A Brand to Die For

A Brand to Die For by Alex Pearl is a fast-paced and entertaining crime novel set in a creative advertising agency in 1983. In London’s Soho, competing agencies work hard and play harder, until they find themselves on the scene of a bizarre murder inquiry. When the action begins Angus Lovejoy, who was sent down from Charterhouse in disgrace, is working without much success as a copywriter for the high-flying Gordon Deedes Rutter agency. When creative director Magnus teams Angus up with art director Brian Finkle, a young genius straight out of St. Martins School of Art, the creative sparks begin to fly. Their first triumph is a campaign for solid fuel, which is much funnier than the name suggests. The kudos this success brings gives Brian and Angus credibility which supports them through some sticky situations. At last they find themselves involved in finding the guilty party in a murder where there is no evidence. This leads to a scary encounter with international organised crime. Along the way there is romance, hilarious interference from Brian’s family and a cast of quirky characters, some of whom deserve a novel to themselves.

What I liked best about A Brand to Die For was the close relationship and very funny banter between the leading characters. There are great descriptions of eccentric personalities, such as GDR’s aristocratic client, Lord Cecil Allard. I also enjoyed the imaginative account of the wild boar wars. Because the story is set forty years ago, some of the humour is a little out of line with current values, but I did not find anything offensive. There is a shortage of women in the creative roles, but that is simply a reflection of how things were at the time. I was pleased to see that Fay Weldon got a respectful mention.

A Brand to Die For