Book Review: Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars

(This review was originally written for and shared on Books Bird)

A thrilling drag queen murder mystery story, Murder in the Dressing Room is the début novel from Holly Stars; a UK comedian, drag performer and writer of the West End comedy hit show, Death Drop.

The novel centres on drag queen, Misty Divine; during the day, Joe is a less-than-confident hotel accountant but by night when they take to the stage as Misty Divine she becomes a sparkling drag queen and an up-and-coming star in London’s drag scene. When Misty’s mentor and drag mother, Lady Lady is murdered in her dressing room, however, Misty soon finds herself at the centre of a criminal investigation. She and her fellow drag king and queen performers – as well as other staff at the Lady’s Bar venue – quickly become the prime suspects in the murder.

Pre-order Murder in the Dressing Room

Confused, heartbroken, grieving and frustrated at the inaction of the police – who seem to be more caught up in the Kensington Cat Burglar than on catching Lady Lady’s murderer – Misty Divine becomes determined to investigate the case herself and solve it once and for all. Will her sleuthing, however, put her, their partner Miles, and even their friends in danger though?

A fast-paced, page-turning mystery novel, Murder in the Dressing Room opens almost immediately with the murder and picks up increasingly captivating speed with each new revelation. While woven into the narrative, the author also explores some important topics within the LGBTQ+ and drag scene including: homophobia, the protests against drag queen story hour, the undervaluing of drag kings, the loss of queer venues, non-binary identities, gay love and relationships, and of course, friendships and family within the community.

With the larger-than-life, dragged-up amateur investigator heroine, Misty Divine at the helm, Murder in the Dressing Room pulls readers into a seedy underworld of secrets, thievery, murder, and crime juxtaposed against the glitzy glamour of drag. Clever, camp and everything you could want from a drag queen murder mystery, Holly Stars’ Murder in the Dressing Room is a gripping tale full of more twists and turns than a heavily-curled wig.

Espionage and eyelashes go hand-in-hand in this novel which would make for a fun series adaptation. What’s more, the novel’s ending leaves Misty with a potential further mystery to solve, so perhaps, we haven’t seen the last of her just yet….

Murder in the Dressing Room will publish in February 2025, and is available for pre-order now on Amazon or Hive Books! 

With thanks to Netgalley for the review copy of this book