I really loved this novel. Misty/Joe was so compelling to read! I found all of the characters appropriately comical and solemn. While I cannot say that I know what a drag artist feels, I can say that I know what it’s like to not be comfortable in one’s own skin. That’s what made the main character so relatable. Add in their determination to solve the murder of a loved one to the point that it delayed the grief. AHHH! Just such exquisite descriptions and feelings.

My only concern is that Misty/Joe will now have a detective that doesn’t appreciate the amateur. It is one of the pet peeves with amateur detective mysteries. While I hope that isn’t the case, it will not hinder me from reading the next novel. Mostly because people like the detective are real. Prejudice exists, and we can either let it stop us, or rise above it.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I have ever read about drag queens and Kings and I was intrigued . I went in thinking like behind the scenes of RuPaul‘s drag race. The drama, the cattiness. I gave it a 3 1/2 stars. I was going to just leave it at three, but the ending made up for the slower parts in the book I was pleasantly surprised with the plot twists. I am interested in reading more books like this.

Misty Divine is not about to let her friend’s murder go unsolved! A little big campy and little bit cozy, this mystery kept me turning the pages. Misty is a big hearted character even if she doesn’t always demonstrate the best judgement. We should all have a friend like Misty Divine.

The book felt a little repetitive in some places, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment. Ms. Stars gives the reader a behind the scenes look at drag culture and drops some timely and stinging social commentary. RuPaul’s Drag Race and mystery fans will want to pick this one up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC.

I love a good drag queen show so I dove into this one.

This had a great mix of Misty (our lead!) wanting to solve the murder of her drag queen mentor Lady Lady, while also dealing with the struggles of suspecting her fellow queens and friends. When Lady Lady’s murder coincides with the theft of an expensive, vintage gown, and the police seem to care more about the dress, Misty is determined to solve the murder.

I think what was done really well here was show the impact being in drag can be on someone’s personality. While not in drag, Misty is actually Joe, a nonbinary accountant that is quiet and unassuming, almost meek. But when they turn into Misty, she has confidence and grit. So while most of the story did focus on the mystery, I really enjoyed getting into Joe/Misty’s head and understand how they were feeling.

Also I love that Joe really just watched old crime shows and went after the investigation, no holds barred. I feel the same way—I’ve seen so many episodes of Forensic Files, surely I’d be able to solve a crime!

I can’t resist a murder mystery where I don’t guess the murderer or motive, so I was hooked onto this one until the end. Add in the LGBTQ+ characters and I’m sold. And lastly, may we all have a partner as supportive as Miles, praise him.

Thank you Berkley for the eARC Just wasn’t my vibe, the characters felt flat. The premise was very promising but it just didn’t live up to it for me.

By day Joe is a shy quiet accountant, but by night they take the stage as fabulous Misty Divine. Misty loves drag and finds her confidence there. Until one night she is shaken when she finds her mentor Lady Lady dead in her dressing room. When the police seem more concerned about some robberies than solving the murder, Misty takes things into her own hands and tries to solve the mystery.

Murder in the Dressing room was an entertaining mystery. I enjoyed all the characters and felt they were developed well. Misty is so strong and easy to root for. The mystery had some good twists and turns, some of which were predictable but still fun to see them unfold.

3.5 stars

Dull, flat, uninspired prose that doesn’t come CLOSE to conveying the glamour/presence/vivaciousness of a court of drag queens! The dialogue is awful and there are clumsy infodumps everywhere, and I can’t believe the description is so plain and minimal when the glorious outfits are at LEAST half the appeal.

Great idea, but the execution is seriously lacking. This doesn’t even have the fun, punchy readability of a beach read, and for all that Misty/Joe’s world revolves around drag, I couldn’t feel ANY of that passion, just kept being told it was there, instead of experiencing it.

But what it comes down to is: this author doesn’t have the skill to convey what they’re trying to, and so Murder in the Dressing Room fizzles instead of sizzles. Seriously disappointing!

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.