DVD Extras Include: Murder

The Mervyn Stone Mysteries #2

by Nev Fountain

Mervyn Stone was once the script-editor of an old BBC television series which gripped the nation in the 1980s; a sexy space saga featuring large-breasted women and even larger-breasted men. Vixens from the Void is the reason why Mervyn's career, though dead, still has spasms of life, like the odd twitch on a cooling corpse. It's the reason why Mervyn is invited to take part in a DVD commentary discussing one of the more controversial (and, let's face it, blasphemous) episodes of Vixens from the Void. And it's the reason why Mervyn has to become an amateur detective. Again. During the commentary, one of the participants is poisoned by a bottle of water randomly taken from a table. No one knows how the poison got into the bottle. The bottles were sealed. No other bottles contained poison. An impossible crime. The victim was a high profile atheist, who made a career out of enraging Christian groups with his provocative books and interviews. The whispers 'Act of God'? As the bodies pile up and he's pursued by crazed fans, mad actresses, suspicious policemen and mental fundamentalists, Mervyn is starting to feel like God's got it in for him too.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Comedy

250 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Nev Fountain, born Steven John Fountain, is an English writer, best known for his comedy work with writing partner Tom Jamieson on the radio and television programme 'Dead Ringers'.

He is currently writing for Dead Ringers and the satirical magazine 'Private Eye'.

He has written three humorous murder-mystery novels, collectively called 'The Mervyn Stone Mysteries', and a serious thriller called 'Painkiller'.

His latest book, 'The Fan Who Knew Too Much' was released in July this year.

Nev was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire and now resides in Surrey.

Reviews

[Rachel Redhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

likes its predecessor the quality of the prose is first rate, but I was hoping that all the characters would be murdered by the end of the book, they're all grotesque in some way, maybe that's the point? Mick the ultra-obsessed fangirl cop, just yikes! Still the plot is engaging, the whodunit thread doesn't overwhelm things, still going to read the third book.

[Gareth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mervyn Stone, ex-script editor of the faintly sleazy Doctor Who / Blake’s 7-ish Vixens From The Void, returns to solve more murders, these ones revolving around a controversial DVD commentary.

Much of what worked about Geek Tragedy still works here. Nev Fountain’s prose is clever and funny, the chapters are short and pacy, and the mystery threads tie satisfyingly together at the end. But it lacks the novelty of setting the whole thing at a sci-fi convention - for obvious reasons you can’t set a whole novel over the course of a DVD commentary, alas - and the middle-aged grottiness of Mervyn (and really, all the characters) is amped up. We get a few particularly grimy sex scenes, one at least for plot reasons.

It’s still plenty of fun to read, but I didn’t like anyone in it, and ultimately it leaves a taste in the mouth not unlike spending too long at a greasy spoon.

[Simon Heldreich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start and the attitude to fandom is a little cliché but it builds the mystery and ties nicely together at the end. The character of Mervyn Stone is reminiscent of the radio comedy character Ed Reardon, hardly surprising coming from the co-creator of Dead Ringers.

[P.C. Crussell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent and fun book from Nev Fountain. Shame he's only written three!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mervyn Stone part two was highly entertaining! As much as it would be difficult to come up with a tale as great as one that takes place in a Sci-Fi convention, this one comes pretty close. A murder occurs out of the blue at a taping of commentary for a DVD. It is the ostracized episode from Vixens of the Void which sends all sorts of religious types squirrelly. Once again, Stone is right in the middle of this murder and decides to take a stab at solving it. Along the way, a few more cast members die and all sorts of odd information is released.

I enjoy Mervyn Stone. He's a pig, a buffoon and sometimes kind of pompous, but there's something about him (maybe akin to a car accident) that makes you follow through. All the women he spends time with (in the bedroom) are vapid individuals yet they seem to come out of the woodwork like crazy. The police officers he rubs elbows with are very strange and quirky. They let him get away with all sorts of stuff that surely should make him spend more time in a jail cell. And, strangely enough, all of this works. This is a funny novel which makes me want to read more of Mervyn Stone. Would I ever want to meet him? Hell no! But I wouldn't mind a signed copy of a script! LOL

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the hardback versions of these books when the first came out in 2010, really enjoyed the first book and then somehow never got around to reading the next one.
I love the setup of these stories. Vixens From The Void comes across as a real TV show from the tackier era of television, and as such all of the politics between the characters comes across as very real too. It's very funny, witty and engaging - it's not obvious who dunnit, and you are interested in finding out.
It probably won't be as long before I read volume three, shame it appears that they stopped there!

[Tommy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed from Eugene. Lots of fun and works on a couple of levels: detective novel and geeky SF tie-in, Hurry up and read the third one Eugene!

[Tobias Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to Geek Tragedy.
Great fun :-)

[Nick Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, fooled me. a red herring distracted me, and the real villain slipped by. nicely done.