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Curtain Call to Murder
Discover the year's most entertaining, devious and fabulous mystery from author, actor and comedian Julian Clary
It is opening night at the London Palladium, and tensions are running high amongst the feuding cast of "Leopard Spots". When an on-stage accident forces an unexpected intermission, it is clear to dresser Jayne that the drama has turned deadly. Will she step out of the wings and discover who was behind the final curtain call? Or will murder make an encore?
It is opening night at the London Palladium, and tensions are running high amongst the feuding cast of "Leopard Spots". When an on-stage accident forces an unexpected intermission, it is clear to dresser Jayne that the drama has turned deadly. Will she step out of the wings and discover who was behind the final curtain call? Or will murder make an encore?
336 pages, Paperback
Published November 4, 2025
157 people are currently reading
339 people want to read
About the author
Julian Clary
51 books69 followersJulian Clary is an English comedian and novelist. Clary began appearing on television in the mid-1980s and became known for his deliberately stereotypical camp style. Since then he has also acted in films, television and stage productions, and was the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 10 in 2012.
Clary has released two large format comedy books: My Life With Fanny The Wonder Dog (1989) and How To Be A Man (1992).
Between 2005 and 2008, Clary wrote a fortnightly column for the New Statesman magazine. He has also published an autobiography, A Young Man's Passage, which covers his life and career up to the 1993 "Norman Lamont incident" at the British Comedy Awards. In 2007, Clary released his first novel, Murder Most Fab, published by Ebury Press. His second novel, Devil in Disguise, was published in 2009. His first book for children, The Bolds, was published by Andersen Press in 2015.
Adapted from Wikipedia.
Clary has released two large format comedy books: My Life With Fanny The Wonder Dog (1989) and How To Be A Man (1992).
Between 2005 and 2008, Clary wrote a fortnightly column for the New Statesman magazine. He has also published an autobiography, A Young Man's Passage, which covers his life and career up to the 1993 "Norman Lamont incident" at the British Comedy Awards. In 2007, Clary released his first novel, Murder Most Fab, published by Ebury Press. His second novel, Devil in Disguise, was published in 2009. His first book for children, The Bolds, was published by Andersen Press in 2015.
Adapted from Wikipedia.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
February 3, 2025
Features Greggs vegan sausage roll in 2017… 2 years before it launched in 2019. Shoddy shoddy research,
I must clarify: I am not the target audience for this book, and was gifted it.
Despite the low rating, this wasn’t awful, just awfully written. It was easy enough to read. The mystery, while basic and quite clearly telegraphed, was fun.
I will say, the fact the murder takes place over half way through the book really prevents much momentum from ever building. Carey ‘lampshades’ this problem by telling us (he intermittently narrates, as a character in the story) part of the mystery is *who* will be murdered … unfortunately there is no mystery there as it’s very obvious who’s coming.
The writing… is obviously not Carey’s strength. Simple imagery and often repeated phrases make for some dull paraphraghs. Also, I was surprised by some glaring mistakes/typos… fairly shoddy editing.
The worst worst worst part of this book - in fact, the part which probably dropped my rating from 2 to 1 star - is the frequent ‘fun facts’ scattered through the book. The story is told from different perspectives: first person diary entries from the protagonist, WhatsApp chats, newspaper articles, and, as mentioned, narrations from Carey himself who exists as a minor character within the tale. Amidst these different formats, Carey sometimes writes a paragraph on a ‘Fun Fact’. These facts bear some tangential link to something mentioned in the story, but are otherwise wholly irrelevant. They range from famous theatre-based deaths to explanations of food or unique objects. They were completely unnecessary, and fundamentally pissed me off because they were just taking up space in the book. Boo!
I must clarify: I am not the target audience for this book, and was gifted it.
Despite the low rating, this wasn’t awful, just awfully written. It was easy enough to read. The mystery, while basic and quite clearly telegraphed, was fun.
I will say, the fact the murder takes place over half way through the book really prevents much momentum from ever building. Carey ‘lampshades’ this problem by telling us (he intermittently narrates, as a character in the story) part of the mystery is *who* will be murdered … unfortunately there is no mystery there as it’s very obvious who’s coming.
