Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars

February 25, 2025

Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars

Drag queen Misty Divine leads a double life: by day, they are plain Joe Brown, accounts payable clerk for a rundown London hotel, but in the evening, they transform into Misty Divine, rising star and regular performer at Lady's Bar, London's premiere drag club. But when her mentor Lady Lady is found dead in her dressing room wearing a stolen dress, and the police seem more interested in finding an elusive cat burglar, Misty is determined to find out who murdered her beloved friend.

A fun and campy cozy mystery with a unique setting, the first book in a new series. The author did a good job of describing Joe's nightly metamorphosis into Misty, sharing their thoughts in both incarnations. While Joe tends to stay in the background at their day job, alter-ego Misty is bold, confident and not easily intimidated. And I loved the descriptions of Misty's wardrobe! The story is a little slow moving and Joe/Misty is a little stiff as an amateur sleuth, so there is a lot of room for growth in future mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Raja, a really beautiful drag queen from RuPaul's Drag Race