Death in Heels
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- Create Date：2023-01-21 11:21:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kitty Murphy
- ISBN：1713667649
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Summary
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？
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？
Reviews
Barb
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To quote my bestie， "Drag。。。 Murder。。。 Sounds like Barb！！" To quote my bestie， "Drag。。。 Murder。。。 Sounds like Barb！！" 。。。more
Sarah Scott
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Move over Ru Paul， the drag queens of the TRASH Club in Dublin are in town。 Mae B （aka Robyn） is a baby queen and about to make their stage debut。 His best friend and roommate Fi， is a hobbyist photographer and blogger。 Mae makes her stage debut and the bitchy queen Eve takes her costume after and does a routine making fun of her。 A few minutes after the show， Eve is found outside， face down， dead in the rain。 The Irish police say it’s an accident but Fi is convinced Eve was murdered。 It starts Move over Ru Paul， the drag queens of the TRASH Club in Dublin are in town。 Mae B （aka Robyn） is a baby queen and about to make their stage debut。 His best friend and roommate Fi， is a hobbyist photographer and blogger。 Mae makes her stage debut and the bitchy queen Eve takes her costume after and does a routine making fun of her。 A few minutes after the show， Eve is found outside， face down， dead in the rain。 The Irish police say it’s an accident but Fi is convinced Eve was murdered。 It starts to take over everything she does and after a second drag queen is attacked do the police start to believe her。 This was something completely different than my normal reads。 I loved the concept and thought it was creative and unique to many other mysteries。 I felt it a tad slow in some parts and we don’t find out who the killer is until the last few chapters of the book。 But over all enjoyable。 It ended on a twist that was a little bit predictable to me but still entertaining。 I give it a 3。5 ⭐️ over all。 。。。more
Dwayna Bruce
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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， 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。 。。。more
Julia Braxton
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One of my favorite things about drag is that it’s FUN！ The entertainment， the fashion， and the political messaging are all staples of drag， but so is the FUN and ridiculousness and humor of it all — and I feel like that’s what this book was missing。 I constantly was left thinking “why so serious？ It’s drag！ Lighten up！” I suppose when I read the description， my expectation was that this would be akin to a cozy mystery， but it wasn’t。 Something else that threw me off about this book was that I fe One of my favorite things about drag is that it’s FUN！ The entertainment， the fashion， and the political messaging are all staples of drag， but so is the FUN and ridiculousness and humor of it all — and I feel like that’s what this book was missing。 I constantly was left thinking “why so serious？ It’s drag！ Lighten up！” I suppose when I read the description， my expectation was that this would be akin to a cozy mystery， but it wasn’t。 Something else that threw me off about this book was that I felt like I was coming in on the middle of a series when it was actually the first book （which I had to check several times because I was SURE I was missing something）。 The author didn’t flesh out a ton about the characters and their relationships with one another so felt like I was supposed to know them already and I didn’t。 It truly felt like this was book #2 or #3 with the way characters were interacting and the way the main character had already formed complex relationships with some of the secondary characters that that didn’t feel fully fleshed out。 I hope that we may get a prequel at some point with more details about how Robyn got into drag， how the dynamics at TRASH came to be， and a more intimate look at the beginnings of Fi and Robyn’s friendship。 。。。more
AmBerGUR
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3。5 rounded up！ I enjoyed it。 It got a bit boring in the middle of the book but first half and a few last chapters were really really good。 I love how sassy of all the drag queens in this book and love love love their big personalities。 They make me smile so much。
Gabi Keogh
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It took me a bit of time to get into this book but I enjoyed it！ I struggled to guess the twist and for a murder mystery it was surprisingly heartwarming！
Cassandra
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I won this delightful read in a Goodreads giveaway。 Fun mystery with loveable characters， strong friendships & a little romance along the way。 Now I very much want to go see a drag show at TRASH in Dublin！
Sue
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Good book
Kristine Bookybookworm85
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This book was a fantastic read。 It kept me guessing right till the end and I was surprised to find out who the killer was。 I can't wait to read more by the author。 For anyone a fan of mysteries and just overall fabulousness :） This book was a fantastic read。 It kept me guessing right till the end and I was surprised to find out who the killer was。 I can't wait to read more by the author。 For anyone a fan of mysteries and just overall fabulousness :） 。。。more
Jade Doodes
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A thriller set around drag queens， what isn’t there to love？ I was hooked on this one， the characters were great， the storyline was great！ It was a fun， ‘who is it？！’ read and I definitely can’t wait to read book 2！
