Glamour, Glitz And Murder…
Glamour, glitz and…murder in this fun and frothy cosy mystery and the first in the series of the Dublin Drag Mysteries. When Fi makes an appearance to support her friends debut drag act she doesn’t imagine for a moment that there may be a killer in the audience. Chaos will, undoubtedly, ensue. With a larger than life cast of characters, a swiftly moving storyline and a well described backdrop, this is an enjoyable and entertaining first outing,

When Fi went to support her best friend’s drag debut, she didn’t imagine a killer would be going to watch it too. And they’re waiting for their grand finale…

Fi McKinnery is full of nerves as the gorgeous Mae B (aka her best friend Robyn) takes to the stage for her debut at drag club TRASH, but Mae B is dazzling…that is until local queen Eve lampoons her performance and ruins the show. So when Eve turns up dead later that night, face down in the gutter of a rain-soaked Dublin street, the timing seems awfully suspicious…

The police are quick to rule Eve’s death an accident, but Fi is convinced it was foul play. When her ‘Hagatha Christie’ amateur sleuthing backfires, it drives a wedge between Fi and Robyn. But when another friend is targeted in a hit-and-run, she’s determined to get this twisted killer caught, no matter what the consequences.

Even as the rest of the gang start to distance themselves, Fi is certain that they’re all in terrible danger. Something dark is lurking beneath the feathers, glitter and sequins of Dublin’s drag scene. And it’s not just the sticky floor and cracked mirrors. Someone is targeting the queens. When another member of the group is gunned down, it’s clear the danger is coming ever closer. Can Fi stop the killer before any more of her friends are hurt?

After watching her best friend and roommate Robyn on his debut drag act as Mae B at Trash the local drag queen club, Fi finds Eve one of the drag queens dead in an alley. Everyone says it was an accident, Fi thinks it’s murder!
A fun and interesting story that follows Fi battling to get to the truth of what happened to Eve (Liam). A story about family whether by birth or choice.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a NetGalley review copy of this book.
I'm not familiar with the drag scene in general, but after reading this book I feel like I am! The descriptions really brought me into the atmosphere of the story and I could have been standing right in TRASH along with the characters, scrubbing glitter off my arms and trying to avoid being trampled by 7-foot tall drag queens.
The story had me hooked from the beginning and I enjoyed all the characters, especially Merkin, who's made of drama and whose lines always had me cracking up. Looking forward to more adventures from the queens!

A lovely summer read with likeable characters and a wonderful story arc I had a lovely weekend reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the novel.

I devoured this book in one sitting. The way the author wrote the story was majestic. Simply put, If you like murder mysteries then this is the one for you. Will recommend this story to others.

This is a wonderful story of the Drag community. The characters are easily liked. Fi McKinnery is full of nerves as the gorgeous Mae B (aka her best friend Robyn) takes to the stage for her debut at drag club TRASH, but Mae B is dazzling…that is until local queen Eve lampoons her performance and ruins the show. So when Eve turns up dead later that night, face down in the gutter of a rain-soaked Dublin street, the timing seems awfully suspicious.
This was a different and fun mystery,
#DeathinHeels #NetGalley

A quick, easy and cosy read that was well written with well developed characters that were likeable, believable and relatable and a compelling storyline.

I love a good cosy mystery and this one was brilliant! The characters we were writhe about well and the whole community was interesting to ready about! Loved the relationship between Murphy and Fi! Looking forward to more in the series

I quite enjoyed this story, the drag characters in the bar were well-rounded characters with their ups and downs, and different lives. One of the drag queens is found dead, and Fi, the "straight girl" friend of Mae Be, the new drag artist, doesn't believe it was an accident. She annoys everyone because she won't let it rest, and publishes her opinions on her blog. There are more incidents, and people start to take her seriously, but everyone is a suspect. When the villain is identified, it seems a bit improbable that nobody would have noticed they are dangerous before. The writing is repetitive, especially Fi feeling sorry for herself. She doesn't seem to have much personality or life of her own.

Loooooved loved loved it! Fast pace, and mysterious. Fingers crossed this is the start of something flashy and fabulous because I can’t wait for a second book.

