by Katy Watson
Overall: what a fun mystery! The Three Dahlias definitely fell into the “can’t put it down” category for me. A weekend celebrating the work of Britain’s literary “Princess of Poison,” Lettice Davenport (a fictional creation in the vein of Agatha Christie), at Lettice’s family home, Aldermere, goes awry when one of the attendees is murdered. The three actresses who have played or will play Lettice’s most famous literary creation, Dahlia Lively, are on hand, and they decide to team up to solve the mystery. The story is told in from each of their perspectives: Rosalind King, who played Dahlia in the original three films; Caro Hooper, the most recent Dahlia in a long-running tv series; and Posy Starling, a washed-up child star who’s been selected to star in the Dahlia reboot. There are plenty of suspects on hand: the members of the Dahlia Lively fan club; Lettice’s descendants, who currently live at Aldermere; the various film people, on hand for panels during the weekend; and, of course, the organizers of the event. There’s a creepy dollhouse (which reminded me of the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death), stolen jewels, a poisonous garden, and no one is quite what they appear to be.
Likes: this book beautifully incorporates the best of Golden Age detective fiction with modern elements. Since the Lettice Davenport weekend is an “immersive experience” in the late 20s/early 30s, all the participants (mostly) give up their technology; since none of the investigators are actual detectives (the police remain firmly on the periphery), we don’t need to bother with modern forensics. The three narrators are fun, distinct, and provide good pacing to the story.
Dislikes: nothing, really. This is just the kind of cozy mystery I like! Lots of twists and turns, some dark elements, but no gore or graphic violence.
FYI: some references to drug use, sex. Murder.
Liz Helfrich 