Death Of A Diva

The Danny Bird Mysteries #1

by Derek Farrell

Danny Bird is having a very bad day. In the space of just a few hours he lost his job, his partner and his home. Ever the optimist, Danny throws himself headlong into his dream to turn the grimmest pub in London into the coolest nightspot south of the river. Sadly, everything doesn't go quite as planned when his star turn is found strangled hours before opening night. Danny becomes the prime suspect in the crime, and then the gangster who really owns the pub starts asking where his share of the takings has gone... it seems things are going to get worse for Danny before they get better. "A classic whodunit brought bang up to date" "A modern day Cluedo" "Impossible to compartmentalise into one genre, the plot twists and turns through a thoroughly modern tale that will have you totally hooked." "A book full of clever plotting." "Excellent pacy story, great characters and laugh out loud jokes in places"

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Queer, LGBT

281 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2016

Reviews

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song for summary: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

A unique and highly entertaining read! The characters are flamboyant, vibrant, and unashamedly British while the plot is a hilarious and completely engrossing whodunit mystery. With laughs from start to finish, rowdy yet lovable characters who have an endless supply of alcohol, Derek Farrell manages to capture the reader’s attention and heart in this exhilarating start to the series. I can’t wait to read the next Danny Bird mystery!

[George Loveland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very good, and had me guessing 'whodunit' right until the end. I laughed so much throughout the whole story and am ready for the next one.

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good whodunit delivered through MC Danny's breezy but slightly snarky voice - the steady action rarely falters (I did start to worry a little when the plot went backwards near the start to provide further detail on 'hours before the killing' but things progressed rapidly from thereon). This 'cozy' type mystery (nothing too graphic) focuses firmly on Danny having to 'clear up his name and save his hide' by tracking down sundry suspects and people from the diva victim's past. There's a mild romance side-plot (teaser really at this point) but this is not taken down the man-on-man action pathway.

The most enjoyable factor proved to be Danny's bestie/sidekick Caz/Caroline ... who has a ton of hysterical comeback one-liners delivered in a blend of Patsy Stone/Phryne Fisher verve. Danny's assorted family members might also become delightful recurring characters in upcoming books of the series. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
Enjoyable; the MC's short of a job, a lover and a few bob, but he's no pushover. The mystery isn't the point (and neither is the very tepid love interest) but it kept bowling along nicely, oiled by Danny Bird's cynicism & snark, and a down-at-heel, your-glass-sticks-to-the-table London pub setting.

Annoyingly, I can't remember where or when I found this in e-book format, and the rest of the series (which I'd happily read) appears (at the time of writing - Sept-25) to be available only in paperback. If anyone can point me at a commercial source of the next books, I'd be grateful.

[Beau Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of spinning plates in Derek Farrell's Death of a Diva, but boy howdy, are those plates spun deftly. Danny Bird, our protagonist, being at the center of it all. There is murder, there is mayhem, there is mystery. And if I may say, some sharp tongue too. You know what that means? It means you should go forth, seek out, purchase and enjoy. Tell 'em another lover of crime fiction sent you.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful mystery with a funny smartass narrator/protagonist. Essentially a classic whodunit where the victim is so universally hated that almost anybody could have done it. My favorite kind of mysteries are ones like this where regular folks who are somewhat over their heads try to solve something because the police can't be bothered. Very charming, very entertaining.

[Jo Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danny Bird is busy preparing for the launch of his new pub, the Marq (“It’s not dingy, it’s characterful…”) and the “grimiest night of glamour on the planet”–– the historic comeback performance of disco diva Lyra Day.

After the double of humiliation of losing his job and losing his lover, Danny is ready. He has “seven boxes of out-of-date-cheese and onion crisps to provide de the sell-out sustenance ; a parlour full of hooky Polish Budweiser; a van load of liquor that appears to have come from a warehouse in Syria; a dozen cases of Shampagne…” Cheers.

But the Diva––whose ego demands massaging, whose ass requires kissing, whose face screams for tons of professionally applied makeup, whose dresses bear enough sequins for an army of Rockettes, and whose faltering will depends cocaine and booze to revive—––is not ready and never will be.
She’s been strangled and Danny Bird is a suspect.