Miriam
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It took me a while to settle into this but after the third chapter i was hooked and was torn between wanting to see the end and not wanting it to finish。 Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long for book 2
Rekha Rao
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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-biti 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。 。。。more
Jill Shapcott
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I really enjoyed this， surprising myself actually。 It was a freebie on Amazon Firsts and the writing was beautiful， flowing easily。 I loved the descriptions of the area and the chatter between the characters brought to life the Irish way of talking。 The chaotic lives of the queens and Fi were described very vividly too， adding to the charm。
Annarella
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A cozy mystery with an unusual setting， a great cast of likeable and fleshed out characters， and a solid plot that kept me guessingI 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 A cozy mystery with an unusual setting， a great cast of likeable and fleshed out characters， and a solid plot that kept me guessingI 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 。。。more
Tracey Southwood
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I got this at a book swap on holiday， it was the only English language book left。。。。But what a surprise。 It had me gripped 👍🏼
Ashley Story
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DNF at 34% - no rating First a thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc。I wanted to like this。 Cozy mystery set in Dublin， drag club is central to the mystery and murder。 Super queer？ But everything fell flat。 I didn’t care for a single character， except maybe Del， but also didn’t care for his monologue to explain drag culture and why Fi won’t get it and seemed to want to push Fi away。 Which leads to I also didn’t understand how Fi and Robyn are supposed to be best friends when Robyn stars to ignor DNF at 34% - no rating First a thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc。I wanted to like this。 Cozy mystery set in Dublin， drag club is central to the mystery and murder。 Super queer？ But everything fell flat。 I didn’t care for a single character， except maybe Del， but also didn’t care for his monologue to explain drag culture and why Fi won’t get it and seemed to want to push Fi away。 Which leads to I also didn’t understand how Fi and Robyn are supposed to be best friends when Robyn stars to ignore her the moment he gets a spot as a queen at the drag club。 There is a scene when she comes to the club and straight up ignores her after she buys him a drink。 But Fi is the bad friend for wanting to figure out what happened to the rival drag queen and not being over the trauma of finding a dead body？I was going to push through it， but the fight between Fi and Robyn just lost me when he called her “little straight girl” which he knows that Fi hates so much。 I don’t have any desire to finish the book to see if they make up。 And honestly it’s hard for friendships to come back from stuff like this。 And if they do， it has to be believe。 When they know the thing that hurts you and then around and use it。 Side note: I also really was disappointed Fi isn’t queer？ I thought she was， which maybe is why she hates being called that。 But still。 I was bummed she wasn’t queer。 And from a writing style standpoint: there was a lot of “this happened and then this happens and this person respond this way” without getting to enjoy any of it。 And when we did get dialogue and interaction it just didn’t flow or work well。 So， yeah。 I was disappointed。 Was hoping for a queer cozy mystery but this just didn’t work for me at all。 。。。more
Sue
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The night has finally come for Fi's best friend Robyn to make their debut on the stage as their drag queen alter-ego Mae B， and she is there front of house at Dublin's drag club Trash to support her through an epic performance。But the night ends with a sour note， when bitchy rival drag queen Eve upstages Mae B with a mocking rendition of her set， and has to be dragged from the stage。 To make matters even more complicated， Eve then turns up dead in the alley behind Trash。 The police are sure Eve' The night has finally come for Fi's best friend Robyn to make their debut on the stage as their drag queen alter-ego Mae B， and she is there front of house at Dublin's drag club Trash to support her through an epic performance。But the night ends with a sour note， when bitchy rival drag queen Eve upstages Mae B with a mocking rendition of her set， and has to be dragged from the stage。 To make matters even more complicated， Eve then turns up dead in the alley behind Trash。 The police are sure Eve's death is an accident， but Fi is certain there is more to it， especially since everyone at Trash had a motive to want Eve out of the way。Fi is determined to get to the bottom of what really happened that night， even if it means alienating her Trash family by delving into their secrets。 Someone is out to get Fi's drag queen friends， but as violence targets more members of the little group， she is not sure if it is a stranger or one of their inner circle。 In her 'Hagatha' Christie guise she cannot rest until the culprit is brought to justice - even if it means putting herself in danger in the process。I was sure that this book was going to be lots of fun （how could a whodunit set around the drag scene of Dublin fail to be anything but？）， and， it was absolutely full to the brim with all the drama and passion that I hoped for！