A Decent Interval
By Simon Brett
3.5/5
()
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
_______________________
A middle-aged actor - and sometimes sleuth - takes on Hamlet
Two TV talent show winners are in the star roles . . .
Who has murderous intentions towards Hamlet and Ophelia?
That is the question in A DECENT INTERVAL!
Eternally struggling, jobbing actor Charles Paris is relieved to be offered the roles of Ghost and First Gravedigger in a production of Hamlet opening at the Grand Theatre, Marlborough. The star roles of Hamlet and Ophelia have been entrusted to TV talent show winners Jared Root and Katrina Selsey to attract a younger, social media savvy audience.
With tickets already sold out, it's on the verge of being an overwhelming success - until one of the stage's giant skull bones crashes on to Jared during rehearsals. And when Katrina is found dead during the opening night interval, Charles suspects foul play. Is there a connection between Jared's injury and Katrina's demise? Diva Katrina was roundly disliked, but who despised her enough to commit murder?
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:
"Brett has a rare gift for balancing humor and detection" Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"More than worth the price of admission" Booklist Starred Review
"An exhilarating read" Daily Mail
"A brilliant, extraordinary whodunit" Ryan, 5* Goodreads review
"Effortlessly readable" Adrian, 5* Amazon review
"A marvellous book" Paulinderwick, 5* Amazon review
"Another great Charles Paris mystery" David, 5* Amazon 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
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 stars4/5An Amateur Corpse Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dead Side of the Mike Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Comedian Dies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Star Trap Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cast, in Order of Disappearance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Murder Unprompted Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Situation Tragedy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Murder in the Title Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dead Giveaway Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not Dead, Only Resting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Reconstructed Corpse Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What Bloody Man Is That? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Series of Murders Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Corporate Bodies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sicken and So Die Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Decent Interval Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cinderella Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Deadly Habit Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dead Room Farce Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for A Decent Interval
33 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It was fun to spend some time with Charles Paris again. Hope he makes another appearance.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So nice to have Charles Paris back after a lengthy interval. Brett has not lost his sense of humor. However, he does seem to take a dimmer view of the viability of Charles’s lifestyle. In the 80s Charles was the funny side of the aging, alcoholic English actor. Now something darker has crept in. The detection is up to snuff.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Simon Brett's books had been on my radar for quite some time, so when I found a BBC radio production of A Decent Interval - starring Bill Nighy - I had to give it a shot.
The story basically focused on an out-of-work actor who finds work as a minor part in a production of Hamlet - to his annoyance the leading roles are given to two reality tv "celebrities" who can't act. As the story goes on, Hamlet is found seriously wounded and Paris (the actor) is dragged into the who-dunnit.
As far as murder mysteries go this one was decent, but nothing to shout about. I am not sure it would have held my interest if I had read this in book form. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It has been a decent interval since readers last had the chance to meet up with dipsomaniac actor Charles Paris. This is #18 in the series which began in 1975 with CAST IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE. Our last outing was DEAD ROOM FARCE in 1997Nothing much has changed in Charles' life including Charles himself who doesn't seem to have aged much. He is still in and out of work, but probably much more out than in. His agent Maurice Skellern hasn't contacted him for 8 months, he hasn't talked to his estranged wife Frances for nearly five months, and he seems to have been living on Bell's Whisky. Maurice contacts him for some small part work for a documentary on the English Civil War and then he lands a job in a production of Hamlet. The main players are winners of a singing star contest.The mystery action takes off when would-be pop star Jared Root (Hamlet) is felled by some stage scenery, and shortly after that there is what seems to be a murder.There's an undercurrent of commentary in this novel about the state of the theatre, the difficulty of getting good plays into London's West End in the face of reality and talent shows which attract much younger audiences and encourage more audience participation. Charles has remained a bit of a Luddite as far as internet technology and social networking goes but even he comes to understand the power of social media like Twitter in sparking interest in live performances where fans can see their idols perform. The other side of the coin of course is the accountancy that drives the theatre world - if you can't make a profit, it is not viable.Though written in the third person, we see the world and the mystery through Charles Paris's aging eyes, although to be quite honest he doesn't seemed to have aged much since earlier books. There's a peculiar humour in these novels provided particularly by review comments about Charles' performances on stage. While Charles Paris fans will be glad of this outing, I don't think it is as good as the series at its height. Simon Brett has used a tried and trusted formula to create a very readable cozy
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As my romp through the Charles Paris crime novels comes towards its inevitable conclusion, I find that the humour is being replaced by a sadness at Paris' inability to organise his own life. It may be true that a drinker becomes a sad, lonely alcoholic but, I don't need it in an, ostensibly, humerous whodunnit.The crime side of the book is up to its usual high standard and, despite my moan, I am sad to be reaching the end of the series.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5witty and fun.