So begins the set up to Farrell’s masterfully, effortlessly, and hilariously plotted, fresh, Noel Coward-cool, standup-comic funny, hip and totally smart cozy which he populates with fabulously vile and completely adorable characters—most of whom have every reason to want to murder the Diva with their own bare hands.

There is so much to enjoy and to admire in Death Of A Diva: a bouquet of crimson roses with the handwritten, “Die, bitch” card; a crucial clue embedded in pigswill; a flatulent, competent barmaid; the gangster named Chopper; Danny’s best friend Caz; his obliging cabby father, his ex-boyfriend and his ex-boss (“…he was wearing – apart from a small tattoo on his left pectoral of a Chinese symbol that meant either bravery or spring roll…”)

And then there’s the terrific writing:

“I opened my mouth and Dorothy Frost raised a hand to silence me. ‘Is Mr. Bird charged with anything, Frank?’
I didn’t like the Frank in that sentence. It spoke, to me, of a little too much chumminess. It felt, to be honest, like having one’s oncologist give a pet name to a particularly virulent tumour…”

The book also has one most sweetly romantic, good-natured and delicious scenes I’ve read—in which Danny and a dashing green-eyed police officer have the London Eye all to themselves in the middle of the night:

“Below us the frost-rimed city twinkled; the sparse traffic whooshing by on the embankment in silent blurs of light… Moments passed, our breaths coming in tiny clouds that disspipated in the cold moonlight. … I stared over Nick’s shoulder at the illuminated face of Big Ben… ‘Now, before it gets cold,’ he stepped to the bag, withdrawing a tin foil box and carefully peeling back the lid, ‘home-made bread and butter pudding with real custard. And yours,’ he presented a spoon to me, ’is the honour of the first mouthful.”

Derek Farrell has crafted a hilarious, virtuoso and edgy mystery that does much more than tell us who done it––although it does that brilliantly; he’s also written a wise contemplation of starting over, friendship, rejection, failure, and yes––love.

That’s why Death Of A Diva is such kick-ass and thoroughly smart and wonderful series debut.
I love Danny Bird. I love Caz. Ditto for Nick. And I can’t help loving poor, bitchy Lyra, just a little.
Now hurry up, D.F. and bring us book two.

[Peter Tapio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Derek Farrell's Death of a Diva is the first Danny Bird mystery. The titular Danny Bird is a 35-year old English fellow who caught his rich boyfriend cheating, and had to start his life anew. After some months, he has ended up as a manager of a South London pub, now a gay bar, owned by a gangster. The business doesn't have much of a start, as at he opening night, the star of the evening, notorious singer Lyra Day, is murdered. Danny Bird ends up as a suspect, but he is not the only one as Lyra Day was quite the diva.

I'm a fan of Marshall Thornton's 90s L.A. set Pinx Video -series, and this first Danny Bird felt in some ways like an English counterpart to it. Both series have sensitive yet witty and surprisingly determined MCs, who have had to face their partner's betrayal and had to start their lives anew. Their circumstances do differ, but as personalities go they do share similarities. Also, both series have a strong sense of humor saddled with some sadness, and at least in this first Danny Bird, show business plays a part as it does in the Pinx Video -mysteries. So, if you are fan of the other series, you might become a fan of the other, too. Of course, with Danny Bird there is the English English and the English sense of humour, which might not be for everyone.

As for the plot, the author sets the scene in detail, and the reader gets a good understanding of the people and the tensions between them. Then it's time for Danny Bird to investigate, who murdered the diva, so that the police don't frame him as the murderer, and, also, so that the gangster Chopper Falzone won't kill him for putting his businesses in the spotlight.

I'm a nitpicker, and there was occasionally details - for example, when did Lyra Day's sister Doris ever utter the word 'munchkin', or something to that effect? - I could nitpick about, but altogether Death Of A Diva was an enjoyable read. I liked Danny Bird and his sidekick Lady Caroline "Caz" Holloway, and the plot was decent, so a good first mystery in the series.

NOTE: There is a nasty character, who uses slurs against Danny Bird. Also, Danny Bird is not a fan of fat people.

I read the edition published by Fahrenheit Press.

[Janet Emson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You loose your job of 16 years and on the same day you break up with your boyfriend and have to leave your home. What do you do? If you are Danny Bird, you take a job as the landlord of a less than reputable London pub, run by a notorious local gangster. And you hire a well-known celebrity famed for her demanding ways. What you don't expect is for said diva to end up strangled just before she's due on stage...

I loved the characterisation in the book. Danny is a great character, kind, funny and a great mixture of world weary and naïve. Caz, or Lady Caroline if she's trying to charm, or get something. If I were to be an unemployed offspring of a peer of the realm with little regard for other people's opinions, an ability to consume vast quantities of gin and an elastic viewpoint on legalities I would want to be Lady Caz. The relationship between Danny and Caz is great, their banter and Caz's often biting comments add a lovely comedic element to the story.

This isn't a gruesome murder mystery. It could perhaps be classed as a cosy crime in that it has amateur detectives as the protagonists and a not very gory murder. But there is violence and swearing unlike in most cosy mysteries. This book therefore perhaps bridges the gap between such books and traditional gritty crime novels. In any event and more importantly it is well written, funny and throughly entertaining.

The clues are dotted throughout the novel, allowing the reader to work out whodunnit before the reveal and I have great fun seeing how the penny dropped with Danny.

I soon found myself speeding through this funny, engaging book. This is the first novel from Derek Farrell and I'm pleased to say it isn't his last. As soon as I finished reading Death of a Diva I bought the second novel to feature Danny and Lady Caz, Death of a Nobody. I can only hope a third book will be out soon.

[Verity W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another really fun crime novel from Fahrenheit. What do you do when you discover your boyfriend shagging the window cleaner? Walk out and start over by trying to run a gay bar for a mobster. Then when your big turn gets murdered before she can go on stage? Investigate to try and clear your name.

Funny and fabulous.

[Dieter Moitzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel “Danny” Bird’s cozy life is in shambles. After years of working at a London magazine called Glamrag as a Senior Correspondence Co-ordinator (aka Mailroom Boy), he is fired unceremoniously when the magazine management realizes at last that, what with the increase in email exchanges, a mailboy is the exact definition of uselessness. He returns to his well-off lawyer lover Robert’s flat in Windsor… only to catch him shagging their window cleaner. An eye-opening discovery that ends their seven-year relationship with a bang (pun intented). Penniless, lover-less, Danny needs to reinvent himself. Urgently. On a whim, he takes over a pub, the Marquess of Queensbury Public House, which, despite its posh name, is only slightly more than a crumbling hovel. Helped by his wry barmaid Ali, his best friend Caz (whose full name is Lady Caroline Victoria Genevieve Jane de Montfort, only daughter of the thirteenth Earl of Holloway), and his two stunning, blonde-haired young nephews Ray and Dash, whom he calls “the ASBO twins” for rather self-explanatory reasons, he tries to transform the pub, owned by the local Maltese mobster Chopper Falcone, into the up-and-coming new gay hotspot in London.

Caz, through her countless acquaintances and relations with the high and mighty, comes up with a brilliant plan: a Special Night starring gay icon Lyra Day, a famous disco singer who, after a dramatic nervous breakdown on stage some years ago, is trying to have her comeback. Of course, nothing goes as planned. Lyra turns out to be not only such a diva that she could give Madonna a lesson or two, but also an insufferable bitch, pardon my French. Tensions between her and her husband cum manager, her hairdresser and best friend, her daughter-in-law, the latter’s boyfriend, author of a successful autobiographical novel and the diva’s biographer in spe, as well as with even the cockroaches in the pub run high immediately. To make things worse, when Miss Day is expected to perform, Danny finds her… quite incapable of doing so. Because Miss Day is dead, lying head-down in a heap of conspicuous white powder…

So, whodunnit? All the ingredients for an excellent and funny book are there, and I have to admit: Derek Farrell didn’t disappoint me. “Quite fun”, as the blurb proclaims, doesn’t even nail it approximately. I simply loved the book. The plot? Something Agatha Christie might have imagined, had she been born in the sixties and had a penchant for stories more juicy than her own admittedly excellent ones. The writing? A mix between Joe Keenan for its wry wit and campy tone and Elizabeth Peters for the very British style. I not only giggled through half the book, I outright laughed out loud, earning many a dazzled stare from my boyfriend. The pace? Farrell imagined so many twists, brought about convincingly by his countless colorful characters, that the search for the murderer was not only satisfying for me but also highly entertaining.

