The perfect cozy mystery to spend a cold night with. G. M. gives us another of their St. Just mysteries that brings a whole new set of suspects and motives for the murder. It is also a great way to see the inner workings of a film, as this mystery is set on a movie set. The characters are well written, and the mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing who did it and why.

A serviceable cosy mystery on a film set, where the leading actress is murdered. It was OK, but it felt a little disjointed and like we were ticking off one interview at a time, the journalist didn’t really get much of an outing and it was just a little underwhelming (but a quick read).

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This book was okay. Nothing more, nothing less. I think there were far too many characters to make it interesting. If they shrunk the character list and thus the list of suspects it might have been more engaging. They’d speak to on person and by the end of their interview they knew they weren’t involved. And then again and again. The only players with real motive ended up being the real culprits in the end. No real twist or suspense. It was a little too formulaic.

I did not resonate with this sort of writing. I was introduced to characters and then they were pushed aside by other characters. What I wasn’t aware of at the start was that the main characters were the two officers assigned to the murder investigation and I was really annoyed by how they worked through the evidence and then restated at the facts over again as if we hadn’t just gone through all that. It became tedious and did not seem like it was necessary.

Joyous..
The seventh outing in the wonderful St Just series of mysteries finds Hollywood descending upon Cambridge in an unexpected turn of events when the Round Church becomes the film set for ‘Viking Bride’ - starring a very famous actress. Events are, however, to turn fatal - enter Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St Just. Another entertaining and enjoyable instalment to this series which is brimming over with slick humour, clever misdirection and a stellar cast of perfectly formed characters. Joyous.

Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was my first time reading any books by this author or in this series, but I had no problem picking up the storyline. A Hollywood production company is filming a historical drama about the Vikings in England and set in the area around Cambridge. It features film star Agnes Dermond, an actress past her prime and in a role meant for a younger actress. Poor acting and an anachronistic script lead to tensions on the set of what is for most a make or break project. The complaints are centered around Agnes and when she is found murdered with a Viking dagger through her heart Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just and Sergeant Fear arrive to begin interviewing cast and crew. They are a colorful group, all quick to point fingers, and motives are numerous. It was fascinating learning about the inter workings of making a movie and all of the characters were well drawn and interesting. My only complaint is that St. Just announced the identity of the killer too soon and the last quarter of the book was mostly a discussion of motives and timelines which was a bit anticlimactic. I think it would have been better to have held the identity from the reader until the final chapter and made the announcement more of a surprise. It would have also been good to feature more of the atmosphere of old Cambridge. Overall though, I enjoyed the book for its characters and the inside look at movie making.

Another well-written and engaging installment to the St. Just mysteries.. I enjoyed the backdrop of the making of a movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest DCI St. Just mystery. The mix of Cambridge academia, film-set drama, and a gloriously eccentric cast makes for a cosy yet clever whodunit. I liked how Malliet balances wit with suspense, keeping the tone light without ever losing the intrigue.

It’s exactly the sort of story I turn to when I want something classic in feel but fresh in execution — charming, witty, and satisfyingly puzzling. A delightful addition to the series.

*Thank you for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

I consider myself an avid mystery reader. My favorite thing to do is figure out "whodunnit?" This book had some turns that I was not expecting, and I could not figure out who was guilty! I was worried reading part of a series that I'm not familiar with, but the author does an excellent job introducing main characters so new readers don't feel out of the loop. I'll have to check out the rest of the series!

My only drawback with this book was that it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who was talking. I'm sure the more I read, the more familiar I'll get with the author's style! All in all, "Death and the Final Cut" was pretty on track for those who like Agatha Christie or Sue Grafton.

When an aging actress is murdered on a film set in Cambridge, Chief Inspector St. Just has multiple suspects and motives to untangle. This book started off at a good pace but once the murder happens, the investigation follows at a snails pace. All in all a good read, but for me, this book did not measure up to the previous St.Just books

I really liked the idea of a cozy mystery on a film set. The writing is lively, humorous and fast-paced - I think I would enjoy other books by this author, but this one just wasn't for me (so I won't post a review elsewhere).

The thing I found tricky about the book was that the victim was a woman of a certain age, and the other characters made lots of ageist/sexist judgements about her. I understand that this was to set those characters up as suspects (and doesn't reflect the author's personal views) - but I still found it a bit uncomfortable. This might not be an issue for other readers - perhaps it's just because I'm a woman of a certain age myself!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Having read 2 previous St. Just books and loving them, I was so looking forward to reading this one. It started off well with a Hollywood crew in Edinburgh filming a Scandi historical saga and introducing us to the cast and crew with all their foibles.
When the leading lady is murdered, St. Just and Detective Fear are leading the case.
The last 1/3 of the book dissected the motives for that murder and the subsequent one minutely, which I found boring and tedious. Then, on a happy note, St. Just was looking forward to his marrying Portia.

I absolutely love the dramatic vibes of this book, both in the mystery and fame/acting aspects. This was my favorite mystery- so perfectly written.