Murder in the Dressing Room cover art

Murder in the Dressing Room

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Murder in the Dressing Room

By: Holly Stars
Narrated by: Holly Stars
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.
LIPSTICK, LIES, AND LETHAL SECRETS - A DAZZLING CRIME THRILLER FOR FANS OF JANICE HALLETT AND TOM HINDLE
Meet Misty Divine - your new favourite amateur sleuth!
Drag isn't just dramatic. It's deadly...
By day, shy hotel accountant Joe hides behind their desk and plays by the rules.
By night, Joe takes to the stage as Misty Divine, an upcoming star of the London drag scene.
But when Misty’s mentor, Lady Lady, is found dead in her dressing room, Misty finds herself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Because Lady Lady was murdered – and as the only ones with access to her room, Misty and her fellow performers quickly become prime suspects.
Heartbroken by the loss, and frustrated by the inaction of the police, Joe is determined to uncover the killer in their midst.
But what can they, a mere hotel accountant, possibly do?
This is a case for Misty Divine…

© Holly Stars 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Amateur Sleuths Cosy Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Humorous Literature & Fiction Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Exciting Heartfelt Witty Murder

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Secret Detective Agency cover art
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert cover art
The Guncle cover art
Cut Short cover art
A Bitter Pill cover art
The Christmas Cracker Killer cover art
Murder in the Scottish Highlands cover art
Curtain Call to Murder cover art
The Dinner Lady Detectives cover art
Murder by Cheesecake cover art
Hiding Him cover art
Game Changer cover art
A Quiet Life in the Country cover art
A Spoonful of Murder (The Retired Teacher Mysteries, Book 1) cover art
The Cornish Wedding Murder cover art
Cubs & Campfires cover art

Critic reviews

A gloriously fun murder mystery set in the fabulous world of drag queens and kings with red herrings and twists that will keep you guessing until the end. Misty Divine is the star of the show! (C.L. Miller)
Smart and sassy, a sequin-studded murder mystery with blood on the runway. If RuPaul and Agatha Christie had a drag daughter, Holly Stars would murder her. Detective fiction has never been so glam! (A.J. West)
Misty Divine’s first show is a brilliantly funny mystery, with a sleuth as sharp as a stiletto heel. With an unforgettable cast of characters, and a mystery that sparkles as much as its star, Holly Stars has written a stunning debut that will keep you hooked until the final curtain! (Hannah Hendy)
A glittering whodunnit debut. What Miss Marple did with tweeds and knitting, Misty Divine does with rhinestones and stilettos. A twisty, sparkly mystery with a huge heart (Jenny Bayliss)
The fabulous Holly Stars has burst onto the cosy murder mystery scene with the amateur sleuth I never knew I needed – drag queen Misty Divine is fierce, confident, and oh so glamorous. I loved this cast of characters and witnessing Misty come into her own to solve the murder of her beloved mentor Lady Lady. Entertaining, touching, and a lot of fun, Murder in the Dressing Room was an absolute delight! (Ashley Tate)
I love Murder In The Dressing Room! What a fantastic read...I couldn’t put the book down until I found out exactly who the culprit was and it was a shock to find out who did it! So sneaky! It was such a thrill to read and every single character came to life in my mind. Holly is such an imaginative writer and storyteller. I could see the places and faces in my mind and I was hooked from the first paragraph. Through reading every page I was one hundred percent invested and felt as if I were a drag queen detective myself. Call me JUJU MISTY BEE moving forward. I can’t wait for the next installment of this one of its kind story. The best drag show I’ve ever been to!!! I need more now (Jujubee)
Move over Miss Marple, there’s a new amateur detective in town, and she can solve murders in sequins and six inch heels. Cosy, clever and camp, with a truly unique heroine to cheer for, Murder in the Dressing Room is an absolute delight (Freya Sampson)
Murder in the Dressing Room provides all the comfort and entertainment of a traditional amateur sleuth story, but from a wholly new and absolutely enthralling perspective. A page-turning mystery, larger than life protagonist, and a behind the scenes look at the glamorous and gritty world of drag…what more could you want? (Mia P. Manansala)
All stars
Most relevant
Cleverly plotted. Funny and engaging while also being enlightening and moving. Misty Divine makes for a talented and determined amateur sleuth amongst a fabulous cast of well/drawn characters. While I was kept guessing all through this novel, and loved how each clue was unravelled, it was Joe Brown’s viewpoint which won my heart. Their quiet persona, their empathetic nature, their soul-searching and dedication to friendships and boyfriend, Miles, was glorious and it felt an honour, if I’m honest, to have been let into Joe and Misty’s world. Can’t wait for Book 2 from Holly Stars 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Exciting and dangerous and colourful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed this!!
I thought about Misty as a Nancy Drew or a Mary Sue, wonderful. And so many clichés, but executed so well still!! Her spidey-senses are tingling? Is it lame or do I love it!? This is the four stars as I cant make up my mind id its too much, too cheeay or absolutely right! A warm story about belonging and expression as well as full of humor and glam and neat observations. Wonderful way of describing the drag scene for readers who might not be familiar with it, but also recognition for the ones who are.

I did however enjoy reading the physical book more than listening to the audiobook. it's great that Holly Stars narrates this herself. So the 4 stars is purely preference from my behalf because I struggle so much with focus and attention when listening to audiobooks that the narrating is very important for the experience and have to be very particular for me.
There's few where it's JUST right for me
Holly Stars was simply not a fit for me. I still think she did a great job with writing the book and narrating it. I really felt for Misty/Joe and fell I love with some of the characters. We could all do well with being a little bit more like Misty. my favourite line from the book I think must be when Holly describes drag artists as mystical powerful creatures. Joe finds so much strength in being Misty and its beautiful. Looking forward to reading more about the Drag Queen/detective Misty Divine!

Nancy Drew, is that you... but drag!?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved every second of this “whodunnit” drag spectacular. I could picture all the fab queens and kings and felt like I knew them all halfway through the book. I can’t wait for the next book, it’s left me dying for more!

A mysterious marvel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I absolutely adored this read! Misty is the hero we desperately need in this world, especially at this moment. The book evoked a strange sense of nostalgia for me, reminiscent of Scooby-Doo with its murder mystery vibe and comedic elements. However, it also took me to an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, UK edition. I eagerly anticipate the next adventure of DI Divines.

This had charisma, uniqueness, nerve & talent!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The book is a romp, it’s everything you could hope for from a drag murder mystery and is superbly delivered by Holly Stars (so refreshing to have a reader who isn’t a posh bore)

Fun, witty, and brilliantly read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews