Fantastic story.

I loved Death in Heels. It was a fun setting in the drag club, the main character Fi was written well though at times the plot seemed a little rushed, like the author had too many ideas to fit into the narrative.

However I couldn’t put Death in Heels down, it was engaging and easy to read.

Thank you Kitty Murphy.

I loved the engaging characters in this story. Wonderful writing.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to the author publisher and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
Really enj9ued this book. Fast paced, engaging characters and a really good story.
Highly recommended.

this was a cute little murder mystery with loveable characters!
I loved all the drama with the drag queens and trying to work out “who done it”!

I must admit I did guess fairly early on but it was still an enjoyable read for me.

The only thing that I didn’t like was all of the unfinished sentences in speech and being cut off all the time, there was a lot of it which was really noticeable and off putting

Wow my heart is pounding after that showstopper of a finale sequence. I had half an inkling who the killer might be, but I also had many other theories and one of them was right but I wasn't even sure I wanted to be right.

I'm a huge fan of drag queens and kings, and especially over the last few years seen many of them live on the West End stage, but this is the first time I'd read a novel centred around the world of drag, and getting an insight into far more than you see on Drag Race, or on stage, was just fascinating.

Behind the glitz and glamour, there are real young men, who are just trying to live their best lives, do what they love for a living, and just hope that no one is going to kill them, or shout abuse at them for doing so.

I loved how Fi was able to explain drag, and the pronouns to many people as she follows her suspicion that Eve's death wasn't accidental and it explained things to me in a way that made sense. I've never been sure what pronoun to use when referring to queens and now do I do!

I was fully absorbed in the world of TRASH the club all the queens featured perform at, and loved being on Mae B's journey for her debut and her being at the centre of everything. There are so many possible suspects and it's also clear no one is safe.

Even the finale was in my mind a clear homage to a similar sequence in a film that I suspect is a hit within the gay community, and only other time I've seen that tried. Actually though I reckon this book would almost certainly look good on a screen, big or small!

it's just wonderful, I'm so glad I stumbled across the book and I'm greatly looking forward to reading the second book in this series too.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Drag Queens are all the rage now. What could be more entertaining than a drag queen mystery? This is book 1 in the new Dublin Drag Mysteries series. This book holds all the drama, sass, glitter, and extreme you'd expect from drag queens.

Mae B debuts on stage for her first drag performance at the drag club TRASH. Mae B kills it, but local queen Eve hijacks the show and ruins the night. In an odd turn of events, Eve winds up dead! Was it an accident or is there foul play involved? Mae B's friend, Fi Mckinnery is determined to use her sleuthing skills to find the killer and solve an ever-evolving crime.

The characters were well developed. The story fell flat in the middle, but it picked back up by the end. Overall, an entertaining read. This would make a really fun tv series.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

Oh my god! This book!!!! Where do I start? Full of drama, bitchiness, glitter and mystery, WOW!! I don't know about you but if they decide to make this series into a TV adaptation, I will watch it not once or twice, but a hundred times.

I absolutely loved the setting and the characters. As Fi's best friend Robyn makes his drag debut, things start changing... for worse. First, the discovery of a Drag Queen's body in the ditch (on the debut night), then comes secret affairs, jealousy and back-biting - everything wrapped in a glittery mystery package.

The story begins on a slow note. I admit I had trouble following the story at the beginning - there were too many things going on and the character introduction seemed a tad incomplete. But as the story proceeds, we get to learn a lot about the recurring characters background, Fi and Robyn's friendship and much more.

Coming to the mystery behind the murder(s) - I didn't see this coming. Yes, there was this villainous character who could be pooh-pooh-ed for being just another jealous personality. But for them to commit murder(s) and not feel an ounce of remorse... Gosh!!

The story is peppered with quirky humor. A cozy mystery with a dash of quirky humor and characters is something that I absolutely LOVE. The mystery behind the murder(s) kept me guessing till the end. I also loved Fi and Robyn's friendship - which took a beating halfway through but things ended well so all's well that ends well, right?

I am eagerly waiting to see what's next for Fi and Robyn. The next installment of this book is releasing soon and I cannot wait to read it!

If you are looking for a crazy, quirky, glittery and absolutely fantabulous cozy mystery, you MUST give Death in Heels by Kitty Murphy a try.