The writing… is obviously not Carey’s strength. Simple imagery and often repeated phrases make for some dull paraphraghs. Also, I was surprised by some glaring mistakes/typos… fairly shoddy editing.
The worst worst worst part of this book - in fact, the part which probably dropped my rating from 2 to 1 star - is the frequent ‘fun facts’ scattered through the book. The story is told from different perspectives: first person diary entries from the protagonist, WhatsApp chats, newspaper articles, and, as mentioned, narrations from Carey himself who exists as a minor character within the tale. Amidst these different formats, Carey sometimes writes a paragraph on a ‘Fun Fact’. These facts bear some tangential link to something mentioned in the story, but are otherwise wholly irrelevant. They range from famous theatre-based deaths to explanations of food or unique objects. They were completely unnecessary, and fundamentally pissed me off because they were just taking up space in the book. Boo!
October 4, 2025
Camp as Christmas but what else did I expect. Really easy reading and enjoyable
October 29, 2024
What a little gem 💎 as a big Julian fan this was a must read and I could not put it down…. Different kind of writing style to the norm that took a little getting used to but I could not put it down!! 🙌🏼 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 26, 2024
A trashy bit of fun. Slow to warm, but ends flaming.
Read
February 15, 2025Christmas gift from Steph.
November 6, 2024
Bloody great!!!!!!
August 24, 2025
3.5 stars
A fun cosy(ish) mystery. If you can put up with all the innuendo from Julian Clary (and lets face it, you wouldn't have picked up the book if you weren't expecting his brand of humour), then you will probably enjoy it.
A fun cosy(ish) mystery. If you can put up with all the innuendo from Julian Clary (and lets face it, you wouldn't have picked up the book if you weren't expecting his brand of humour), then you will probably enjoy it.
April 18, 2025
Bit of a slow start but a funny who dunnit. Enjoyable!
September 15, 2025
Finished up Curtain Call to Murder this afternoon and I really enjoyed it. I am a big fan of Julian Clary so when I saw this one, I had to pick it up! It's much more of a cosy murder mystery than I would usually choose, but it was still a fab read nonetheless.
The story follows Jayne Oxley, a theatre dresser, who is working on a touring production of a show called Leopard Spots. The first two thirds of the book are taken up by getting to know the characters, and any possible motives, while also introducing the reader to the dramatic lives of the thespians, who end up the suspects. The final third definitely ups the pacing, with the murder taking place and the subsequent police investigation, as well as amateur sleuth Jaynes own personal investigation.
The style of this book, with chapters split between narratives, text message chains, articles and even Julian himself entering as a character and narrator, to give his two cents, was a real help to the pacing and really made it feel like each character got a relatively equal showing. It definitely helped my inability to put it down too!
All in all, a fun little whodunnit set in the theatre, which I greatly enjoyed!
The story follows Jayne Oxley, a theatre dresser, who is working on a touring production of a show called Leopard Spots. The first two thirds of the book are taken up by getting to know the characters, and any possible motives, while also introducing the reader to the dramatic lives of the thespians, who end up the suspects. The final third definitely ups the pacing, with the murder taking place and the subsequent police investigation, as well as amateur sleuth Jaynes own personal investigation.
The style of this book, with chapters split between narratives, text message chains, articles and even Julian himself entering as a character and narrator, to give his two cents, was a real help to the pacing and really made it feel like each character got a relatively equal showing. It definitely helped my inability to put it down too!
All in all, a fun little whodunnit set in the theatre, which I greatly enjoyed!
September 22, 2025
Light hearted cosy crime mystery written by the British comedian Julian Clary who adds his own distinctive voice to the novel. The main character is Jayne, dresser to a small and quarrelsome theatrical troupe who are touring with a new play. She observes the interactions between the actors and the other backstage workers, and when the tensions between them eventually result in murder, she decides she is better placed than the police to track down the killer.
This was a fun read although the mystery plot wasn’t particularly mysterious, in fact it took a bit of a back seat to the comedy and the theatrical setting. I did enjoy the different characters and the asides from Julian, as with his TV comedy his written humour is sometimes on the risqué side, but his observations on the theatrical world are very witty and amusing. The book is written as a mixture of diary entries, fun facts, Julian’s asides, WhatsApp messages, newspaper reviews etc so the narrative moves along quickly.
