The Three Dahlias
What could be more quintessentially British than the grounds of a stately home in the summertime? There’s just somethings so very English summer about it. The answer would be, of course, a murder mystery at a stately home, which is one of many reasons why The Three Dahlias really is a perfect summer read.
Whip-smart and compelling, this is just the book to lose yourself on a summer afternoon. Watson brilliantly pays homage to the Golden Age of Detective fiction, while giving the genre a contemporary feel. 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. I won’t give too much away though – just trust Watson to have you turning the pages.
Chris
It wouldn’t be a country house weekend without a little murder. . .
Three rival actresses team up to solve a murder at the stately home of Lettice Davenport, the author whose sleuthing creation of the 1930s, Dahlia Lively, had made each of them famous to a new generation. 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!
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.
There is national treasure Rosalind King, from the original movies, who’s feeling sensitive that she’s past her prime, TV Dahlia for thirteen seasons, Caro Hooper, who believes she really IS Dahlia Lively, and ex-child star Posy Starling, fresh out of the fame wilderness (and rehab) to take on the Dahlia mantle for the new movie – but feeling outclassed by her predecessors.
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.
When fictional death turns into real bodies, can the three Dahlias find the answers to the murders among the fans, the film crew and the family – or even in Lettice’s books themselves?
Praise for The Three Dahlias
‘An absolute treat of a read with all the ingredients of a vintage murder mystery: a country house, mysterious dead bodies and three actresses all keen to catch the killer. Perfect weekend reading!’ Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
‘Celebrates and gently satirises Golden Age crime novels in a hugely entertaining country house mystery’ The Times
‘Dame Agatha would approve’ Daily Mail
‘A wonderful celebration of Golden Age crime. . . a read you can sink into, just like the perfect country house weekend. You will definitely love Dahlia in all her guises by the end’ S.J. Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot
‘I loved it – witty, engaging and hugely enjoyable. A must for fans of classic mysteries’ Frances Brody
‘An affectionate homage to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and a wry nod to our continuing fascination with it. Great fun. Warm, ingenious and. . . lively!’ L C Tyler
‘A sprightly offering. . . a pleasant summer read’ The Critic
‘A pleasure to read from beginning to end’ Shots
‘A fun, 1930s style murder-mystery, which makes for perfect holiday reading’ Woman’s Weekly
‘Perfect Holiday Read’ Woman and Home
‘Smartly executed with wit and a cunning plot’ Peterborough Telegraph
‘A cosy whodunnit told with modern flair’ Yours