Kitty Murphy immerses you completely in the drag scene of Dublin， taking you on and off the stage to bring alive all the glory of the performances， and the complex relationships that exist between the Trash family members， and their friends and blood family - using this as a rich backdrop for a very entertaining tale。Shy， fleece-loving Fi drives the story as the unexpected sleuth， contrasting beautifully with a cast made up of vivid showbiz types。 She comes out of her shell as the story progresses through thrills， spills， and emotional turmoil to an exciting climax on the streets of Dublin。 I loved that she has her own journey to make alongside solving the twisty murder mystery， with a lovely little romantic thread of her own too。 And， if you ever wanted a fascinating look beneath the glamour of the drag scene then you are in for a treat！At its heart， this is a cosy murder mystery， but once the dramatic beginning hooks you in， it soon reveals itself to be so much more。 There is layer upon layer of really interesting exploration of the dynamics between characters whose vulnerabilities are exposed over the course of the story。 For the most part， the brash exteriors crack to offer a glimpse of the insecurities that lie within when the Trash family is targeted， taking you through a whole range of emotions。 Murphy injects a lot of real world grittiness into the story beneath all the feathers and sequins in the menacing form of prejudice and hatred of those in the LGBTQ+ community， but there is a tonne of wry humour in the telling， and it is love that shines through in the end。 This is the first part in a new mystery series， the Dublin Drag Mysteries， and having taken the Trash family into my heart， I cannot wait for them to reunite for book two。 。。。more
Emma Bowker
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2。5/5The story follows Fi McKinnery and her best friend， Robyn， who is about to debut as drag queen Mae B。 Eve， another drag queen mocks Mae B， and later on Fi finds her dead。 It is assumed the death was a nasty accident， but Fi thinks Eve was murdered。I have never before been let down by a book which I thought had so much potential！ This was my Amazon first reads December pick。 I love drag queens and I love murder mystery books so I was sure this was going to be a good one。I just found the whol 2。5/5The story follows Fi McKinnery and her best friend， Robyn， who is about to debut as drag queen Mae B。 Eve， another drag queen mocks Mae B， and later on Fi finds her dead。 It is assumed the death was a nasty accident， but Fi thinks Eve was murdered。I have never before been let down by a book which I thought had so much potential！ This was my Amazon first reads December pick。 I love drag queens and I love murder mystery books so I was sure this was going to be a good one。I just found the whole story really daft and childish。 I think it would have been better if the story tone was written in a way to target young adults。 。。。more
Annie
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Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader。 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 include Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader。 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。 。。。more
Alison
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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 accid 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。 。。。more
Javier
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3，5 ⭐️In the last few years the art of drag has become mainstream thanks to tv shows like Drag Race， with some drag queens having worldwide stars status。 It’s usual to find them now on tv or in music， but it’s not as usual to find them in literature， so when I found out about Death In Heels I jumped with joy。 What could be funnier that a murder mystery plus drag queens？Fi’s best friend， Robyn， is gonna make his drag debut as Mae B at Trash， a Dublin drag club。 Her dazzling performance will get t 3，5 ⭐️In the last few years the art of drag has become mainstream thanks to tv shows like Drag Race， with some drag queens having worldwide stars status。 It’s usual to find them now on tv or in music， but it’s not as usual to find them in literature， so when I found out about Death In Heels I jumped with joy。 What could be funnier that a murder mystery plus drag queens？Fi’s best friend， Robyn， is gonna make his drag debut as Mae B at Trash， a Dublin drag club。 Her dazzling performance will get tarnished by Eve’s antics， another queen who’s not much loved among her own。 When later that night Eve is found drowned in a gutter， police rules it an accident， but Fi is convinced she was killed。 Who would kill a drag queen？Death In Heels is first in the Dublin Drag Mystery series and a good starting point。 First of all， kudos to the author for tackling a different scenario to what it’s typical of cozy mysteries。 It’s always good to see some queer representation in genres different than LGBTQIA+ fiction。 I loved her approach to it， not ridiculing the art of drag or people doing it， but showing full support for them， not only from others in the community， but from their own families。 I may have gotten a bit emotional reading how proud Mae B’s mom and grandpa were of her。 Thank you for that。The mystery was interesting although there was not much sleuthing involved。 Fi， aka Hagatha Christie， was pretty tenacious despite having everyone against。 I found some of the other characters a bit irritating。 Fi and Robyn’s relationship had its ups and downs but， in my opinion， they were too sudden。 Their fight fell a bit disproportionate considering they were best friends。I liked the characterization of the queens and the club environment。 They felt pretty realistic。 I also liked how the author drew attention on the pronouns issue and how to refer to someone correctly。 The dialogue between the queens was all of sass and humor and it was quite fun to read。Despite some red-herrings that made me doubt my initial theory for a moment， I guessed correctly the villain， but found their motivations a bit weak。 The resolution veered into an action story and felt a bit OTT。Great premise， entertaining mystery and characters with room to grow， so I’ll keep my eye out for the second book in the series。Thanks to FMcM for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review and a spot on the tour。 。。。more
