Just Delicious..
A successful smash hit play, a beheading live on stage and the ultimate murder trial. With a wonderfully eclectic and eccentric cast of characters populating a wildly propulsive and entertaining plot bubbling with twists, red herrings and a clever narrative laced with witty asides, this is a unique and compelling read. Just delicious.

A trial is rather like a play.
We wear our costumes. We perform to the audience.
And on a good day no-one gets murdered.
The hit play Daughters Of The Revolution has a stunning finale. The lead actress, Alexandra Dyce, masked, walks to the guillotine and is executed, her head clearly coming off. It’s a clever trick, involving a rotating disc and a dummy strapped into the mechanism under the stage which is beheaded. Only on one fateful performance, it wasn’t Alexandra who walked to the guillotine – because she was strapped in the place of the dummy…
KC Charles Konig is brought in to defend Leo Lusk, co-star and ex-husband of Alexandra, but he wasn’t the only person who had a motive. And it seems that finding the real killer is the only way for Konig to win the case, given that Lusk really isn’t helping his own defense…
Well, that was an interesting one. I’ve not read Guy Morpuss before, but I gathered he has a reputation for writing slightly weird crime fiction – time travel, multiple personalities, that sort of thing – so this seemed to be a departure. There is some stuff about genetics that caused me a bit of concern over where it was going, but for the most part, this plays out like a traditional murder mystery.
It did start a little slowly, and at one point I did put it down, but it’s to the book’s credit that I went back as I was curious as to what happened. I also wanted to read more about Charles and his co-counsel Yara Ortiz. There’s a clever move here, as given that she is from New York, Morpuss is able to contrast the UK and US court systems and explain to readers why things are happening this way in the court. The seveloping relationship between the two characters is very well done as well.
It has to be said, once one thing happens, the murderer became somewhat inevitable to me, but I was still somewhat perplexed as to what exactly happened on the stage. It’s a clever solution, clever in its simplicity, but there is a question as to how what the perceived truth was had been accepted as surely doing a particular something would have been extremely difficult to achieve, something nobody questions.
Regardless, this is a very enjoyable read. Morpuss hasn’t done a series of books yet, but I have to say, I’d be very keen to read more of Charles and Yara.

A cleverly plotted and incredibly detailed legal mystery which follows barrister KC Charles Konig defending a high-profile murder case where a Hollywood legend is accused of murdering his ex-wife.
It does get quite involved and it would be easy to get bogged down in the detail, but it’s a good read particularly for anyone with an interest in the machinations of the Bar.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this book, especially Charles and Yara, but I couldn’t get into the lengthy play excerpts

This was great fun with an excellent curmudgeonly hero in KC Charles Konig who has no real interest in cutting short his holiday climbing K2 to work on a murder case.

It is a cozy, legal thriller, well over the top at times but well crafted and plotted with some memorable characters.

A really good read by an author who is well experienced in the court system and has come up with a winner.

I really enjoyed this story, the way the trial unfolded alongside the play made me think of classic whodunits. The format was very clever as well laying out scenes from the play, clippings from newspapers, witness statements and the storyline in a way that was seamless and so engaging to follow. The main character was also brilliant, unassuming enough to allow the trial to happen and for us to forget who we are watching it through at points, but with enough character to make him someone that the reader feels invested in.

It was also a breath of fresh air to read a story based in an English court trial, American court drama is also fun but I feel like that is what you see more commonly in books and film/tv. Reading the methodical way that our main character laid out his case made it difficult to put the story down, I kept saying one more witness, one more article and the next thing I knew I was finished.

I hope the author writes more books especially if they were to write another book with our main character back for another trial.

I read an arc of this book through netgalley

Desperate to get away on a trekking holiday after a trial, Charles Konig KC finds himself instructed by American lawyer Yara Ortiz to defend a Hollywood actor, accused of the murder of his wife.

Leo Lusk took on a role in a play he co-wrote for a chance to reconnect with his daughter, Francesca. Since his divorce from Alexandra Dyce, he believed Alexandra was turning Francesca against him. However, Leo finds himself sharing the stage not only with his daughter, but also his ex-wife as Francesca has insisted her mother also be given a role.

Unsurprisingly, tensions flare up during the production. Alexandra was not a nice person, putting up the backs of many of her fellow actors and production staff. When the execution scene goes wrong and she is guillotined for real, live on stage, Leo is the prime suspect and put on trial for her murder.

The historical play about the illegitimate daughter of George Washington had run for over a year of sold out shows. Staged in a cemetery in London, it may hold the answers as to what happened.

While the play is a drama staged by actors, the novel gives us an insight into the theatrics of court and the egos of KCs. Casting the accused as an American actor with an American lawyer allows us to compare how trials work on both sides of the Atlantic, contrasting British court process with what many of us are familiar with in American movies and series.

Primarily set in the courtroom, the cross examinations of witnesses, and Yara Ortiz being unfamiliar with the British courts system allows the processes to be explained to the reader without overwhelming us with legalese, making this a very readable story.

