Latest Books Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars

Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars

A poisoned chocolate. A stolen dress. An elusive catburglar. Drag’s not just dramatic, it’s deadly.

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.

The author, Holly Stars, sat down with The Big Thrill for a quick chat about her Misty Devine Mystery, Murder in the Dressing Room:

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

My main hope is that readers enjoy the mystery and come along for a wild ride with my amateur sleuth, drag queen Misty Divine. I also hope readers might discover something new about the world of drag. Drag performers aren’t always presented in fiction as fully-rounded human beings and are often depicted solely in a professional or performance capacity. One of my goals in writing Murder in the Dressing Room was to show a world in which performance is just one element. There are relationships, friendships and community that we don’t often get to see and I hope they come through in the book.

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material? 

In the British drag scene, we love a camp pop culture reference and there are many of them scattered throughout the book, with shows like X Factor and Coronation Street getting a mention, as well as iconic British legends such as Beverley Callard and Denise Van Outen. 

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

I suppose I’m drawn to writing in the genre because I enjoy it as a reader. I love a murder mystery – of all kinds, from cosy to thriller, from books to Hollywood blockbusters. As a reader I like to feel shocked and surprised by an unexpected twist and enjoy the satisfaction of finding out what happened at the end. Before the book I wrote the West End play, Death Drop, which was loosely inspired by Agatha Christie, so I’d had some experience with the genre already.

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

One fun challenge was that the book is written from two perspectives: two sides of the same person. Out of drag, Misty is Joe, a hotel accounts assistant who is nervous and sometimes too shy to pursue their investigation. When in drag, Joe is Misty, and their drag transformation gives Joe extra confidence to try to catch the killer. It was a challenge to get the right balance of these but really fun to explore on the page.

I think the biggest opportunity for me was to write something that showcased the amazing variety of talents in the UK drag scene. The artists we meet in the book include stand-up comedians, lip-syncers, a fire-eater, sketch artists and singers. Writing Murder in the Dressing Room gave me a chance to celebrate and include many of the styles and types of drag that I admire.

Holly Stars is a drag stand-up comedian and writer. She is the writer of the smash-hit drag murder mystery, Death Drop, a play that has had three runs on the West End and a UK and Ireland tour. Holly has two seasons of her own television series, Holly Stars: Inspirational, produced by Froot TV and Tuckshop. She is also the producer and cohost of murder-mystery book review podcast, Read to Death, and is currently completing an accredited qualification in professional investigation, which will make her the world’s first drag queen private detective.