Cast, in Order of Disappearance
By Simon Brett
3.5/5
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About this ebook
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
Simon Brett
Simon Brett worked as a producer in radio and television before taking up writing full time. As well as the much-loved Fethering series, the Mrs Pargeter novels and the Charles Paris detective series, he has written a number of radio and television scripts. Married with three children, he lives in an Agatha Christie-style village on the South Downs. You can find out more about Simon at his website: www.simonbrett.com
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Titles in the series (20)
So Much Blood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cast, in Order of Disappearance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Star Trap Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Situation Tragedy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Comedian Dies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Murder in the Title Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dead Side of the Mike Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Amateur Corpse Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dead Giveaway Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Unprompted Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What Bloody Man Is That? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Decent Interval Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Series of Murders Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not Dead, Only Resting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Corporate Bodies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Reconstructed Corpse Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sicken and So Die Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Cinderella Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dead Room Farce Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Deadly Habit Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Reviews for Cast, in Order of Disappearance
47 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I always find it interesting to revisit the first outings of characters who subsequently go on to feature in lengthy novel sequences. Ian Rankin’s celebrated detective, John Rebus, is very different in his early outings from the thrawn, beer and whisky drinking rock and roll fan of the later novels. In Hide and Seek, the second book in the series, he favours cultivated jazz music, and shows signs of developing into a wine snob. Rankin was careful, however, to ensure that Rebus aged in real time, and that process of ageing, and growing disgruntlement, was central to his considerable success and verisimilitude as a character.Another character who went on to enjoy a long career of detection is Simon Brett’s marvellous creation, Charles Paris. As the series developed, Charles Paris also underwent a metamorphosis, although his development seemed to occur without any aging process. In the later books in the series, Charles is a down at heel actor who has managed to pass through his career without any notable success. Frequently finding himself called upon to don a disguise inspired by one of his former roles, he can only ever recall the painful reviews he has received. Another key aspect of the later books is their comic nature, which is wholly absent from this first book in the series, which was written as a straight crime novel with a vaguely theatrical background.It may be different in style to its successors, but it shows the same high quality. The plot is well constructed, and Charles Paris is just as empathetic a character, even though he seems to have had far more past success on the boards.It is set in a bleak 1973, during the run up to Christmas, with cold weather exacerbated by the oli crisis, with petrol in short supply and hideously expensive, while miners’ strike has taken hold, ensuring that television shuts down at 10.30 each evening, shops are left dark all night, and everyone struggles to keep warm. Against this grim background, impresario Marius Steen is found dead in his Berkshire home. All the early indications suggest that the aging tycoon has merely succumbed to a heart attack brought on by the strains of over-zealous business. Charles, however, has reason to suspect that all is not as it seems, and embarks upon his own investigation.I have recently gone back to early novels in successful series, and found that if I had read the first book at the time of its initial publication, I would probably not have bothered with any subsequent volumes. That is not the case here. With his Charles Paris books, Simon Brett started well, and then got even better.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When I was 15 or 16 we spent Christmas with my older sister who was already married and she gave me one of the coolest Christmas presents I had ever had. She had ordered a "grab bag" from a mystery book catalog. This was where they just put 5 random mysteries in a box and send it to you so you had no idea what you might get. I thought this was so much fun! I don't remember what 4 of those books were, though I'm certain they are still on my shelves somewhere. The 5th one however, led me to what has become one of my favorite authors and series of all time. That book was So Much Blood by Simon Brett. It's the second in the Charles Paris mystery series.Simon Brett published 17 books in this series, the last one in 1997. I loved them all. He then went on to write several other series including Mrs. Pargeter and the Feathering series. I assumed, sadly, he was done with Charles Paris. But now, 17 years later, he has a new Charles Paris book coming out on July 1st. I'm starting a re-read of the series in order to get back into his world before I read the new book. I'm so excited!The first book in this series is Cast, in order of Disappearance. We are introduced to Charles Paris, a chronically out of work London actor. We find out that he drinks too much and is a womanizer. But in my mind, he is a classic British amateur sleuth in the best traditions of classic British amateur sleuths. In his first outing, he is asked by a young actress he knows to find out why her boyfriend, a prominent figure in British theater, wants nothing to do with her anymore. Charles is reluctant but always influenced by a pretty young thing. Soon the boyfriend turns up dead, blackmail pictures are circulated, the blackmailer turns up dead, it's all just a big mess for Charles. Throw in the blackmailer's wife who comes on to him at every opportunity and a petrol crisis that has all of England thinking twice about their mode of transportation and you've got a complicated puzzle for Charles to figure out. This book is pure fun, smart and witty. The behind the scenes looks at the British theater and the BBC are fascinating throughout the whole series. I'm so glad to see that Charles is coming back!