But things take a nightmare turn when a prop weapon is replaced with the real thing – with almost fatal consequences for her fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King.

Especially, because in the last two chapters, they build up Nina as being the perfect suspect with a very valid motive, but then Watson decides that she wants to dabble with twists and throw in one that doesn't make sense, so it's revealed that it was Tristan all along (The charismatic young actor, who is good looking to the level where he even seduces the wife of the Inn owner) And why? The three actresses of different generations who played the formidable Dahlia Lively are back after teaming up to solve the murders at Aldermere.In this latest addition to the Dahlia Lively series, A Very Lively Murder, the three Dahlias, Caro, Rosalind, and Posy, are reunited once again and back sleuthing on the set of The Lady Detective when it quickly becomes apparent that there’s a murderer amongst the cast when threats, victims, accidents, and dead bodies all start piling up.

With all that being said, I will read the next in the series, although I'm not as excited about it as I was with this one. It was lovely to see Posy really coming into her own and being the leading Dahlia in the story as well as in the fictional world of Dahlia Lively. Truth be told, Nina would not have fitted either, as she was pregnant, so why would she risk it all revenging something that happened 8 years ago now, when she is happy and about to have a baby, which she is excited about. A must for fans of classic mysteries' Frances Brody'An affectionate homage to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and a wry nod to our continuing fascination with it.The supporting characters are a mixed bag of film actors and locals at the local pub where the film stars are staying. Praise for A Very Lively Murder'A truly entertaining crime novel in the Three Dahlias series, very much in the Agatha Christie tradition, and I hope this series will continue' Shots Magazine'Will please those who liked the opening book' The Critic'Fiendeshly clever' Bucks Herald Praise for Katy Watson'An absolute treat of a read with all the ingredients of a vintage murder mystery: a country house, mysterious dead bodies and three actresses all keen to catch the killer. The way she is described in the first book and until the page where they visit Brigitte in London, that lady never touched a biscuit - if anything, Caro would be the one hoping for biscuits with tea. It gave nostalgia, it gave golden era detective sleuthing, and it gave anything an Agatha Christie fan would enjoy. But when Rosalind suffers two almost fatal near misses on set it's clear that there is the sender of the notes means to do more than just upset her, and so when one of the cast members is killed it's time for the Dahlias to do what they do best (after acting of course) - find a killer.

I got into this one straight away, transported to a country house for an engaging homage to vintage golden age murder; full of 30’s flair and with a twisty modern vibe. The story picks up slightly after the first book finished and follows the characters whilst they are actually filming the film from the first book. A good 100 pages pass when we get a second death, this time murder for sure, as one of the old actors has been stabbed. The present cast includes some famous male actors, Kit Lewis, a black actor who is cast as DI Johnnie Swain, and Tristan Haworth, an aristocratic type, who Dahlia's wealthy Uncle Sol would love her to marry, which Dahlia has no intention of doing. Set in glorious Wales, with a huge and well drawn cast, this beautifully written crime novel is as entertaining as it is twisty.As you would imagine there is another murder or two that the three Dahlias take it upon themselves to solve. It taps into that love we have of the locked room mystery, and that well known detective that we love in all it’s reincarnations. During the filming the pair realise that Rosalind is being targeted by a dangerous killer and contact Caro Hooper (the star of the tv series as Dahlia) to help them with their investigation. A Very Lively Murder takes place during the filming of a country house thriller in the period following the Second World War, and the three Dahlias are three actresses of varying ages who have played, or as in Posy's case are now playing the part. This doesn't quite stick the landing as effectively as the first book did, but I still enjoyed it a lot—great escapist reading during a crappy work week—and will definitely be continuing on with the series.