Overall enjoyable, good light read at a busy time.
This was a fun read although the mystery plot wasn’t particularly mysterious, in fact it took a bit of a back seat to the comedy and the theatrical setting. I did enjoy the different characters and the asides from Julian, as with his TV comedy his written humour is sometimes on the risqué side, but his observations on the theatrical world are very witty and amusing. The book is written as a mixture of diary entries, fun facts, Julian’s asides, WhatsApp messages, newspaper reviews etc so the narrative moves along quickly.
Overall enjoyable, good light read at a busy time.
November 12, 2025
Great whodunnit from Julian Clary. Took me a bit to get used to the format - diary, text group chats, interesting facts and insights from Julian. Lots of insight into backstage theatre. Great characters and some laugh out loud moments courtesy of Julian’s personal input on situations. Kept me guessing right up to the end. Worth a read 😊
June 8, 2025
This is a clever murder mystery plot, with some enjoyable characters, but I found the writing style frustrating which is perhaps unfortunate. It is written with wit and humour which is undeniably Clary, which I did enjoy (although as with his TV humour there are moments of blunt/ crudeness that didn’t suit me. I’m not sure we needed to know about the protagonists sexual encounters in quite the manner we did).
The story starts with the idea – but no details – of the murder, and we are then promptly taken back to ‘the beginning’. This means that the majority of the book is written as a flashback, although we are experiencing it in the moment. It also means that we not only have to work out the murderer (of which there are many possible options), but who the victim is, and exactly how the murder takes place. This is the clever bit which I did enjoy.
However, the story is written from far too many view points and narrative styles for my personal preference. I found it very bitty, and frustrating to get into . We are told that Julian himself is the narrator, though he only appears (in the first person) on a few brief occasions.
The primary viewpoint we follow is a character called Jane, who effectively becomes the amateur detective, supposedly through her diaries. However, the narrative style of her diary is decidedly un-diary like. No-one in their personal documents writes with full dialogue (“Blah Blah” Said X, “Blah Blah” Replied Y)! And it is highly unlikely that a busy dresser has the time to write in her diary twice a day, as she appears to do on some occasions. It is possible that this non-diary style writing is actually Julian translating her entries in his role as narrator, but this is not done effectively (as many are still in the first person).
Interspersed throughout the book are a range of different character viewpoints, in many different narrative styles. There are blog posts, WhatsApp chat groups, newspaper articles, director memo’s to self and text messages. Additionally there are ‘fun facts’ scattered throughout the text which confused me. Not only was I not sure if they were genuine facts, or fictional facts, but they frequently didn’t’ seem to add anything to the story – many felt irrelevant. But perhaps that was my interpretation. As a whole, I found this narrative style bitty and made it hard to focus. I was fortunate, however, to attend Julian’s interview at the Hay Festival in May, and found it interesting that he had chosen to do this deliberately for those readers who struggle with longer more traditional prose. I would be interested to know if this writing style has indeed helped such readers.
Sometimes it felt as if some of the different viewpoints, which did help to provide insight into the different characters had been written originally as author background. Rather than finding alternative ways of showing certain traits, as would perhaps be done in the more traditional narrative styles, the excerpts were included in their original ‘working out’ format. It would be unfair to call this a lazy approach, but there were some which I felt were unnecessary, and sometimes repetitive. I’m not sure, for example, that we needed the newspaper articles about certain plot points, given that we had previously been told about them by Jane.
It is unfortunate that I didn’t much like any of the characters. Whilst this is key to the murder, most of the cast being unpleasant and therefore possibly the murderer or the victim, it is less helpful that I didn’t like the main protagonist Jane. I thought her process of deduction was sometimes presumptive, sometimes bitty and sometimes inexplicable – how did she find the address of the theatre critic? And Julian Clary’s occasional input as narrator to promote her as a clever character actually worked against her. In my mind at least.
Overall, this was a reasonable read, but not one that has inspired me to read more of Clary’s novels. I understand that there might be sequel to this, which I will not be rushing out to find. However, if you want to try something different, then I do recommend you give this a go. After all, reading is subjective and what frustrates me could well suit you.