A cozy mystery with an unusual setting, a great cast of likeable and fleshed out characters, and a solid plot that kept me guessing
I can't wait to read other books by this author as I would be happy to read more stories set in the drag world of Dublin.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Death in Heels is the first Dublin Drag mystery by Kitty Murphy. Released 1st Jan 2023 by Thomas & Mercer, it's 288 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.The second book in the series is due out in April 2023. 

This is such a well written and genuinely engaging mystery. The main protagonist, Fi McKinnery, is earnestly appealing, brave, loyal, and rendered believably. In fact, the author has a real gift with characterisation; even the minor secondary characters are handled well and skillfully. Given the premise (death in and around a Dublin drag club), the pitfalls could have been legion. I admit to some trepidation going into the read and feared it would be full of caricatures, appropriations, and cheap shots. It's none of those things.

The mystery is well plotted and paced, and I never found my interest wandering at all. The climax, denouement, and resolution were satisfying (if not shocking or unexpected). It's rather sad that it needs to be said in today's world, but a high point for me was that there was no cruelty or ridicule aimed at the characters on the author's part. It would've been easy (maybe expected!) to lampoon drag and LGBTQIA+ culture for cheap laughs and the author has refrained, for which I applaud. There is *camp* aplenty; bad puns, and occasionally catty dialogue (it's a murder mystery in a drag club), but it's not *mean* and I'm glad. 

Quite looking forward to the next book in April. 

Four stars, a strong series starter.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Fi is excited to see her best friend Robyn's drag debut as Mae B at drag club TRASH, but things soon go wrong. First, one of the other queens, Eve, borrows Mae's outfit and mocks her performance. Then Fi is given the cold shoulder by the other queens, the unspoken message being that Mae doesn't need her any more. Then finally, whilst walking home alone, Fi comes across Eve's dead body in an alleyway.

Everyone else, including the police, seems happy, if not keen, to rule Eve's death a tragic accident, claiming she was drunk or on drugs, slipped in Mae's skyscraper heels and drowned in the torrential rain which was pooling in the alley. Certainly, other than the bruise on her forehead, which could have been from a fall, there are no signs of foul play. But Fi isn't convinced. If Eve fell why are there no marks on her knees or hands? And claiming that Eve, who could drink a bottle of vodka and still dance in high heels on stage, was drunk enough to fall over seems implausible.

But the more Fi keeps digging the more she is ostracised by Mae and the other queens. Even when Robyn's new boyfriend is deliberately run over they seem determined to ignore the evidence. But Fi is convinced that someone is targeting the drag queens, perhaps Robyn in particular.

This is a hard book to review. The murder plot was god, with plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing along the way. The trouble is, I found almost all of the characters very unlikable which made it an uneasy book to read - obviously it helped that I didn't like any of the suspects but it also didn't make me particularly ill-disposed towards the murderer. In fact, I had some sympathy for the murderer in the end. I also feel that the book perpetrated many of the stereotypes about drag queens and gay men.

Overall, it was okay and different from my usual reading, but I wouldn't go out of my way to read another book by this author.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately I ended up not finishing the book around half way through. I thought the idea behind the book was very interesting and the fact that it featured drag queens instantly grabbed my attention.


I may have been able to finish this if I was in the write head space but I just could not get into it fully. This may be the perfect book though if you enjoy mystery/crime novels.

Death in Heels is the first in potential series by debut author Kitty Murphy. With the glamorous and dramatic setting of the Dublin drag scene and a group of fabulous and feisty queens as characters this book provides plenty of fashion, fun and excitement and it is clear that there is potential for more stories to come.
Fi is an aspiring photographer who shares her flat with her best friend Robyn , soon to be known as Mae B once he makes his debut at their favourite drag club TRASH. They have been best friends since childhood and Fi wants nothing more that for Mae to succeed and be a star. The night of the big debut everything seems to be going well, that is until another local queen, Eve, in a fit of pique steals Mae's act and the show. When Fi stumbles on Eve's dead body in a laneway behind the club she is immediately suspicious, and even when the police suggest it was a tragic accident she is reluctant to believe them. Fearing that her best friend could now be in danger , she tries to uncover the truth behind Eve's death and it is only when another queen is injured that the rest of the group take her seriously.
This was a fast fun and entertaining read set in my home city. I loved so many of the characters and the found family relationship between the queens , their love and support for each other was really great to see. Of all the characters the protagonist Fi was probably the least likeable and least developed, but if there are more books to come I can see that the author could be holding back a little so that the character becomes more fully formed as the series progresses. I did guess the murderer, but that did not spoil my enjoyment of the book. However I did think that the reasoning the murderer gave for their actions was weak.
I look forward to reading more from this author and would definitely pick up the next book in the series.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A hoot of a cozy with a warm and unique center. Fans of the genre will appreciate this different take on the tropes. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A cute and cosy mystery with the added glamour (and drama) of the Dublin drag scene. The story itself was fast-paced and fun, so it was easy to devour the book in a few hours which is exactly what I was looking for. I personally didn't guess the killer, though I think this might be a mix of me not having read many books in this genre, and the overall improbability of it - it seems highly unlikely that no one would have seen problematic behaviour manifesting in the character before it escalated on this scale. Some of the minor characters seemed to blur into one a little, but that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment; I will definitely look out for further instalments of this series as they are published.

