# Best Murder in Show

By Debbie Young · Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/best-murder-in-show-0fc677f8/

A cottage in the Cotswolds should give Sophie Sayers somewhere peaceful to write. A corpse on a carnival float gives her a different project. The village’s bookshop, clubs and gossip supply an unusually sociable pool of suspects. Even the local writers’ group has its own petty rule: a fine for every cliché.

## What makes it funny?

Sophie dresses as Virginia Woolf to impress her new literary friends, although she hasn't read her. Elsewhere on the parade, the WI's suffragette protest is mistaken for a Mary Poppins scene.

### The comedy at work

Village ambitions keep colliding with practical details. The grand Tudor tableau depends on balloons and borrowed building materials, and even an emergency prompts the wardrobe mistress to worry about preserving a dress for November's performances.

### Try this if…

The appeal lies in getting to know a village full of clubs, gossip and literary aspirations. Readers who like sociable cozy mysteries and small acts of pretension have more to enjoy here than the puzzle alone.

### Good to know

The Tudor queens belong to a contemporary carnival float. The opening includes mock severed heads and the discovery of a real death among the costumed performers.

## What to expect

- Genre: Mystery
- On the shelf: Amateur sleuth · Cozy mystery
- Kind of humor: Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Cozy
- Format: Novel
- Length: 222 pages

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Boldwood Books official title page identifies Best Murder in Show by Debbie Young; paperback ISBN 9781804830567 has 222 pages; other listed formats have different ISBNs and lengths.](https://boldwoodbooks.com/book/best-murder-in-show)
- Author commentary: [Author and opening chapter](https://authordebbieyoung.com/books/fiction/sophie-sayers-village-mysteries/best-murder-in-show-sophie-sayers-village-mysteries-1)
- Author commentary: [Debbie Young: Bookmuse review of Best Murder in Show](https://authordebbieyoung.com/books/fiction/sophie-sayers-village-mysteries/reviews-of-best-murder-in-show)
- Publisher: [Boldwood Books: Best Murder in Show](https://www.boldwoodbooks.com/book/best-murder-in-show)