"[An] irresistible roguish actor-sleuthwicked, biting satire on the show-biz
world."Washington Post Book World

"No one delivers more pure entertainment. His plots are fresh, his characters are enjoyable,
and his wickedly witty view of backstage life is by itself worth the price of admission."
San Diego Union

"I want you all outgonedeadexterminated!" high strung Alex Household
had cried out when, after a lifetime of struggle, he lost the starring role in a new play called
The Hooded Owl to an actor who couldn't remember his lines. But did that mean that
it was Alex who had shot the leading man dead during his climactic speech? Charles Paris,
for one, could see many logical suspectsfrom the devious producer, to the gullible playwright,
to the young starlet's overprotective mother. But before our middle-aged actor-drinker-detective
could begin his investigation, he was in for a shock: the powers-that-be chose him as the
new leading man. Finally, Charles would discover stardomand what a dead man saw in the last
moments of his life!

Simon Brett worked as a producer with BBC radio before turning to writing full-time. A former president of Britain's Crime Writers Association, he is the creator of the Mrs. Pargeter mysteries and the Charles Paris series as well as the Fethering mysteries. He lives in the South of England with his family.

Geoffrey Howard is a retired British journalist who strives to add warmth and clarity to every audiobook. Says Howard, "I try to bring the listener as close as possible to the experience I'm having while reading it for the first time."