The dramatics of the courtroom are interspersed with the theatrics from the stage, as excerpts from the play are submitted in evidence, and we get to see what happened on the stage and behind the scenes, how the tensions spilled over into the performance. Did Leo really murder his ex-wife? Charles Konig, while wanting to create reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury to have his client acquitted, is given plenty of opportunity to point the finger elsewhere. But after putting his client on the stand, it becomes clear that the only way to win the case is to find out what really happened that night on stage.

An excellent legal mystery with plenty of dry humour and drama, and I hope to see Charles and Yara again soon!

Thank you to the author, Viper Books and NetGalley for a digital advance copy for review.

I’m sorry to say this was a book that I struggled with and although I did finish it it’s not my favourite by this author. Sometimes you pick up a book and it’s hard going and this was one of those for me , the writing was good and that’s what kept me going and having read other books by this author I shall always be on the lookout for his next book and I am sure that others will enjoy this one more.
My thanks to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail / Viper / Profile Books for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I struggled with the story, narrative voice, and characters. I loved the premise and there was so much potential in the story but right now unfortunately it didn't land for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books | Viper for this digital review copy of "A Trial In Three Acts" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

A murder has taken place in a cemetery, during a play where a fake guillotine blade is replaced with a real one and an actor is decapitated. What a fun premise!

There is lots of discussion of the play, the history the play was based on and the relationship between the victim, her ex-husband and her daughter, all of whom were acting in the play.

An interesting and enjoyable book, although I found the barrister's love interest to be a little unconvincing.

When leading lady Alexandra Dyce is beheaded live on stage - everyone is a suspect. Defence Barrister Charles Koenig is brought on board to defend the accused, he knows it could lead to better cases. What a surprising conclusion!!

Leading lady Alexandra Dyce is murdered on stage and even though a lot of the cast have a motive, it’s her ex husband who is charged. Defence barrister Charles Konig is brought in and it becomes clear that the clues are in the play itself.

Having read previous books by this author I trust him to create unique, well crafted stories. This was another intriguing mystery with more focus on the courtroom element, which I liked. I also enjoyed the premise of this being combined with a murder in a theatre. As the author works in this field, you can tell the environment and legal aspects are factual. I was interested to gain new knowledge in this respect. However saying that, at times it felt as though I wasn’t reading a fictional novel with the excess legal elements, which hindered my enjoyment.

I found the overall story to be quite slow and although I enjoyed that the story wasn’t told traditionally and instead in mixed media, I found that I did not really enjoy the play transcripts, finding these hard to follow. Even though the storyline was clever and complex, it required full attention to decipher what was going on and I found I had to reread parts as it was easy to get lost. Overall though I appreciate the quirkiness and idea behind this and am interested to see what the author comes up with next. 2.5 - 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Clever, witty and an addictive read, I thoroughly enjoyed A Trial in Three Acts by Guy Morpuss

Being a drama school graduate, when I heard the premise for this book I knew I had to read it - I mean an actress is decapitated live on stage! Now I’ve been in some crazy plays before, but nothing quite like the play in this book - Daughters of the Revolution.

It is then defence barrister Charles Konig’s job to defend the accused fellow actor and ex husband of the victim.

I loved the dynamic between Charles and lawyer Yara Ortiz and I really enjoyed reading about what actually goes on inside a court room! The author was a barrister so it’s a clear and detailed insight into the British justice system.

If you love Janice Hallett and Alex Pavesi I can guarantee you will love this. Release date is on Thursday 🎭 ⚖️

Thank you Viper for my free review copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

#ATrialinThreeActs #GuyMorpuss
#crimefiction

If you’re expecting this new offering by Guy Morpuss to screw with your head, make it spin like a scene from The Exorcist, and blow your mind to smithereens as his predecessors did, you’re going to have to adjust your expectations. ‘A Trial in Three Acts‘ is nothing at all like this author’s previous books and I think it pays to know that before you dive into it.

What is it then, you may ask? Well, a cleverly plotted courtroom drama in – you guessed it – three acts. The basics are rather simple. Actor Leo Lusk (wonder whose name inspired that one) is on trial for the murder of his ex-wife Alexandra Dyce. It’s rather safe to say that nobody quite misses Alexandra as she was a massive “word starting with a b and ending in itch’. A narcissist, a racist, a homophobe … you name it, she was it. As extremely unlikeable as she was, can anyone truly be sure that Leo killed her? It seems obvious that every single one of the cast members could have had a motive to want to get rid of her permanently as well.

Are the clues to be found in the play these characters were involved in? Hm. Maybe. The play centres around the possibility of George Washington having had an illegitimate daughter. Some parts are historical facts, some are entirely made up. Don’t worry if you’re unable to figure out what’s what, as the author is nice enough to explain it all at some point. I must admit there were certain moments where parts of the play were introduced that had me slightly baffled as to their relevance. The same goes for the American lawyer, Yara. I didn’t really understand why she was there, except to be someone Charles could bounce his thoughts off on.

