Playing the corpse in a murder mystery at the Regent Theatre is not exactly a triumph for Charles Paris. In fact, his career could not sink any lower. However, suddenly the mystery spills over into real life with the artistic director's apparent suicide. But was it suicide—or murder? Charles Paris determines to find out.

Christmas can be murder…Carole Seddon hates Christmas – it all seems rather a waste of time. So when her neighbour and best friend, Jude, drags her along to go shopping at a local store called Gallimaufry, she can feel her inner-Scrooge knocking. But the sales are on and even Carole can’t resist a bargain. Then, a few days later, Gallimaufry is burnt down and a body is discovered in the ashes. It seems like a tragic accident, but no-one can die of natural causes when a gun is involved. The victim was young, pretty and in a long-term relationship – who could possibly want her dead? With a host of suspicious characters – the infamous womanizer Ricky Le Bonnier with a string of ex-wives; Piers Duncton, a comedy writer who just isn’t that funny; or Anna Carter, the lonely dog walker – the lady detectives know they have their work cut out for them. And as they dig deeper they discover a host of half-truths and lies. It seems that someone in Fethering has a deep, dark, deadly secret – and is prepared to kill to keep it.

Murder Unprompted is another of Simon Brett's fascinating blend of crime and backstage drama. This time he provides what might be described as the biography of a play—from the cradle to the grave. Murder Unprompted takes you from the author, to an unscrupulous producer, to the theater itself, to director, to cast—including Mr. Brett's bit-player detective, Charles Paris. But trouble starts the first night. The star can't remember his lines, and worse—he's shot dead on stage. Paris takes on not only his usual role of detective, but lead of the play as well...a role that will lead him to the perpetrators of the crime. Murder Unprompted will delight theater buffs as well as all lovers of mystery.Author Bio: Simon Brett is a former radio and television comedy producer, who has been writing full-time for more than 20 years. Creator of the Charles Paris, Mrs. Pargeter and Fethering series of mysteries, Brett's psychological thriller, A Shock to the System, was filmed starring Michael Caine. Married with three children, he lives in an Agatha Christie-style village in West Sussex, England.

In this collection of ten short stories, each with a surprising twist, Simon Brett covers all seven of the deadly sins, with supremely entertaining results. In The Man Who Got the Dirt, two angry young men have become angry old men—and one of them is angry enough to kill. In Political Corrections, a recently-discovered manuscript by a classic English crime writer falls foul of modern political correctness. But is it genuine?

Ranging from stark psychological suspense to frothy frolic, this stunning collection of twelve short stories demonstrates Simon Brett's astonishing versatility. In Tickled To Death, a lover of practical jokes is smothered to death in a custard pie. Double Glazing reveals the patient and perverse logic of an elderly Do-It-Yourselfer. And in Big Boy, Little Boy, a former hotel porter plots the murder of a very rich wife—with shocking results.

Soul searching was an unfamiliar exercise to Bill Stratton—he hadn't had much occasion for it in his life, given that he was fairly shallow, but then, on the verge of his sixtieth birthday, his wife told him she was leaving him for another man. He'd been under the impression they had a happy marriage but she assured him that for nearly forty years she'd known she was married to the wrong person. This all came as a bit of a shock to Bill. Hence the soul searching.Bill had not much experience of dating (or sex, for that matter) before he met and married Andrea. Post-menopausal dating might be very different to dating in your twenties or thirties, but then he didn't know much about either. Still, as a mildly famous television newsreader who's managed to hold on to (most of) his looks, it seemed he was about to have plenty of oppoortunities to find out...

Mrs. Pargeter doesn't much like diets. She never felt any need to change her own pleasingly ample figure, but she's happy enough to accompany her slimming-obsessed friend Kim Thurrock for a few days' stay at the exclusive Brotherton Hall health spa. There's one condition, however. Mrs. Pargeter must receive a special "allergy treatment" featuring the choice delicacies of a cordon bleu chef and an excellent wine list. Suitably assured of rich food and drink, she relaxes and looks forward to a luxurious rest. Until ... she sees two men wheeling away a young girl's body. Never one to let a murder go unsolved, Mrs. Pargeter sets off on a dangerous trail of inquiry through the pretensions and occasional charlatanism of the health-and-fitness game. It's a trail that brings her up against many of her late husband's "business associates" - among them, the lugubrious private eye Truffler Mason, journalist Ellie Fenchurch, Brotherton Hall's manager "Ankle-Deep" Arkwright, surgical specialist "Jack the Knife," and the enigmatic Stan the Stapler. But can she trust them all, or were some involved in the notorious betrayal of the late Mr. Pargeter summed up in the one ominous word "Streatham"? In typically unflappable style, Mrs. Pargeter rides through the investigation - from Brotherton Hall to London's King's Cross, through Cambridge University to a Dead Sea mud bath - in search of the villain. Justice will prevail. One way or another, Mrs. Pargeter will get her pound of flesh. The fourth excursion for this irrepressible widow, Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh is bound to bring even more enthusiastic fans to Simon Brett's masterly series of mysteries.

A trip to Corfu is not Mrs Pargeter's usual idea of a holiday, but keeping a recently widowed friend company overrules her misgivings. But when that friend starts behaving strangely and then is found having apparently committed suicide, Mrs Pargeter resolves to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The genteel game of Real Tennis takes a murderous twist in Simon Brett's witty and entertaining new Fethering mysteryJude's life has been turned upside-down thanks her new mant, Piers Targett, who's keen to get her involved in his hobby—or obsession—of Real Tennis. But when one of Piers' friends dies on the court in suspicious circumstances, Jude finds herself caught up in the police investigation. Meanwhile, Jude's neighbour Carole is trying to identify the human remains known locally as the 'Lady in the Lake.' As the two investigations become intertwined, Carole and Jude's efforts to find the truth look set to lead to more murders.

Carole’s son is getting married to a wonderful girl-with rather odd parents. Not only do they have no interest in meddling with wedding preparations, but the mere thought of publicizing the affair frightens them beyond words. And when the father of the bride is found brutally murdered, Carole enlists Jude’s help in finding an uninvited guest before the festivities become completely funereal.

About to receive an award as Most Promising Newcomer, a rising young stage comedian sensationally drops dead on stage at the start of his act: as he picks up the mike, he is electrocuted. Faulty wiring seems to be the cause and a verdict of death by misadventure is returned at the inquest. But actor/detective Charles Paris was in the audience that night and when another member of the cast reveals that the comedian checked his equipment just before the performance, Charles decides to investigate further. Misadventure—or murder?