Video Killed The Radio Star – Duncan MacMaster
Money in the bank and his dream girl on his arm – life was looking pretty sweet for Kirby Baxter.
Of course it couldn’t last. Where would the fun be in that? This is a sequel after all.
After solving the murder of a movie starlet the previous year, Kirby is doing his best to live down his burgeoning reputation as part-time Interpol agent and amateur sleuth.
Then reality TV comes knocking next door.
Million Dollar Madhouse is a reality TV show where a bunch of washed up celebrities are thrown together in a dilapidated mansion while their attempts to renovate the building are broadcast 24/7 for the viewers delight.
Kirby’s quiet town is thrown into chaos by the arrival of camera crews, remote control video drones and a cast of characters including disgraced actress Victoria Gorham, political shock-jock Bert Wayne and reality TV royalty Kassandra Kassabian.
When one of the cast members turns up dead the local police turn to the only celebrity detective in town for help and draft an unwilling Kirby into their investigation.
The first body is only the beginning of another rip-roaring adventure for Kirby Baxter and with Gustav his loyal driver/valet/bodyguard/chef/ass-kicker at his side, our hero plunges into the fray with his usual stunning displays of deductive reasoning and sheer bloody luck.
I received a review copy from the publishers.
It is #Fahrenbruary which is the brainchild of one of my blogging chums @LaughingGravy71 aka The Beardy Book Blogger aka Mart. Fahrenbruary is a month long celebration of the many wonderful books published by indy publishing house Fahrenheit Press. I am a big fan of Fahrenheit and you will find quite a few of their titles reviewed in the archives of my blog.
Confession time from me…I have read quite a few books which have not yet been reviewed here on Grab This Book. I don’t always win the work/life/blogging juggle and some books are enjoyed but not immediately reviewed. Today’s review is for Video Killed The Radio Star – by coincidence it is published by Fahrenheit Press and happily it allows me to share some book love during #Fahrenbruary (even though I read Video Killed The Radio Star in November).
Did you notice that I want to share “book love”? It’s true – I really loved Video Killed The Radio Star and I was most vexed that I was not in a position to share my review when I first read it. By the way from now on I am going with “Video” or this review will take hours to finish writing.
Step forward Kirby Baxter – he first appeared in MacMaster’s A Mint Conditioned Corpse. No requirement to have read the first book to enjoy the second, just the usual caveat of getting better background info on the characters and their respective places in the world. Kirby is hugely enjoyable to read about. He has a personal assistant called Gustav who never seems to speak yet Kirby will recount lengthy chats they have. Kirby has previous form in assisting the authorities with a murder investigation so when a celebrity death occurs on the set of a reality tv show, which is being filmed near his home, Kirby is called to assist to ensure the show can go on.
I loved the premise of assembling a cast of D-list Celebs, locking them in a secure village (where it seems that almost every move they make is recorded for tv broadcast) then bumping off one of the more odious “stars” and make everyone else a suspect. It is a Big Brother murder story with a DIY reality show keeping the suspects assembled and distracted.
Keeping a cracking whodunnit murder story zipping along whilst also delivering on the gags and humour is no mean feat but major kudos to Duncan MacMaster who aces it in Video. I came for the murder but stayed for the jokes. Okay that sounds like an episode of Scooby Doo. No. No. No. That’s not right. Video Killed The Radio Star is a great murder mystery which does not take its-self too seriously and gives readers light-hearted moments to enjoy while the players in this reality tv murder fest try to stay alive.
Kirby will need to mingle with the “stars” and the production team. He needs to work out what made the victim a target, establish who had opportunity and confidence to commit murder in an area surrounded with video cameras and try to keep his girlfriend and her celeb-stalking cousin safe from harm. Their snooping will not be tolerated by those with secrets to hide and Celebs trying to get that one big breakthrough into mainstream awareness do not want any of their secrets revealed. It all makes for some engaging conversations.
I firmly believe that reading should be fun. I don’t get a kick from picking up a novel which other readers have said left them in tears. I want thrills, puzzles, good guys thwarting bad guys and exciting moments of tension which keeps pages turning long into the night. Video Killed The Radio Star delivered on all those fronts and I highly recommend it.
Video Killed The Radio Star is published by Fahrenheit Press and can be ordered in paperback or digital format from their website here: http://www.fahrenheit-press.com/books_video_killed_the_radio_star.html
Other online bookstores are available.