The story starts with the idea – but no details – of the murder, and we are then promptly taken back to ‘the beginning’. This means that the majority of the book is written as a flashback, although we are experiencing it in the moment. It also means that we not only have to work out the murderer (of which there are many possible options), but who the victim is, and exactly how the murder takes place. This is the clever bit which I did enjoy.
However, the story is written from far too many view points and narrative styles for my personal preference. I found it very bitty, and frustrating to get into . We are told that Julian himself is the narrator, though he only appears (in the first person) on a few brief occasions.
The primary viewpoint we follow is a character called Jane, who effectively becomes the amateur detective, supposedly through her diaries. However, the narrative style of her diary is decidedly un-diary like. No-one in their personal documents writes with full dialogue (“Blah Blah” Said X, “Blah Blah” Replied Y)! And it is highly unlikely that a busy dresser has the time to write in her diary twice a day, as she appears to do on some occasions. It is possible that this non-diary style writing is actually Julian translating her entries in his role as narrator, but this is not done effectively (as many are still in the first person).
Interspersed throughout the book are a range of different character viewpoints, in many different narrative styles. There are blog posts, WhatsApp chat groups, newspaper articles, director memo’s to self and text messages. Additionally there are ‘fun facts’ scattered throughout the text which confused me. Not only was I not sure if they were genuine facts, or fictional facts, but they frequently didn’t’ seem to add anything to the story – many felt irrelevant. But perhaps that was my interpretation. As a whole, I found this narrative style bitty and made it hard to focus. I was fortunate, however, to attend Julian’s interview at the Hay Festival in May, and found it interesting that he had chosen to do this deliberately for those readers who struggle with longer more traditional prose. I would be interested to know if this writing style has indeed helped such readers.
Sometimes it felt as if some of the different viewpoints, which did help to provide insight into the different characters had been written originally as author background. Rather than finding alternative ways of showing certain traits, as would perhaps be done in the more traditional narrative styles, the excerpts were included in their original ‘working out’ format. It would be unfair to call this a lazy approach, but there were some which I felt were unnecessary, and sometimes repetitive. I’m not sure, for example, that we needed the newspaper articles about certain plot points, given that we had previously been told about them by Jane.
It is unfortunate that I didn’t much like any of the characters. Whilst this is key to the murder, most of the cast being unpleasant and therefore possibly the murderer or the victim, it is less helpful that I didn’t like the main protagonist Jane. I thought her process of deduction was sometimes presumptive, sometimes bitty and sometimes inexplicable – how did she find the address of the theatre critic? And Julian Clary’s occasional input as narrator to promote her as a clever character actually worked against her. In my mind at least.
Overall, this was a reasonable read, but not one that has inspired me to read more of Clary’s novels. I understand that there might be sequel to this, which I will not be rushing out to find. However, if you want to try something different, then I do recommend you give this a go. After all, reading is subjective and what frustrates me could well suit you.
February 4, 2025
I usually like Julian Clary and Murder Most Fab is my favourite book. This however was quite disappointing. The story took too long to get going and then sprinted towards the end with numerous hastily pasted over cracks.
How would both sisters be cast together? Why would the murder weapon still be in her sling after all this time? Why would a plain clothed detective be employed to track such a low level drug dealer?!
I listen to the audiobook which had segments from Julian himself. They were funny however some of the other voiceovers actively got words wrong and they left it in the production. The name of the play gets changed and even one of the characters names is wrong at one point. However I've not let the audiobook sway my review.
How would both sisters be cast together? Why would the murder weapon still be in her sling after all this time? Why would a plain clothed detective be employed to track such a low level drug dealer?!
I listen to the audiobook which had segments from Julian himself. They were funny however some of the other voiceovers actively got words wrong and they left it in the production. The name of the play gets changed and even one of the characters names is wrong at one point. However I've not let the audiobook sway my review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2024
Extremely enjoyable read, a notch above standard cosy crime. If you like Julian's comedy and sense of humour, give this a read. Likeable characters and thoroughly disreputable types abound with an extra layer of theatre-luvvie and publishing inside-jokes that elevate it that bit above the usual. Adored the inclusion of a list at the end of everyone involved in getting the novel out and sold, such a nice touch. Let's hope he finds inspiration for a second novel. This one would also be great adapted as a radio series.
