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An A-List for Death

An A-List for Death 2

by Pamela Hart
Paperback
Publication Date: 01/06/2022
5/5 Rating 2 Reviews

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Shooting for fame could end your career ... and your life. A sparkling mystery from a stylish new voice in crime fiction, in a book that will delight fans of Richard Osman and Kerry Greenwood.

TV researcher Poppy McGowan has never sought the spotlight and is none too happy to be photographed with rock god Nathan Castle. When the photo pops up on celebrity gossip sites, it sparks a media feeding frenzy, forcing Poppy to go to ground, don a wig, and pull some nifty moves to escape a tailing car. On top of that, she cops abuse from Nathan's outraged fans.

None of this would have happened if Poppy hadn't found Nathan's mother Daisy, one-time glamour girl and elderly best friend of her Aunty Mary, bleeding and unconscious in her bathroom. The police dismiss the case as an accident, but Poppy is sure there are questions to be answered. Who attacked Daisy, and why? Will she come out of her coma? What secrets are her gathering family hiding? What happens to Daisy's money if she dies?

When a murder occurs outside Daisy's flat, the police step in at last. Unfortunately, they finger Poppy's boyfriend, Tol, for the crime - after all, he had bad blood with the victim. As Daisy's money-hungry family circle amid hints of poisoning, bribery and blackmail, Poppy must find a way to clear Tol's name and ensure Daisy's safety.

ISBN:
9781867201892
9781867201892
Category:
Crime & Mystery
Format:
Paperback
Publication Date:
01-06-2022
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
Country of origin:
Australia
Pages:
368
Dimensions (mm):
234x153x29mm
Weight:
0.45kg

'A comedic take on celebrity culture, fandom, senior citizens and archaeology. Witty, entertaining, fabulous.' Petronella McGovern, bestselling author of The Good Teacher

'Hilarious! A laugh-out-loud mystery.'
L.A. Larkin, author of The Safe Place

Pamela Hart

Pamela is an award-winning author for adults and children. She has a Doctorate of Creative Arts from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Under the name Pamela Freeman she wrote the historical novel The Black Dress, which won the NSW Premier's History Prize for 2006. Pamela is also well known for her fantasy novels for adults, published by Orbit worldwide, the Castings Trilogy, and her Aurealis Award-winning novel Ember and Ash.

Pamela lives in Sydney with her husband and their son, and teaches at the Australian Writers' Centre.

The Desert Nurse follows her bestselling novels The Desert Nurse, The War Bride and A Letter from Italy.

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Reviews

5.0

Based on 2 reviews

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2 Reviews

An A-List for Death is the rollicking second instalment in Aussie author Pamela Hart's cosy mystery series featuring television researcher - turned amateur sleuth Poppy McGowan.

Poppy has temporarily moved into her great-aunt Mary's plush retirement village apartment, to act as her carer after knee surgery. No sooner has she arrived than Poppy discovers her aunt's glamorous best friend, 60s "It Girl" Daisy, collapsed and barely alive in her own apartment's bathroom. Daisy has a nasty head wound, and Aunt Mary is convinced that this was no accidental fall, instead that someone has assaulted Daisy and left her for dead.

Poppy's already frantic life becomes a maelstrom after she's photographed with Daisy's famous pop musician son, Jonathan by wannabe paparazza Esmerelda, sending the local gossip magazines into overdrive.

When Poppy discovers Esmerelda's body, murdered inside Aunt Mary's retirement complex with her camera's SD card smashed nearby, it becomes clear that there's a vicious killer on the loose. But who could want elderly Daisy dead, and what might Esmerelda have seen and photographed that she shouldn't have?

An A-List for Death is a fitting follow-up to 2021's popular Digging Up Dirt. Despite the rather violent actual and attempted murders, the mood is light and frequently humorous. There's an intriguing cast of potential suspects, some sympathetic, others considerably less so. The setting is evocative of Sydney in late spring, with several real-life locations depicted and their architecture subjected to Hart's critical eye.

I found An A-List for Death a quick and enjoyable read, and believe it would appeal to readers who enjoy mystery novels in the ilk of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series and M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series.

My thanks to the author, Pamela Hart, publisher Harlequin Australia / HQ Fiction, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Recommended
Contains Spoilers No
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4.5★s
An A-List For Death is the second book in the Poppy McGowan series by Australian author, Pamela Hart. Children's Educational TV researcher Poppy McGowan is volunteered by family to care for her elderly aunt post-op: not a great hardship as Aunty Mary lives in an exclusive riverside retirement complex in Ryde, and Poppy’s numerous aunts provide casseroles and fill-in care.

But when she goes to check on Mary's neighbour and dearest friend, she finds the wealthy, flamboyant Daisy Montgomery out cold on her bathroom floor, bleeding from a head wound. A rush to the Emergency department of Royal Prince Alfred is followed by liaising with Daisy's son: a mixed blessing. Jonathan Montgomery is more widely known as the rich and famous Nathan Castle, gorgeous, talented rock star.

An opportunistic paparazza sells a perfectly innocent shot of Poppy with Nathan, causing a media storm. Aunty Mary, meanwhile, is convinced that Daisy has been attacked in her own home, but Poppy wonders if it was really just a fall. Until, that is, Daisy’s unit is trashed and possibly burgled.

Distracting her somewhat, Poppy’s recently acquired boyfriend, archaeologist Tol Lang is trying to convince her to visit him in Jordan for a dig. He’s leaving soon, and will be away two years: is she giving her heart away for a long-distance relationship? Will going on Tol’s dig just prolong the agony?

By the time that there has been a murder, Tol has been arrested and a few boxes of possibly poisoned chocolates are creating havoc, the list of potential suspects includes the retirement complex’s odious manager, Daisy’s greedy stepdaughter, her solicitor, her step-grandson, a record company publicity manager and a two-timing archaeology student.

Poppy McGowan’s latest adventure also features a will, a Scottish estate, paternity issues and fraud, as well as plenty of (melo)drama and a good helping of red herrings to keep even the most astute reader guessing until the final reveal. Very entertaining!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and HQ Fiction.

Recommended
Contains Spoilers No
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