Death in Heels: Dublin Drag Mystery Series

Dublin’s flamboyant drag scene provides the backdrop for Murphy’s scintillating debut and series launch. After many rejected outfits, Robyn has perfected his drag persona, the striking Mae B. Mae B is a hit at TRASH , the drag club Robyn and his best friend, Fiona “Fi” McKinnery, consider a second home. The applause, however, is short-lived when fellow drag queen Eve, wearing Mae B’s slinky gown and red wig, savagely parodies Mae B’s performance. Soon after, Fi finds Eve—still wearing Mae B’s costume—face down in the gutter, dead. The police declare Eve’s death an accident, but Fi has her doubts, especially when another TRASH queen is injured in a hit-and-run. When Ben, another TRASH queen, is shot and killed, Fi is sure her friends are in danger. Fi, dubbed “Hagatha Christie” by Robyn, and her long-ago crush, pathologist Patrick Midda, try to find out who’s targeting TRASH’s queens before the annual Pride parade becomes a sequin and satin–draped funeral procession. Sharp dialogue compensates for characters who occasionally come across as flat. Readers will eagerly await the sequel. Agent: Ed Wilson, Johnson and Alcock. (Nov.)