series was written, with not one but three of the actors playing their favorite character serving as guests of honor?