Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery
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15
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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!
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“Ten Dead Comedians” is a comedic update of Agatha Christie's “And Then There Were None.” Ten comedians of varying levels of fame and fortune end up on a remote tropical island, lured by an opportunity too good to pass up. When they find the island deserted, no sign of their famous host, they aren't too alarmed until they start dying one by one. As the hours wear on, who will be the last comic standing?
The writing is light and the characters are fairly well developed given the relatively short length of the book. The stand-up routines interspersed throughout the story are entertaining and provide additional insight into the characters. A fun read for fans of classic mystery novels.