January 27, 2025
The cheeky and varied structure Clary has given the book takes awhile to get used to but once you do it becomes hilarious and funny. It's not exactly a great mystery but does give you fantastic moments of mean narrators, clues and double meanings.
December 29, 2025
That was fun. Funny, quirky, plenty of double-entendres and sly humour as you'd expect from Julian Clary. The names he chose for his police officers were mischievous - Bacon, Saddleback, Serrano and Tamworth :D
January 14, 2025
I'm not a great fan of celebrity written crime capers bit this is a light entertaining read and JC's distinctive humour shines through.
October 18, 2025
“I know there is a suspicion with 'celebrity authors' that we don't really do the hard graft of writing the books that bear our names. I also know that this is true in some cases. They know who they are. Not only is it obvious when you read them, but they've also told me themselves. I think it's a grubby deception to play on the general public and I want no part of it. I don't know how they sleep at night.
"So, just for the record: I WROTE THIS MYSELF."
Cosy crime novel. Jayne is the dresser for the actors in a play ‘Leopard Spots’ on tour in Eng;land following its successful production at the Edinburgh Festival. And there’s a murder. The police arrest the wrong man and Jayne takes it upon herself to prove his innocence and uncover the real murderer.
The plot is told through the media of Jayne’s diary, newspaper reports and reviews, text conversations, transcripts of police interviews, ‘fun facts’, and so on, with interjections from the author:
“My editor, (a dreadful woman who wears a beanie hat and lives in a throuple in Cobham) is getting a bit anxious as there hasn’t been much blood and gore yet in this book. But it is coming, dear reader. The general idea is that you are currently fully engaged in working out:
a) Who the victim is going to be?
b) Who is the murderer?
It’s not so much a whodunit as a ‘who is gonna do it and to whom?”
It really does read like Julian Clary, with naughty and acerbic comments:
“Now our travelling players move on to the south coast, to Brighton, where a blow on the front is available to anyone who might want it.”
A delight; thoroughly recommended.
"So, just for the record: I WROTE THIS MYSELF."
Cosy crime novel. Jayne is the dresser for the actors in a play ‘Leopard Spots’ on tour in Eng;land following its successful production at the Edinburgh Festival. And there’s a murder. The police arrest the wrong man and Jayne takes it upon herself to prove his innocence and uncover the real murderer.
The plot is told through the media of Jayne’s diary, newspaper reports and reviews, text conversations, transcripts of police interviews, ‘fun facts’, and so on, with interjections from the author:
“My editor, (a dreadful woman who wears a beanie hat and lives in a throuple in Cobham) is getting a bit anxious as there hasn’t been much blood and gore yet in this book. But it is coming, dear reader. The general idea is that you are currently fully engaged in working out:
a) Who the victim is going to be?
b) Who is the murderer?
It’s not so much a whodunit as a ‘who is gonna do it and to whom?”
It really does read like Julian Clary, with naughty and acerbic comments:
“Now our travelling players move on to the south coast, to Brighton, where a blow on the front is available to anyone who might want it.”
A delight; thoroughly recommended.
April 18, 2025
I like Julian Clary as a comic and think he’s underrated. I didn’t know he had written a novel, so I was looking forward to reading Curtain Call to Murder. The cover is eye catching and I like the leopard which ties in with the play title. I alternated between reading the book and listening to the audiobook. The narration of the audiobook was good as there are a few different narrators which helped bring the characters to life.
Jayne is delighted to be working as a Dresser on a play called Leopard Spots. As always in theatre, there are strong personalities and not everyone gets along. When one of the cast is found dead, Jayne thinks the police have arrested the wrong person, and begins an investigation of her own.
The story is told through diary entries, blog posts, text exchanges and articles which I quite liked as you get different perspectives. The chapters are quite short and the story is readable enough.
It takes quite a while for anything to happen, it’s halfway through the book before the murder happens and it does pick up a little when Jayne starts investigating. It’s fairly obvious who is going to be murdered.
