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Dead Romantic
Murder is the outcome when a middle-aged virgin agrees to risk a secret weekend of love at White Jasmine Cottage
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1986
8 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Simon Brett
330 books536 followersSimon Brett is a prolific British writer of whodunnits.
He is the son of a Chartered Surveyor and was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first class honours degree in English.
He then joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television, where his work included 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and 'Frank Muir Goes Into ...'.
After his spells with the media he began devoting most of his time to writing from the late 1970s and is well known for his various series of crime novels.
He is married with three children and lives in Burpham, near Arundel, West Sussex, England. He is the current president of the Detection Club.
He is the son of a Chartered Surveyor and was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first class honours degree in English.
He then joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television, where his work included 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and 'Frank Muir Goes Into ...'.
After his spells with the media he began devoting most of his time to writing from the late 1970s and is well known for his various series of crime novels.
He is married with three children and lives in Burpham, near Arundel, West Sussex, England. He is the current president of the Detection Club.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 28, 2024
I’m actually not sure what the hell I read 😖🤦♀️
I was tempted to… kind of 🤷♀️ … read it again to figure out what the hell actually happened but then I realised;
1: I really don’t care,
2: I really, really don’t care 😂 plus, even though the book was a quick read, I don’t think I have the mental space to make this make sense 🤷♀️ and…
3: (again) it’s a quick read and I still don’t want to devote the time to doing it.
Ok, so …. Further reasons:
The characters are all just soooo terrible 😬😬 I just…. don’t CARE! About any of them! It’s a short read so I understand there could be a lack of character development but….honestly!!! Not a single character has a thing going for them 🙄🥵 There is only surface and nooooo depth!! and, let’s be fair, what’s on all those surfaces… SUUUUCKS!
I was tempted to… kind of 🤷♀️ … read it again to figure out what the hell actually happened but then I realised;
1: I really don’t care,
2: I really, really don’t care 😂 plus, even though the book was a quick read, I don’t think I have the mental space to make this make sense 🤷♀️ and…
3: (again) it’s a quick read and I still don’t want to devote the time to doing it.
Ok, so …. Further reasons:
The characters are all just soooo terrible 😬😬 I just…. don’t CARE! About any of them! It’s a short read so I understand there could be a lack of character development but….honestly!!! Not a single character has a thing going for them 🙄🥵 There is only surface and nooooo depth!! and, let’s be fair, what’s on all those surfaces… SUUUUCKS!
July 16, 2016
Too much sex for my liking
January 7, 2017
A very different type of novel from Mr Brett but once you get into it the story line is great and keeps you guessing to the end.
August 17, 2018
Interesting plot twists as you discover that what you assumed is not the case. If you are looking for one of Brett's humorous mysteries, though, skip this one--it's quite dark.
June 2, 2023
I ended up not finishing this one. I feel like there was no development of characters except for the one kid who was in love with his tutor. I got like 40% through and just had no interest in it
August 27, 2025
Very different from the cosy mystery series that Simon Brett is known for. Unrequited love and murder. A collection of dysfunctional characters, all with secrets.
Much darker than the other books if his that I have read.
Much darker than the other books if his that I have read.
September 19, 2020
Not the usual charming characters - quite the opposite but a great tale with twists and turns
February 11, 2022
A very creepy book by an author who generally writes cozy mysteries.
October 3, 2025
Struggled with this one. DNF.
September 25, 2020
Oh my goodness - have you listened to the podcast "My Dad Wrote a Porno"? It's like this! I had to force myself to listen to it to the end. I found myself eye rolling and laughing out loud.
SPOILER ALERT - she chooses a white buttoned up to the neck nightie to lose her virginity in!!! The language is awful. It's like some bad Bergerac style murder mystery set in the late 1970's. Mills and Boon type thing.
It would be a great book club read for the ladies/yummy mummies to get together and have a massive download and laugh about all the awful things in it.
It's not supposed to be funny, but it is!
SPOILER ALERT - she chooses a white buttoned up to the neck nightie to lose her virginity in!!! The language is awful. It's like some bad Bergerac style murder mystery set in the late 1970's. Mills and Boon type thing.
It would be a great book club read for the ladies/yummy mummies to get together and have a massive download and laugh about all the awful things in it.
It's not supposed to be funny, but it is!
April 5, 2011
This has a distinctly odd plot line ... but of course that is why I like it. It begins with the murder (normal) and then quickly whips into the past and details everything leading up to the murder. With at least 2 red herrings to follow ... you don't even get to know who it is that get murdered until the last chapter. Happily my instincts were correct ... so I feel all pleased with myself and therefore I'm pleased with the book too.
October 13, 2014
A short but perfectly formed crime story. Darker than the Fethering Mysteries this author is known for, this story has more red herrings than an Icelandic restaurant - I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews