This is a tricky one to review! I loved the story, loved the characters and thought the plot was very enjoyable. The writing however did not flow for me. I found it very stilted and dry, which was weird considering how silly some of the plots and things were. Overall a very fun twist on the cozy mystery genre - I will read more Holly Stars and think with a little more practice they could be a great author!

Murder in the Dressing Room is the debut novel of Holly Stars. It’s also the first book in the Misty Divine cozy mystery series. By day, Joe Brown is a somewhat shy hotel accountant bored with his job, but unwilling to give up the security of a regular paycheck. By night, they take the stage in cabaret venues as Misty Divine. When Misty’s mentor, Lady Lady, is found murdered in her dressing room at Lady’s Bar, Misty and the other performers become the prime suspects. Heartbroken and frustrated by the detective inspector’s attitude and lack of progress, Joe is determined to find the killer with the help of Misty Divine.

While Joe is unassuming, introspective, and more emotional, Misty is much stronger, loves adulation, and is more confident and outgoing. The other characters had depth and their personalities came through extremely well.

This well-plotted cozy mystery has several twists and turns. While I guessed some of it, a couple of items caught me by surprise and I enjoyed how the author twisted those plot points. Most of the book takes place during one and one-half weeks with an epilogue two weeks later. Set in London, England, the world-building worked for the story, but I wanted a little better feel that it was London and not another large city. However, it was easy to visualize the venues and the characters, and this was important to the story-line. The search for the killer moves the story forward, but there were a few spots where the pacing slowed or the story felt repetitive.

The author managed to give great insight into Misty’s and Joe’s thoughts, behaviors, and actions towards others as well as the challenges and difficulties they faced from others. Despite the serious topic, there are occasional bits of humor that lightened the story. The novel shines a light on how people judge others, lack of trust, love, greed, prejudices, and much more. My biggest quibble was that there were times when the story was more telling than showing. However, this is a good start to the series and the ending gave clues to the next book’s main emphasis.

Overall, it was suspenseful at times, heart-wrenching at other times, and kept my interest. This story comes to a satisfying conclusion. If you are looking for a cozy mystery featuring diversity and with some important looks at the dual world of Joe and Misty, then this may be the novel for you.

Berkley Publishing Group and Holly Stars provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for January 14, 2025. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Kicking off the new year is debut author and drag artist Holly Stars with “Murder in the Dressing Room” (Jan. 14, Berkley, $19), who invites readers into the glamorous yet cutthroat world of London’s Soho drag scene. Misty Divine, a fierce and determined drag queen, is devastated when her mentor, Lady Lady, is found poisoned in her dressing room. With biased police dismissing the case, Misty takes matters into her own hands, navigating rivalries, stolen couture and hidden secrets. Clever, quick-moving and emotionally resonant, this cozy mystery brings readers a lovable cast of colorful characters and sharp observations on LGBTQ+ topics that go down better than a fresh morning mimosa.

Oh, Holly - your social commentary mixed with murder, found family and self expression is SO NEEDED!
Let's talk about the VULNERABILITY of this book! Taken into custody, the police force Joe to remove his makeup and clothing. The exquisite DETAIL of exposing himself - I cried. Calling out the police for their failure to not only protect the queer community, Holly highlights the lack of concern of wrongful death as well. The lack of humanity the police refuse them.
Rightfully tragic - I cried.
Joe has relied on his drag persona, Misty Divine, to express not only his love for fashion and performance - Misty gives Joe the courage to fight for his friend and mentor, Lady Lady. Murdered at her bar, Lady Lady's murder seems to be irrelevant to the local detectives. In pursuit of a cat burglar, they cannot spare energy to give Lady Lady peace.
Joe passionately takes up the cause - which is muddled all over the place, at times hard to follow.

📖 Book Review 📖 A murder mystery but add the comedy and lots of fabulousness and you are in for one delightful treat in Holly Star’s debut novel Murder in the Dressing Room. In their tiny corner of London, these drag queens come together in their own little world to escape from their day jobs and be their authentic selves but it all goes up in smoke when the cabaret becomes a crime scene after a murder and everyone is a suspect. Our story unfolds in a captivating whodunnit with a heart but what poignantly stands out in this cozy mystery is the masterfully crafted manner in which Star depicts the compartalilization trauma often highlights in daily aspects of life and the range of emotions that accompany it. A thrilling read from start to finish.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When I first read the synopsis for the book I didn’t think it would be for me, but I was pleasantly surprised! Murder in the Dressing Room is a fabulous book that is perfect for fans of drag races and mystery.

I really enjoyed reading about Misty. I feel like the character was so real and authentic. I loved the way Misty interacted with other characters, especially Miles. I also really liked learning more about the world of drag, which I didn’t know much about before.

This story was full of twists and turns and clues leading to the killers identity. I do think the plot was a bit weak, but I still really liked it. Overall I think this was a pretty good debut novel.

By day, Joe is a shy, thirty-something hotel accountant, but by night, he turns into Misty Divine, a rising star of the London drag scene. Joe lives for the moment when he can don his wig, pull on his tights and padding, and embrace his true self, thanks to his drag mother/mentor, Lady Lady. She saw potential in Joe and didn't hesitate to take Misty under her wing and show her the ins and outs of the scene. When Lady Lady is found dead in her dressing room, Misty and her fellow drag queens find themselves the prime suspects in the police investigation. But their half-hearted attempts frustrate Misty, so she decides to take it upon herself to find out what happened to her beloved mentor before it's too late.

I've been a massive fan of drag queens since watching To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar when I was young, so this immediately caught my eye. I mean, a drag queen investigating a murder? Sign me up. I was expecting a campy time, and while it was, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. The writing was simple, repetitive, and lacked the dazzle I wanted. Nothing about it felt engaging. I did enjoy Misty as a main character, but I just wanted more out of the whole thing. I thought the premise was great, but the execution needed some work.

Drag Queen Misty Devine, finds her mentor Lady Lady murdered by poisoned chocolates and sets out to solve the murder as the police show their disrespect of drag queens rather quickly. Substitute a small British village for a Cabaret Club featuring drag performers and you have a winning cozy mystery.

Murder in the Dressing room is a cost mystery featuring drag queen, Misty Divine. When Misty’s mentor ends up dead, Misty can’t help but begin to look for the killer.
I enjoyed Misty’s character and the insight into the drag queen world. My favorite part is the relationship between Joe and Miles. I found some of the plot to be clunky. Overall, I struggled to be really invested in the storyline and the characters felt flat at times. The villain reveal was also a little anticlimactic for a mystery. I do think fans of cosy mysteries and fans of the drag setting will enjoy this book, and for those that do, it looks like this is just the first installment in a new series. Thank you to Berkley for the opportunity to read an arc via NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love queens and I really wanted to love this book. I just think I wanted a bit more camp or personality to shine through in this book. That being said, I did enjoy that Misty was authentic talking about how they felt in and out of drag. I think there were some very important messages that people not in the community or those in the community would find representation that could make people think. If you’re looking for a cozy mystery with drag queens though this is your book.
Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Interesting mystery about a performer who has to suss out a killer.
The ins and out of dual world are explored set against a backdrop of murder.
I liked the sleuthing part and had narrowed down the suspects by the time the real villain was revealed.
A Splashy and irreverent read.

I really wanted to like this one but I struggled to get into it and stay there. I’m not a huge mystery fan so it’s definitely a me thing.

By day Joe is a mild mannered accountant, but by night, transforms to the full queen status of Misty Divine. Joe/Misty is a terrific MC and one you’re rooting for throughout the story.

I’ve been captivated by drag and its artists since I was a teen in the 90’s and was thrilled to receive an advance copy of this. While it did take a little while for me to get into the pace of the story, once I did I read it quickly, falling for characters, mystery, and the message. It kept me guessing til the end.

I had a lot of fun reading Murder in the Dressing Room; it’s a recommendation from me.



Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC

What a fun series debut! I've never read a mystery with a drag queen as the main character, and I love it. The world of drag is foreign to me (other than having been to a couple of live drag shows, but I've never watched RuPaul's show, for example, so I'm probably less familiar than many of the readers who pick this book up), and it's fascinating and fun.

Joe/Misty have their roles to play in this book, though Misty is definitely the main protagonist. They're thoughtful, scared, brave, smart, and utterly determined--the most necessary attribute of all for a cozy protagonist. Their admiration for Lady Lady and desire to get justice for them is a strong underpinning for the whole book.

The mystery's well-plotted, and the action of the book is fast-paced and a bit of a roller coaster. It's quite a ride, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

This was a fun book where murder is afoot, and the investigation will keep you on your toes. The drama was nicely executed with enough suspense to keep me intrigued throughout. I liked the ease at which the story flowed, making it comfortable to follow along. The characters were well-developed, and you got to know them for who they are, not what they do, and the pivotal roles they played in this engaging and entertaining tale. There were plenty of suspects and the clues were the dressing on the side that when put together took us closer to the killer’s identity. There were a few twists and turns that enhanced my reading pleasure and a few humorous moments that made me laugh. Overall, an enjoyable read and look forward to the second book in the series.

Misty Divine is a drag queen with a heart as big as her wig, so when her mentor Lady Lady is found poisoned (by chocolates no less!), she will stop at nothing to find the murderer. We are taken along through the drag world of London as Misty gets herself into some real pickles playing at armchair Criminal Minds investigator. Though the plot is not quite at Agatha Christie level standards, there are so many fun characters it is a treat to read and I appreciated wide variety of representation. And I mean the cover? She's stunning.

Many thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC.

If you say drag, I say where?! I’m the biggest fan of drag and love supporting queens and their art! This was such a fun book, not only is the cover GORGINA but the story is amazing!

A delightful cozy mystery in an unusual setting that was a fun read! It was full of a fun cast and well-written.

This is excellent in many ways - I loved the way that Misty/Joe is portrayed, and the way that gender works in this, and yet it is fun, silly, and even already has a secondary mystery as a through-line! I did find the final scene to feel a bit rushed, but overall, this was a solid and intriguing start to what I hope will be a long series!

Content Warnings: Transphobia (Mild), Homophobia (Mild)

This book is a cozy mystery involving murder, a cat burglar, and drag queens -- if that doesn't sell a book, I don't know what does! But, it's not exploitative in its involvement of the LGBTQ+ community, which I know is often a concern I have in detective fiction. Too often queer individuals are only the victims, only the detective, or placed in the context of cis, heteronormative space. Stars's book is exactly the opposite. Queer people, their spaces, and their lived experiences and realities are the focus, which I truly enjoyed.

Joe, the non-binary person behind drag queen Misty Divine, is our primary detective, and they feel real in their concerns and decisions, all of which are influenced by their various lived experiences and their relationships within their different communities. Their relationship with their partner, Miles, is also great. Miles is appropriately supportive and critical, concerned with keeping them both safe while also getting sucked into the investigation. Likewise, the different drag queens and kings that work at Lady Lady's have full personalities and lives that make them intriguing suspects.

I also thought Star did a great on acknowledging, and incorporating, realities facing the LGBTQ+ community in general and specifically the transphobic landscape in England to this mystery. Little things from the difficulties in getting an Uber to much larger things like treatment from the police and capitalism sucking up queer spaces are present and important to understanding why Joe/Misty pursues things as they do and the context in which this mystery occurs.

The reasons for four stars are largely personal taste. While I enjoyed the book overall, there were times where it dragged and got a little repetitive. The ending consequences, on the other hand, felt a little too quick. I also fear the potential sequel set up in the epilogue will not be able to capture what I feel made this book successful: the small stage focus on a particular community.

Overall, though, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes cozy mysteries, queer mysteries, or just a fun, queer-centric book.