I didn’t really like any of the characters apart from Jayne, but her overuse of lol was a bit grating and her constant mention of Greggs made me wonder if they had sponsored the book.
Overall the book was fine as a light read and I preferred the audiobook to the actual book as the narration added to the story. At times it’s quite amusing and is a cosy-ish whodunnit.
2.5 stars rounded to 3.
Jayne is delighted to be working as a Dresser on a play called Leopard Spots. As always in theatre, there are strong personalities and not everyone gets along. When one of the cast is found dead, Jayne thinks the police have arrested the wrong person, and begins an investigation of her own.
The story is told through diary entries, blog posts, text exchanges and articles which I quite liked as you get different perspectives. The chapters are quite short and the story is readable enough.
It takes quite a while for anything to happen, it’s halfway through the book before the murder happens and it does pick up a little when Jayne starts investigating. It’s fairly obvious who is going to be murdered.
I didn’t really like any of the characters apart from Jayne, but her overuse of lol was a bit grating and her constant mention of Greggs made me wonder if they had sponsored the book.
Overall the book was fine as a light read and I preferred the audiobook to the actual book as the narration added to the story. At times it’s quite amusing and is a cosy-ish whodunnit.
2.5 stars rounded to 3.
September 14, 2025
Tensions mount during a touring production whose actors include an aging lothario, a comedian who is nothing like his cheery working class persona, and two eccentric actresses. Meanwhile the play’s author/director is bombarding the cast with notes and a theatre blogger is pursuing his online vendetta against one of the cast. But although this might not be a theatrical masterpiece, a magnificent death awaits someone on the stage of the London Palladium…
I really wanted to like this book, because I like Julian Clary. But the book is told in a style I find jarring - instead of a coherent narrative, there are lots of little sections, some of which are supposed to be Clary’s own interpolations, some newspaper articles, extracts from group chats, and so on. Clary becomes a character in his own book, as sensible northerner Jayne (she likes Greggs and has never heard of croissants), the rather innocent heroine who solves the crime, is an old acquaintance of his who meets up with him several times in the book. At least it is a detective story which involves logical deductions and isn’t stupid, although I thought the how, why, and who were pretty obvious. Also not as funny as it thinks it is. In some ways very much as though Jilly Cooper characters were caught up in a detective story, although we’re very much in seedy theatrical territory…
I really wanted to like this book, because I like Julian Clary. But the book is told in a style I find jarring - instead of a coherent narrative, there are lots of little sections, some of which are supposed to be Clary’s own interpolations, some newspaper articles, extracts from group chats, and so on. Clary becomes a character in his own book, as sensible northerner Jayne (she likes Greggs and has never heard of croissants), the rather innocent heroine who solves the crime, is an old acquaintance of his who meets up with him several times in the book. At least it is a detective story which involves logical deductions and isn’t stupid, although I thought the how, why, and who were pretty obvious. Also not as funny as it thinks it is. In some ways very much as though Jilly Cooper characters were caught up in a detective story, although we’re very much in seedy theatrical territory…
August 24, 2025
As a confirmed Julian Clary fan I took to the book like a duck to water. I have to say that if you're not a fan of the double entendre or seaside postcard humour this might not be your cup of tea. Having read some of the reviews I suspect some readers from the US might find the whole package somewhat bewildering. The humour is very much British. Just as some US performers are very much American. The construction of the book was interesting. It's made up of a variety of diary entries, texts and WhatsApp conversations. I found it very easy to get into. I liked the Fun Facts that pop up in most chapters. I did check out a few and they proved to be accurate such as how Moliere died and why green is considered by actors to be an unlucky colour. Julian appears in the story too though as a somewhat fictionalised version of himself. Well I think so! It's definitely in the cosy crime genre and the theatrical setting gives it an added appeal as does the on tour story which means readers might recognise their home town. The amateur sleuth is a female dresser which is probably a first and it could launch a series. I also appreciated the advert on the last page to promote charities that support literacy projects particularly for the disadvantaged.
