Decent Interval
By Simon Brett
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
But when the company reach the first staging post of their tour, the Grand Theatre Marlborough, matters get more serious, with one member of the company seriously injured in what appears to be an accident, and another dead. Once again, Charles Paris is forced to don the mantle of amateur detective to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Simon Brett
Simon Brett worked as a producer in radio and television before taking up writing full time. As well as the much-loved Fethering series, the Mrs Pargeter novels and the Charles Paris detective series, he has written a number of radio and television scripts. Married with three children, he lives in an Agatha Christie-style village on the South Downs. You can find out more about Simon at his website: www.simonbrett.com
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Reviews for Decent Interval
34 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It has been a decent interval since readers last had the chance to meet up with dipsomaniac actor Charles Paris. This is #18 in the series which began in 1975 with CAST IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE. Our last outing was DEAD ROOM FARCE in 1997Nothing much has changed in Charles' life including Charles himself who doesn't seem to have aged much. He is still in and out of work, but probably much more out than in. His agent Maurice Skellern hasn't contacted him for 8 months, he hasn't talked to his estranged wife Frances for nearly five months, and he seems to have been living on Bell's Whisky. Maurice contacts him for some small part work for a documentary on the English Civil War and then he lands a job in a production of Hamlet. The main players are winners of a singing star contest.The mystery action takes off when would-be pop star Jared Root (Hamlet) is felled by some stage scenery, and shortly after that there is what seems to be a murder.There's an undercurrent of commentary in this novel about the state of the theatre, the difficulty of getting good plays into London's West End in the face of reality and talent shows which attract much younger audiences and encourage more audience participation. Charles has remained a bit of a Luddite as far as internet technology and social networking goes but even he comes to understand the power of social media like Twitter in sparking interest in live performances where fans can see their idols perform. The other side of the coin of course is the accountancy that drives the theatre world - if you can't make a profit, it is not viable.Though written in the third person, we see the world and the mystery through Charles Paris's aging eyes, although to be quite honest he doesn't seemed to have aged much since earlier books. There's a peculiar humour in these novels provided particularly by review comments about Charles' performances on stage. While Charles Paris fans will be glad of this outing, I don't think it is as good as the series at its height. Simon Brett has used a tried and trusted formula to create a very readable cozy
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Simon Brett's books had been on my radar for quite some time, so when I found a BBC radio production of A Decent Interval - starring Bill Nighy - I had to give it a shot.
The story basically focused on an out-of-work actor who finds work as a minor part in a production of Hamlet - to his annoyance the leading roles are given to two reality tv "celebrities" who can't act. As the story goes on, Hamlet is found seriously wounded and Paris (the actor) is dragged into the who-dunnit.
As far as murder mysteries go this one was decent, but nothing to shout about. I am not sure it would have held my interest if I had read this in book form. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As my romp through the Charles Paris crime novels comes towards its inevitable conclusion, I find that the humour is being replaced by a sadness at Paris' inability to organise his own life. It may be true that a drinker becomes a sad, lonely alcoholic but, I don't need it in an, ostensibly, humerous whodunnit.The crime side of the book is up to its usual high standard and, despite my moan, I am sad to be reaching the end of the series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So nice to have Charles Paris back after a lengthy interval. Brett has not lost his sense of humor. However, he does seem to take a dimmer view of the viability of Charles’s lifestyle. In the 80s Charles was the funny side of the aging, alcoholic English actor. Now something darker has crept in. The detection is up to snuff.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It was fun to spend some time with Charles Paris again. Hope he makes another appearance.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5witty and fun.