A Deadly Habit

Things are looking up for Charles Paris in British author Brett’s clever, well-paced 20th outing for the alcoholic, middle-aged actor (after 2014’s The Cinderella Killer). Frances, his estranged wife, has hinted that she will take him back if he stops drinking. Plus, he’s been offered a part in a West End show by actor Justin Grover, with whom he once worked in a regional production of Hamlet, the two playing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Justin has since gone on to become a brand, thanks to a major role in a movie franchise based on a computer game. In London, Charles soon realizes that other actors and members of the play’s stage crew are also beholden to Justin’s largesse. One evening, an inebriated Charles finds the lifeless body of a promising actor backstage. He can’t inform the police, since he can only sketchily remember his own movements. Worried about what he might or might not have done, he decides to investigate. Sobering asides about addictions and methods to overcome them somewhat dampen the sleuthing fun. [em]Agent: Lisa Moylett, Coombs Moylett Maclean Agency. (Sept.) [/em]