January 11, 2025
'Curtain Call to Murder' by Julian Clary.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved this book. I laughed all the way through it. I enjoyed the way the book was laid out and loved all the 'fun facts' throughout the book. I was kept guessing till near the end on who the killer was, that's always a good sign for a mystery book. I hope Julian Clary writes a few more cozy crime books, I would definitely read them.
A murder on stage. A cast full of suspects. Can dresser to the stars and true crime obsessive Jayne unravel the mystery?
It is opening night at the London Palladium, and tensions are running high amongst the feuding cast of "Leopard Spots." Amongst them are an ageing lothario, a foul-mouthed national treasure, and a comedian-turned actor all vying for the spotlight.
When an on-stage accident forces an unexpected intermission, it is clear only to dresser to the stars Jayne that the backstage drama has turned deadly. Can she step out of the wings and identify the killer before it is too late? Or will murder make an encore...
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved this book. I laughed all the way through it. I enjoyed the way the book was laid out and loved all the 'fun facts' throughout the book. I was kept guessing till near the end on who the killer was, that's always a good sign for a mystery book. I hope Julian Clary writes a few more cozy crime books, I would definitely read them.
A murder on stage. A cast full of suspects. Can dresser to the stars and true crime obsessive Jayne unravel the mystery?
It is opening night at the London Palladium, and tensions are running high amongst the feuding cast of "Leopard Spots." Amongst them are an ageing lothario, a foul-mouthed national treasure, and a comedian-turned actor all vying for the spotlight.
When an on-stage accident forces an unexpected intermission, it is clear only to dresser to the stars Jayne that the backstage drama has turned deadly. Can she step out of the wings and identify the killer before it is too late? Or will murder make an encore...
September 8, 2025
“Leopard Spots” a regional touring play that has gathered tremendously good reviews and wowing audiences all over Britain. Behind the scenes it’s a different story, a group of actors who can’t get along together, back stabbing and in fighting and very nasty.
Finally the play gets an enormous boost and is given a short run at the famous London Palladium theatre in the glitzy West End. The opening night goes well, until that is one of the actors dies in a terrible way on stage right in front of the audience, media and gathered press. Was it accidental or a murder?
In Julian Clary’s trademark way, the novel is wickedly hilarious, outrageous and full of sexual innuendo. I laughed so many times reading it. The only reason I dropped a star from my review is the way the novel is presented as diary entries, blogs and newspaper articles, it takes a while to get used to, but once you do, it’s a absolute banger of a novel, think Agatha Christie mixed with a Carry On film and you’re there!
Finally the play gets an enormous boost and is given a short run at the famous London Palladium theatre in the glitzy West End. The opening night goes well, until that is one of the actors dies in a terrible way on stage right in front of the audience, media and gathered press. Was it accidental or a murder?
In Julian Clary’s trademark way, the novel is wickedly hilarious, outrageous and full of sexual innuendo. I laughed so many times reading it. The only reason I dropped a star from my review is the way the novel is presented as diary entries, blogs and newspaper articles, it takes a while to get used to, but once you do, it’s a absolute banger of a novel, think Agatha Christie mixed with a Carry On film and you’re there!
May 28, 2025
Julian Clary's new murder mystery centres on a death that happens on stage during a performance the first night of a new play at the London Palladium. We know from the start about the murder - but the first half of the book follows the show on it's initial provincial tour so you can see the dynamics and the tensions building before the fatal moment. Our main character is Jayne, a dresser for the show, but Julian has written a version of himself into the show as a friend of hers - and the show is told in extracts from Jane's diary, commentary from Julian, snippets from a WhatsApp group with the actors, posts from a theatre blog, newspaper headlines, police interviews etc. I saw a couple of the twists coming - but I think you were meant to because Jayne is quite a naïve character in some ways and she balances out the cynicism and bitchiness of Julian's commentary!
November 15, 2024
I was hoping there'd be more Julian Clary commentary in this. It was a satisfactory mystery and I liked the way things finished for the character. There were some real laugh out loud phrases. I felt it was more like 3.5 stars, but 3 seemed too low.
I listened to it as an audiobook and might have enjoyed it more if read by the author rather than having him as a (too small) part of an ensemble. That said, the ensemble suited the feel of a production with many players, and may well have helped actors maintain some kind of guild membership, so that element was good. I did find the main character's impressions of gay characters (including Julian Clary) a bit insulting/stereotypical which was also disappointing.
