The rural bliss of Ferne Basset is rudely shattered by the discovery of an elderly resident's body in the river. When Barnaby and Troy descend on the village to ferret out the culprit, they get caught up in simmering backstage rivalries at a local amateur dramatics group that Joyce has recently joined - and the situation grows more sinister when one of the actors is tricked into killing himself in the middle of a performance
A bit slow in places, and drags too, plus it can be muddled, but the sheer enjoyment of seeing "actors" and the theatre entourage preparing and with all that drama, bitchiness, obsession and conflict overrides all this. The death scene on stage is quite clever. The buildup to it is like a grim crescendo. Witty dialogue. Definitely a solid entry.
A bit slow in places, and drags too, plus it can be muddled, but the sheer enjoyment of seeing "actors" and the theatre entourage preparing and with all that drama, bitchiness, obsession and conflict overrides all this. The death scene on stage is quite clever. The buildup to it is like a grim crescendo. Witty dialogue. Definitely a solid entry.