Because, my, the characters! Hapless, often clueless Danny, who despite everything manages to unravel the mystery with bold intelligence, is a lovable, cute young man looking for fun, purpose, love, and finally a culprit. His bestie Caz, undoubtedly my favorite character, 50 percent ritzy but moneyless British aristo, 50 percent wittily catty boozer (she seems to constantly carry a flask or two or three of spirits in her purse), presents herself as a heartless young woman, but is loyal to a fault and always prompt to find nonconformist solutions to tangled-up situations and hopeless problems (one solution consisting of pouring yet another glass of gin and tonic with only a polite hint of tonic in it). The two of them would already make for a roar. But Farrell adds more. Not only the Diva, uproariously convincing, and her entourage, with all the hate-love dynamics one can imagine. But also the ASBO-twins, dykey Ali, congenial and falsely uvuncular Chopper Falcone as a constant menace, ex-lover Robert sneaking back into Danny’s life when things are already complicated enough, spiteful homophobic Detective Inspector Frank Reid, and last but not least, cute and sweet police officer Nick Fisher (could I smell a possible romance in there? I won’t tell…)

I admit, the book could (and should, really) have been more thoroughly proofread. Commas and sometimes words are missing, and the odd “for Caz and I” stung my eyes and perforated my grammar-loving heart. But I enjoyed myself so much, had so much fun reading this book, that I couldn’t have cared less. I suspect this sort of fun read is not everybody’s cup of tea or glass of GT, as it were—if too much booze in a book puts you off, don’t pick up this one (nor the subsequent installments of the series). But if you love British humor and fancy a genuinely well constructed murder mystery within a frame of banter, piquancy, and colorful burlesque, don’t miss out on this one.

[Ian Ayris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyra Day – the Diva of the title – legendary singer and erstwhile goddess of Saturday night telly – is making her long-awaited come-back – in Danny Bird’s grotty Southwark boozer. Lyra Day is an awful woman – think a coke-addicted Shirley Bassey with a tongue sharp enough to cut glass and the unpredictability and temper of a tiger with a toothache. Danny and his best friend, the brilliantly drawn Lady Caz; Ali the long-suffering barmaid; and Danny’s Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee nephews have pulled out all the stops, just about managing to meet Lyra’s every need. But then, just before the show is about to start, Lyra goes and gets herself strangled in her dressing room, and the knives are out for Danny Bird.

Can Danny find the killer? He knows it wasn’t him. But that’s about all he does know. And with the list of suspects confined to almost everyone on the planet Lyra ever came into contact with, tracking down the killer isn’t going to be easy.

What follows is a brilliantly comic, genuinely moving tale of greed, hatred, deceit and, most of all, love.

Derek Farrell’s prose pops and fizzes right off the page, in turns bitingly, gut-wrenchingly hilarious, and others dripping with pathos and vulnerability – all of it brilliantly written.

The following passage is typical of the brilliance of the writing throughout:

‘The face that peered out at us was silver and gaunt and seemed to exude malevolence. The cheekbones pressed against tight shiny skin as though the skull was trying to escape from its covering and a pair of tiny black eyes glittered angrily. The head sat atop a neck which seemed to be surrounded by a tight red choker necklace; but a second glance told me that what I was looking at were the scars left by some sort of serious throat surgery.

Gollum stared at us malevolently, then lifted a device to his throat. The black torch-like object picked up the resonance of his speech and turned it into a weirdly distorted whining synthesised noise that was somewhere between the voice Professor Hawking had used for his famous lectures on quantum physics and the one Cher had used for the chorus of Believe.

“You the council?” He asked.

“Um, no,” I said, finally finding my voice.

