A killer hides on the set of a television mystery series
Final Act
A Lambert & Hook Police Procedural
by J.M. Gregson
Severn House
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date: September 1 2016
Review
Most mystery lovers enjoy on-screen detectives as well as those that grace the pages. (Midsommer Murders anyone?) Thus it was a delicious treat to discover that the newest Lambert and Hook police procedural places them on the set of a popular British television mystery series. When Sam Jackson, the successful and despised television producer is murdered, Lambert and Hook are put on the case. Faced with a bevy of suspects to whom deception is part of the job description, DCI Lambert is challenged to uncover which of the many lies he is told matter.
One of the things I enjoy about J M Gregson is that he effectively spreads suspicious behavior around. So many people had a motive for murder. It was far from easy to unravel the threads of this challenging and engrossing mystery. It was pleasantly chilling when my top suspect ended up as a victim. I also loved the juxtaposition of two fictional styles of detecting.
The Lambert and Hook mysteries are extremely well done, and Final Act is a terrific addition to the series. Whether you love reading mysteries or prefer your detectives on screen, Final Act will keep you glued to the page.
5/5
I received a copy of Final Act from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
Lambert & Hook discover that interrogating professional actors is an impossible business in the latest intriguing mystery.
Sam Jackson is not a man who suffers fools – or anyone else – gladly. A successful British television producer who fancies himself as a Hollywood mogul, he makes enemies easily, and delights in the fact.
It is no great surprise that such a man should meet a violent death. Detective Chief Superintendent Lambert and Detective Sergeant Hook deduce that the person who killed him is almost certainly to be found among the company of actors who are shooting a series of detective mysteries in rural Herefordshire. But these are people who make a living by acting out other people’s fictions, people more at home with make-believe than real life – and the two detectives find interrogating them a difficult business. How can Lambert and Hook fight their way to the truth when faced with a cast of practised deceivers?