A cosy mystery with a unique edge.
Fi lives with Robyn her best friend , who is about to debut his drag act under the name Mae B.
His debut is received warmly and on the same night Fi finds another drag queen dead , is it an accident or foul play?
Fi thinks that the incident isn’t an accident but how can she prove it and people
The writing is easy to read and the story also explores relationships and how dynamics within them change ..
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK.

I really liked the premise of this book but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

A found family of drag queens finding a killer is a fun story idea but there were a lot of pieces that didn't add to the story for me. (spoilers below!)

I thought the split between Robyn and Fi was pretty sudden but their reunion was even quicker. Witnessing someone's death is certainly a valid reason for both of them to start acting up, but the fight felt largely useless from the beginning, and the total forgiveness without a conversation felt forced.

I also felt that Fi's storyline wasn't finished, which is definitely in part done to allow for more growth in book two, but there wasn't a small resolution even. She had her job interview that didn't go well, but that storyline just kinda died. Relatedly, the coworker with a crush was never resolved, and the fact of Gavin being her boss's son was a detail that didn't go anywhere (despite it seeming like it was set up to be important).

Fi as a character just was unlikeable to me. Being consistently late for her job with no sign of caring about it, as well as having no consideration for the feelings of others when she wrote her blogs are just a couple of reasons I didn't really root for the main character of the book.

Lastly, I thought Karen being the killer was a strange reveal. I had put it together that it would be her, but she had dumb reasons for wanting to kill her brother so much that she killed a lot of other people. I just found her whole speech about being jealous that her brother was a better girl than her entirely ridiculous. She could have been a good villain in this story if she had had reasons for her actions, but the reasons we were given just didn't work.

Plot- 3 stars
Writing- 4 stars
Characters- 2 stars

Fi's best friend Robyn has a slot at Dublin drag club TRASH, performing as Mae B. While supporting Mae B, Fi stumbles across the body of Eve, a drag queen who is not liked by the others. Fi is convinced Eve has been murdered, whereas the rest of the TRASH community urge her to leave it alone. Can Fi persuade the Guards that there is a case to solve, and can she keep herself and her friends safe while doing so?

A good quick read, I loved Fi's tenacity, but did find some of the other characters a bit irritating. However, it was a fun visit to the Irish Drag scene, and I'll definitely be looking out for more by this author.

This was a pretty good read! I struggled a little bit with getting into the story and staying interested in it. Parts of the book would get me interested, but then I'd get to another part I'd struggle to stay interested in, partly simply because the main character would annoy me. But all in all, entertaining.

The book definitely keeps you guessing on who-dunnit!

Thanks to #NetGalley for providing me with an eArc in return for a fair review.

Death in Heels was an amazingly fun read! What a great mystery, which also explored changing dynamics in friendships and found family.

Fi goes to watch her best friend Robyn’s drag debut as Mae B, unaware that the night will end in murder…
When drag queen Eve turns up dead in a rain filled gutter in a Dublin alley the local police are quick to dismiss it as an accident. Fi is convinced it was murder, and her insistence on investigating leads to a growing distance in her friendship. Mockingly assigned the nickname of Hagatha Christie, Fi is the only one that feels the growing danger drawing closer.

Funny, cosy mystery. Achieves the right balance in humour & tension. Would love to read more books with these characters

This is something very new and a different setting.
At first i wasnt sure if i would enjoy this but o wow did i!
So much fun reading this. The characters are just so sassy and loveable, not to mention their beauty too with all the sparkles and colour.

Just fabulous.