“Then fuck off,” he said and slammed the door.’

Just magnificent. But as I alluded to earlier, this book is not just funny. Danny Bird is a wonderfully vulnerable character, and parts of the storyline – Danny’s in particular – are genuinely moving.

And, if there needed any more convincing to buy this brilliant book, the rock that holds it all in place is a thumpingly good whodunnit of the highest order that had me guessing right till the very end.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book 1 in the Danny Bird series, and I’m very late to the party. But, by all accounts, it’s open-all-hours, so there’s no need to worry if you’re late too.

If, like me, you’ve never had the good fortune of a midnight picnic date on one of the pods of the London Eye, or been whisked away, first class, to Sydney, then you need this book. To see how it’s done, or to help you lament into your wine glass, either will work.

Seriously, though, Danny Bird brings the stories we all need. There’s fictional crime, bloodshed, and relationships—all delivered by complex characters and social issues that we can all relate to on some level. And, most importantly, all wrapped up in a huge bow of hilarity.

There are lots of twists and turns to keep you hooked, especially just whenever you think your armchair detective brain has solved the mystery.

And if you’re of a gentle disposition and shock easily at the sight of curse words in books, don’t worry—I promise you’ll stop noticing them after the first two chapters.

It’s full of fun characters, funny nicknames, and even funnier one-liners. I have to say, the witty banter and clever storytelling have left me in no doubt about what an evening out with author, Derek Farrell, must be like.

Although I’m only one book into the series (the other 3 currently published are lying in wait on my bookshelf, I’ll be spacing them out to savour them), I already think Danny Bird would make for great Murder Mystery Weekend events. That was one of the first things that struck me as the fun unfolded—would be hilarious to spend 2-3 days of interactive theatre with some Danny Bird short stories!

All in all, I know you’ll love this story. But if you also laugh at the enjoyable absurdity of the combination of its colourful personalities, drama, and crime, and the intersection between them all—then I will forever feel sad that you were clearly deprived of the kind of local pubs I was exposed to, growing up in Liverpool.

Nevertheless, though, I hope this story brings you as many laughs as it did for me.

“Doo bro by fudden no.”

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be biased because I know the author from his days as a blogger, but this is a great book that is a nice break from the music biographies and graphic novels that I mostly read at the moment. A murder mystery involving a has-been ex-popstar planning a provincial gay bar comeback, featuring a cast of entertaining oddballs: My kindof bedtime read! Got through it quite quickly as I wanted to read more each time so kept going to bea a bit earlier. Looking forward to readiing books 2 and 3 soon.

[Alex Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has everything sarf London has to offer: gangsters, desperate divas and a man who, despite all his flaws, you can't help rooting for. Up to date but with the heart of a golden age mystery, where it all comes together at the end...

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death Of A Diva is an utterly fabulous book. It is clever, very funny and beautifully written. It has a cast of thousands and characters that you genuinely root for and want to succeed, along with some great boo-hissers too. Check out my full review over at https://beardybookblogger.wordpress.com/

[David Swatling · Rating 4 out of 5]

An edgy mystery romp - Christie meets Carry On!

[Rebecca Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy it, read it, love it.

[Hermione Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this sweet and funny modern Agatha Christie/Margery Allingham style crime caper set in a dingy but not overly threatening South London riverside setting with an endearing hero.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost my attention about a third of the way through but picked up and became a definite 5 star read, nicely rounded finish, next in the series on order.

[Annie Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Carolyn Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugely enjoyable, Agatha Christie meets AbFab

[emily curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable murder mystery that is well written with likeable characters.

[Don Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a refreshing change of pace and a really fresh and exciting take on the crime/mystery genre. The book is also rife with humour and I was bursting my sides laughing at points.
5 Stars!
Full review at donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com

[Anita Hargreaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humerous

Surprisingly funny, cover didn't do the book justice, very Julian Clary murder book, not extreme, warm hearted and kept you guessing to the end. Warming love story gay Evanovich x

[Ean Kewley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very, very good book. The writing makes it such an easy read. Character development is quite brilliant and I really felt for the protagonist. Would highly recommend.