Michelle Cox
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Loved this！ Kept me gripped from page 1， felt every emotion for the characters and had a really happy cosy feeling at the end。 Cannot wait for the next one！！
Dora Harvey
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I normally do not opt to read these kinds of books， but I must say it was somewhat interesting about drag queens。 I thought this was a cozy mystery book， but it seems like it could have been introduced as a whodunit。 I can only say， it was different。
travelsalongmybookshelf
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Death In Heels - Kitty MurphyFi McKinnery has nerves jangling as she watches Mae B （aka her best friend Robyn） takes to the stage for her debut at drag club TRASH。 Eve， a young Queen lampoons Mae’s performance out of spite and for laughs and ruins the show。 Then she turns up dead， face down in the gutter。 The death is quickly ruled an accident， but Fi is convinced otherwise， as her friends begin to disown her it is clear that other Queens are targets and Fi has to do all she can to stop more mur Death In Heels - Kitty MurphyFi McKinnery has nerves jangling as she watches Mae B （aka her best friend Robyn） takes to the stage for her debut at drag club TRASH。 Eve， a young Queen lampoons Mae’s performance out of spite and for laughs and ruins the show。 Then she turns up dead， face down in the gutter。 The death is quickly ruled an accident， but Fi is convinced otherwise， as her friends begin to disown her it is clear that other Queens are targets and Fi has to do all she can to stop more murders。Well I absolutely shimmied my way through this first of the new Dublin drag mystery series！ I don’t know much about the world of Drag Queens except Ru Pauls Drag Race but I know more now！ This packs a punch， is dazzling， glamorous and very murderous！ ‘Your little Hagatha Christie act leaves me right in the firing line。’The characters of Fi and Robyn are joyousI just adored all the detail about Robyn’s drag persona Mae B getting herself ready as a new a baby Queen。 The spats between all the Queens were brilliant， I especially loved Thora Point and Miss Merkin。‘They will kill again， and again…。Either way it’s time to drag them into the light。 Once and for all。’OMG， this was so good， I was completely hooked on this tale。 Packed full of sass and humour， I just loved this bunch of Queens - the arguments， the drama， the murder。 And although I know little of this world， I became part of it and that is what a great writer does， they draw you in， make you want to know more and then bosh！ Hit you with a fabulous ending that you did not see coming！ 。。。more
Grace J Reviewerlady
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A new series for me， a different read， chosen from the Kindle First Reads selection for December。Fi and Robyn are best friends， sharing a flat。 When Robyn finally plucks up the courage to take to the stage as his drag alter ego， Mae B。， Fi is there to cheer him on。 Little do they know that there is a murderer in the vicinity。 When Eva， fellow drag artist， takes to the stage dressed as Mae B and poking fun at Robyn's act it infuriates Fi。 However， it's not long before Eva is found outside， dead; A new series for me， a different read， chosen from the Kindle First Reads selection for December。Fi and Robyn are best friends， sharing a flat。 When Robyn finally plucks up the courage to take to the stage as his drag alter ego， Mae B。， Fi is there to cheer him on。 Little do they know that there is a murderer in the vicinity。 When Eva， fellow drag artist， takes to the stage dressed as Mae B and poking fun at Robyn's act it infuriates Fi。 However， it's not long before Eva is found outside， dead; the question is was Eva the target or did the murderer think they had caught up with Robyn？I have to say I enjoyed this one on the whole; the drag queens， their names， the knowledge learned of how to refer to them correctly in today's minefield of genders， and the fabulous description of the costumes！ The mystery didn't do it for me; I worked out fairly early on who was responsible - it seemed quite clear-cut to me。 I learned a fair bit from this one but I'm not sure I will continue with the series。 For me， 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Laura
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The drag setting was fun and made a nice change from a lot of other mystery/thrillers but the ending with the bomb on the bus was too far-fetched。 The reveal of the killer was disappointing as I'd already guessed who it was but there wasn't really a good enough motive。 The drag setting was fun and made a nice change from a lot of other mystery/thrillers but the ending with the bomb on the bus was too far-fetched。 The reveal of the killer was disappointing as I'd already guessed who it was but there wasn't really a good enough motive。 。。。more
Linda Hill