I can’t ignore the fact that the first act was somewhat of a struggle for me. I completely understand the need to set the scene, so to speak, but I felt the prosecutor’s side of things dragged on a tad too long to keep me interested. Things most definitely started to pick up from the moment Charles Konig was allowed to do his thing. I didn’t really need the play to figure out if Leo was guilty of murder, or not. I rather quickly made up my mind, stuck to my theory, and felt particularly smug when it turned out I was right.

Despite that initial wee struggle, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘A Trial in Three Acts‘. It definitely showed me that there is a massive gap in the legal thriller genre that someone desperately needs to fill for readers like myself, who enjoy the back and forth between prosecution and defence. And even though Konig is quite a difficult character to get to know as he gives very little away, he grew on me along the way and I wouldn’t mind at all if he were to return for another investigation and trial. Also, death by guillotine will always get my attention!

All in all, a solid and engaging offering from Guy Morpuss. I look forward to what’s next.

Legal thriller meets cosy murder mystery. Charles Konig KC has just successfully defended a case and is looking forward to his holiday when he is persuaded to forego his holiday and take on a high profile case defending an American actor, who is accused of murdering his ex-wife. The killing having taken place during the staging of his play Daughter of the Revolution.
The story follows the course of the trial where the evidence is presented in the form of excerpts from the stage play.
Very well written and with an unexpected ending. I could hardly put it down.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

This was an interesting read that held me gripped most of the way through. I did feel I lost focus in the latter part with the level of legal content and the repeated dialogue from the play. Overall it made for a good whodunnit an i would definitely read more if there were new ones in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

DNF @ 20%. It's very clear that Guy Morpuss has an extensive knowledge of the law and the minutia of how a murder case goes through the courts and ultimately, gets answers. Unfortunately, in this book, I found it worked against him. I picked this one up thinking that it was going to be closer to a Janice Hallett multi-media situation (it wasn't, I'm not sure where I got that idea from) but it felt like a real slog having to read dozens of pages about the intricate way a stage set works (and this comes from someone who loves and actively works in the theatre). I wasn''t particularly intrigued or thrilled the further on that I read. So, I'm going to hold my hands up in surrender and say that this one just was not for me.

2.5 stars

I had heard so many good things about this book that I knew I had to get a copy, even though I've never read any of his books before. But sadly it didn't live up to my expectations.

It takes a lot of brain work, a lot of concentration. Particularly in the opening 10%, there's a lot of historical names thrown around, historical and current, so I almost needed a notepad to keep up.

I am definitely on the fence with this. I think the concept was very good, it was so detailed with such depth, so many layers. But I found it very confusing and hard to read. Whilst I'm aware I said the depth was a positive thing, it's also one of the drawbacks. It's so involved that at times I was really struggling to keep up with it.

It flits between current narrative, articles, text messages, and website copy. It might be a formatting thing on my copy, but there's wasn't much definition between the styles, and so you're reading it and then all of a sudden you realise you're actually reading a newspaper article and you have to go back to the beginning to make sure you're reading it in the right light.

I believe Guy has legal experience himself which gives an added extra to the courtroom scenes. Yes there's artistic licence but generally it feels real. Which is to its credit. But on the flip side, there is a lot of legal detail and it tends to get bogged down in that.

None of the characters endeared themself to me, there's so many of them but they had no real...character to them. They were quite flat, quite pantomime.

It started off strongly, but I'd say by about a quarter of the way through it lost its way, not really knowing what it was. It was a mashup of formats and confusion and didn't seem to have much direction.

Overall, it had promise, it was a great concept, with thorough detail throughout. But it didn't live up to what I had read. It felt clumsy, too detailed at times, a bit all over the place, and by the end it felt like a book I had to just get through.

A Trial in Three Acts by barrister Guy Morpuss KC blends courtroom drama with a Christie-esque locked room murder mystery.

Six nights a week, the smash-hit play Daughter of the Revolution performs to a sold-out audience – until one fateful evening when the leading lady is beheaded live on stage. Each cast member has a motive, but it's her ex-husband who stands accused. Enter defence barrister Charles Konig, a staunch traditionalist with a sharp legal mind, determined to uncover the truth.

The novel unfolds primarily in the courtroom, but we also follow the characters to the play’s unusual venue – a chapel – while mixed-media elements, including excerpts from legal gossip blog Cicero’s Law and Charles’ amusing attempts to get his letters published in The Times, add variety to the narrative.

I was particularly drawn in by the murder itself, especially the mystery surrounding the guillotine – how it was adapted and used was fascinating. The dynamic between Charles and Yara was also a highlight, bringing some charm to the story.

While I don't think this was quite for me, I do think this will really appeal to fans of theatre and historical fiction, particularly those who love Hamilton. The rich backstory surrounding figures like George Washington and Lady Dunmore adds depth for readers who enjoy that kind of detail. If you like your crime fiction with a theatrical flair, this is worth checking out!

An enjoyable whodunnit! When an actress is murdered on stage, everyone is a suspect. Brought in to defend the accused, Charles Konig and his assistant Yara find themselves caught up in the intrigue.

Interspersed with scenes from the play, it was interesting to follow the court case and see how both the defence and the prosecution work. I enjoyed it and would read a sequel, as I liked the main characters and how they interacted with each other.