I listened to it as an audiobook and might have enjoyed it more if read by the author rather than having him as a (too small) part of an ensemble. That said, the ensemble suited the feel of a production with many players, and may well have helped actors maintain some kind of guild membership, so that element was good. I did find the main character's impressions of gay characters (including Julian Clary) a bit insulting/stereotypical which was also disappointing.
December 23, 2024
Absolutely not what I was expecting but very enjoyable.
The story is presented as mixed media snippets which makes the book a very fast read and engaging.
I’m a huge Clary fan, his humour and reflections (he’s a character in the book too) had me giggling throughout.
Very much enjoyed the plot and didn’t know who the killer was until the Big Reveal which is always good. Lots of midlands references which I loved, definitely telling myself Clary holds a candle for Birmingham now.
There are some minor editorial issues with names that have changed. A couple of the characters are referenced by different names in the book Teddy/Hugo, Jane Jones/Jayne Oxley etc. which pull you out of the story a little. (But as Clary said in the book don’t bother him with these 😂)
The story is presented as mixed media snippets which makes the book a very fast read and engaging.
I’m a huge Clary fan, his humour and reflections (he’s a character in the book too) had me giggling throughout.
Very much enjoyed the plot and didn’t know who the killer was until the Big Reveal which is always good. Lots of midlands references which I loved, definitely telling myself Clary holds a candle for Birmingham now.
There are some minor editorial issues with names that have changed. A couple of the characters are referenced by different names in the book Teddy/Hugo, Jane Jones/Jayne Oxley etc. which pull you out of the story a little. (But as Clary said in the book don’t bother him with these 😂)
August 24, 2025
what can I say - I devoured this in only a couple of days! It wasn't a great start - after only a few pages I was dreading the format, after toiling through the thousands of pages of Mr Galbraith's Troubled Blood with those incomprehensible message exchanges ( you know who you are Ms Rowling!!) Anyhoo, things got on an even keel with the (thankfully small) company of lovies and the wonderful Jayne. I'd love to spend more time with her, and the premise is set up well - in the background for new companies of actors in new locations - I just hope she does fall foul of the Midsummer curse, where bodies fall at the feet of DI (DCI - who knows...) Barnaby, the unluckiest copper in the Cotswolds. An enjoyable addition to the cosy crime epidemic sweeping the bookshops.
February 12, 2025
Firstly I love the author, seen him live, so I may be a bit biased. From the start the book is written slightly differently to a conventional crime novel. Mostly the diary of the theatre dresser Jayne. Plus little anecdotes from the author throughout. But......... the murder doesn't occur until over halfway through the book, although the time taken to get to know the characters and set the scene was excellent. I then felt the third half to find the murderer was a bit rushed. I gave it 4* because the authors humour, it shines through and made me chuckle a lot. I did enjoy reading it as it was an easy read which I do like!
July 30, 2025
Lying on a sunlounger reading a Julian Clary novel is one of life's great pleasures. It's unfortunate that he's written so few - he doesn't even name them under his previous books here.
Anyway, hopefully this will be the first in a new flurry of books. There are a few minor quibbles, the "Fun facts" seemed to function more as filler of word count, but if you want a fun and fluffy read, this is very fitting.
Anyway, hopefully this will be the first in a new flurry of books. There are a few minor quibbles, the "Fun facts" seemed to function more as filler of word count, but if you want a fun and fluffy read, this is very fitting.
January 4, 2025
New to me
I've never read any of Julian's writing but will probably seek out more during the new year. I really enjoyed this behind the showbiz curtain mystery, which Julian brought, not surprisingly, a certain amount of believability to the story and very cleverly mixed fact with fiction in a entertaining way and kept me guessing till the end. An enjoyable read.
I've never read any of Julian's writing but will probably seek out more during the new year. I really enjoyed this behind the showbiz curtain mystery, which Julian brought, not surprisingly, a certain amount of believability to the story and very cleverly mixed fact with fiction in a entertaining way and kept me guessing till the end. An enjoyable read.
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