Ten Dead Comedians

A Murder Mystery

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Pub Date Jul 11 2017 | Archive Date Sep 18 2017

Description

Fred Van Lente’s brilliant debut is both a savagely funny homage to the Golden Age of Mystery and a thoroughly contemporary show-business satire.

As the story opens, nine comedians of various acclaim are summoned to the island retreat of legendary Hollywood funnyman Dustin Walker. The group includes a former late-night TV host, a washed-up improv instructor, a ridiculously wealthy “blue collar” comic, and a past-her-prime Vegas icon. All nine arrive via boat to find that every building on the island is completely deserted. Marooned without cell phone service or wifi signals, they soon find themselves being murdered one by one. But who is doing the killing, and why?

A darkly clever take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and other classics of the genre, Ten Dead Comedians is a marvel of literary ventriloquism, with hilarious comic monologues in the voice of every suspect. It’s also an ingeniously plotted puzzler with a twist you’ll never see coming!
Fred Van Lente’s brilliant debut is both a savagely funny homage to the Golden Age of Mystery and a thoroughly contemporary show-business satire.

As the story opens, nine comedians of various acclaim...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781594749742
PRICE $24.99 (USD)
PAGES 336

Average rating from 50 members


Featured Reviews

A blast to read, it's the perfect mash-up of classic Agatha Christie and truly funny stand-up comedy. The only drawback is this is Fred's first novel. Was hoping that he'd have lots more titles for me to go back and read.

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Ten comedians on a remote island, being picked off one by one. A big jumble of motives and murders, red herrings and twists, violence and vitriol. And it's absolutely brilliant! An absolute page-turner where nothing is really what it seems and the things you are sure of change by the minute.

Fred Van Lente's debut novel might be based on Agatha Christie's classic 'And Then There Were None', but it's so much more than an updated copy of the original. In 'Ten Dead Comedians' there is all of the cleverness associated with Christie's book, but also a critique of modern society, comments on the nature of celebrity and a fast pace that is more in line with what we expect of TV's Sherlock. I literally couldn't put it down - it has been my constant companion as I raced through to the end. I'm usually more at home with the more sedate pace of historical crime, but this grabbed my attention and wouldn't let me go.

If you're looking for a compulsive, easy and fun read then this could be the book for you. One thing is for certain: you absolutely will not be bored.

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