Fiona McKinnery and best friend and roommate, Robyn were at TRASH, a club that specializes in Drag Queen acts. Robyn is having his first performance as Mae B and quite successful until Eve (Liam) dresses up in the same outfit and makes fun of Robyn's performance . Later that night Fi finds Eve's body in the alleyway and the police rule it an accident. Fi can't let go of the idea that Eve was murdered and starts to antagonize the small group of TRASH queens and even Robyn, who wants her to let it go. But when another accident happens to one of them, they begin to realize that maybe there is someone out there wanting to kill the Drag Queens.
An interesting story line set in Dublin as this cozy mystery highlights the Drag Queens and the families that love and support them.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-galley of "Death In Heels".

Fi is a bit oblivious. I relate to that. She and Robyn have been best friends since they were children, and nothing has changed as adults. They are roommates, they go to clubs together, they meet each other after work to share a coffee or dinner, or movies on the couch. They are regulars at TRASH, and Robyn is about to become their newest Drag Queen. Fi and Robyn have been perfecting Mae B's look for months.

Mae B makes her debut onstage and suddenly Fi finds herself with the door closed in her face. Robyn is now "family" and the world she thought she was a part of has just declared her an outsider. So when she find's Eve's body not far from TRASH's door, she wonders who in the TRASH family has committed murder. It could be anyone....no one liked Eve.

There's just one problem. The police rule it an accidental death and no one believes Fi that it wasn't. She's already been shown she doesn't belong, from Thora's not-so-cute nickname "little straight girl" to Ben's comment that it isn't her world. They don't want anything to do with her, especially if she's nosing around trying to solve a murder that no one believes was a murder.

Poor Fi has no life of her own. She and Robyn have always been a duo, and she was content to go along with whatever he wanted. She never saw herself as an accessory. She thought she was part of the group. But now that he's been inducted into the "Family", she realizes how much of her life was wrapped up in him. I guess I relate to that a lot. No one considered her as one of them. She was only accepted as Robyn's friend, like she was one of his feather boas that he could take off when it didn't match the outfit. And that's a harsh reality. Throw in a murder, and it's a very suspenseful book plot!

I loved reading this book, not only because I relate to it, but just because of the vibrant characters. They are so real to me. I want Del to help me pick out my clothes, and I'd love to see someone slap Eve across her heavily make-uped face! I want to sit on a couch and share a packet of biscuits with Fi and Robyn and watch cringe-worthy TV shows. The characters seem like real people, quirky and interesting. Everyone knows someone like these characters, like someone you went to college with, or a sibling, or a meddling mother clucking over her chicks. Someone larger than life, or someone who can be a bit unintentionally cruel, or who is stuck in a dead-end relationship. Maybe you ARE one of those people. But they all come together to create a world that seems real, like you could meet Fi as she rang up your coffee and some cake, or you could see the Queens onstage at your friend's bachelorette party. And that makes a great book.

This book has humor, it has drama, it has suspense.....or as the author puts it "a splendid migraine of fabric". I highly recommend it to anyone who likes suspense.

3.5

This was a delightful cozy mystery centering Dublin's drag community.

I enjoyed the writing and thought several of the descriptions were beautiful. I also liked the way Murphy centered conversations around the drag community, especially with Fi being a straight white woman. I liked a lot of the characters, though some of the character motivations seemed a little inconsistent and I will say I was not surprised by the twist but that might be because I read a lot of mysteries.

Overall, I had a fun time reading this and will be interested in seeing where Kitty Murphy takes the series!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Amazon Publishing UK and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Lovely, delightful cozy mystery series.

Murder in the drag club?

This book was excellent, it was trashy and fun while still serious. I particularly like the way issues such as pronouns are addressed in this book, gay rights are not the plot of the story, but they are woven into the books very fabric.

In a book of 29 chapters, I did guess the killer in chapter 13, but I do read a lot of mystery and do this quite often. Despite correctly guessing what was going to happen, the book still made an excellent reading experience, I read the entire thing in one day.

I stepped (in my sensible low heels) out of my comfort zone to read this and am very glad that I did!
It is beautifully and excellently written, full of vivid descriptions and well-drawn characters. I guessed the who and why before the end, but enjoyed the little straight girl protagonist's muddling along.
More please!