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Drag queens are being hunted down。Death in Heels opens with such a bang that Kitty Murphy grabs the reader’s attention and holds them in a vice-like grip。 I was instantly so invested in Robyn and Fi that had Eve not been murdered I might just have climbed in the pages and killed her myself。 There’s a chatty， conversational tone in Fi’s first person account that draws in the reader and makes them feel they are her only confidante as she tries to establish how Eve died。 There’s just enough colloqu Drag queens are being hunted down。Death in Heels opens with such a bang that Kitty Murphy grabs the reader’s attention and holds them in a vice-like grip。 I was instantly so invested in Robyn and Fi that had Eve not been murdered I might just have climbed in the pages and killed her myself。 There’s a chatty， conversational tone in Fi’s first person account that draws in the reader and makes them feel they are her only confidante as she tries to establish how Eve died。 There’s just enough colloquialism to make the direct speech feel perfectly fitting for the Dublin setting and that lends an authenticity to the story。 The descriptions are beautifully written， clear and evocative so that Kitty Murphy places vivid images in the reader’s mind， creating a filmic quality that I found rather special。 They contrast too with the humorous and often vitriolic， biting， comments some of the queens make， especially to Fi， so that Death in Heels feels balanced and nuanced。My heart went out to Fi。 Although Death in Heels is a murder mystery， Fi imbues an emotional element， illustrating how it feels never quite to belong， to be permanently on the outside or periphery。 Indeed， her photography places her one pace removed from others in an affecting manner， making the reader empathise with her all the more。 I found her development over the story surprisingly touching and all the more effective as she is the straight character who is isolated， rather than the LGBTQ+ community members。 I loved too， the way her photography didn’t usually show people’s faces as this emphasised how we tend to make assumptions and judgements about others without knowing the full facts。The plot romps along and gives a superb insight into the world of drag queens so that I felt I learnt a lot about how their personas change with their costumes and whether they are acting as male or female， lending a fascinating psychological viewpoint too。 Although the narrative is relatively light even if it is a murder story， it does consider some profound issues of loyalty， family and isolation that add layers of interest at the same time as the reader is being thoroughly entertained by the story。Death in Heels is witty， acerbic， interesting， entertaining and moving。 I thoroughly， thoroughly enjoyed it。 。。。more
Annette Jordan
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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 be 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。 。。。more
Karen’s Library
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Death in Heels was a delightfully fun read for me， featuring drag queens in Dublin。 Fi， the best friend of baby drag Mae B。， finds Eve’s body in an alleyway following Mae B。’s big debut。 Fi， who the Queens call “little straight girl”， doesn’t believe that Eve died as a result of an accident and goes a little bonkers alienating her friends to pursue who murdered Eve。 I can’t tell you how much I loved the scenes of the drag shows as I felt like I was physically sitting in the audience listening to Death in Heels was a delightfully fun read for me， featuring drag queens in Dublin。 Fi， the best friend of baby drag Mae B。， finds Eve’s body in an alleyway following Mae B。’s big debut。 Fi， who the Queens call “little straight girl”， doesn’t believe that Eve died as a result of an accident and goes a little bonkers alienating her friends to pursue who murdered Eve。 I can’t tell you how much I loved the scenes of the drag shows as I felt like I was physically sitting in the audience listening to the songs and laughing hysterically at their antics。 I LOVED this cast of characters， and the end had me staying up VERY late turning the pages as quickly as I could。 One of the last scenes takes place at a Pride parade and I loved the thrill of it all。 I’m not usually a reader of cozy mysteries， but learning about the drag scene in Dublin drew me in very quickly！ I loved it！ What a great premise！ I could easily see this book made into a movie。 Pub date is Jan。 1st， 2023。*Thank you so much to Amazon Publishing for the gifted ARC！* 。。。more
Michael Gordon
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Death follows a drag queenThe story revolves around Fi， a young woman whose best friend and flatmate Robyn has started acting as a drag queen in the Dublin club TRASH。 After his successful opening as Mae B， another drag queen called Eve steals his act and performs a variation at the club。 Shortly after this Eve is discovered drowned in a nearby street。 The Garde believe the death to be a tragic accident but Fi is convinced Eve was murdered and tries to get to the truth despite negative reactions Death follows a drag queenThe story revolves around Fi， a young woman whose best friend and flatmate Robyn has started acting as a drag queen in the Dublin club TRASH。 After his successful opening as Mae B， another drag queen called Eve steals his act and performs a variation at the club。 Shortly after this Eve is discovered drowned in a nearby street。 The Garde believe the death to be a tragic accident but Fi is convinced Eve was murdered and tries to get to the truth despite negative reactions from the other drag queens at the club and the potential loss of her friend Robyn。The story keeps the identity of the killer and the motive open throughout the book。 There is an unexpected twist at the end。 Overall a satisfying read that held my attention throughout。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Death in Heels
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Death in Heels&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Death in Heels&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0