Death and the Lit Chick (A St. Just Mystery) [Paperback]

G.M. Malliet (Author)

Book Description

Series: A St. Just Mystery | Publication Date: April 8, 2009

BOOK 2 IN THE AGATHA AWARD-WINNING SERIES

“[In] her superior second cozy, Malliet's satirical take on the mystery scene is spot-on.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Malliet excels at stylish writing very reminiscent of the golden age of British mysteries.  A real find for old-school mystery fans."
—Booklist (starred review)

“An absolutely delicious skewering of the world of mystery publishing and its none-too-savory denizens, Death and the Lit Chick is even wittier and more skillfully constructed than her Agatha Award-winning Death of a Cozy Writer.”
—Denver Post

Death and the Lit Chick is a finalist for the Anthony Award!

Cold-blooded murder is, like, totally un-cool

As the wildly successful darling of the publishing industry, chick lit mystery writer Kimberlee Kalder is the guest of honor at an exclusive writers' conference at Dalmorton Castle in Scotland. But jealousy and resentment are soon replaced with shock when Kimberlee is found dead at the bottom of the castle's bottle dungeon.

Who didn't want to see prima donna Kimberlee brutally extinguished like one of her ill-fated characters? It's up to Detective Chief Inspector St. Just to track down the true killer in a castle full of cagey mystery connoisseurs who live and breathe malicious murder and artful alibis . . .

 

Acclaim for the bestselling Death of a Cozy Writer, the first St. Just Mystery:

"[A] delightful homage to the great novels of Britain's Golden Age of Mysteries."
—Nancy Pearl, NPR commentator and author of Book Lust

Death of a Cozy Writer won the 2008 Agatha Award for Best First Novel and a silver medal for the IPPY awards in the category of Mystery/Suspense/Thriller.

Malliet's first novel Death of a Cozy Writer was chosen by Kirkus Reviews as a Best Book of 2008, nominated for a Left Coast Crime award (the Hawaii Five-O for best police procedural), short-listed for the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery, nominated for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel and was a finalist for the David G. Sasher, Sr. Award for Best Mystery Novel.

 

 

 

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Murder's afoot at Dead on Arrival, a crime writers' conference held at Edinburgh's Dalmorton Castle, in Malliet's superior second cozy featuring Det. Chief Insp. Arthur St. Just (after 2008's Death of a Cozy Writer). The same evening that Kimberlee Kalder, queen of the 'chick lit' genre, accepts an award for best debut novel from her publisher, Lord Easterbrook of Deadly Dagger Press, her broken body is found in the castle dungeon. St. Just, who's visiting from Cambridge, and the local DCI learn that not all were thrilled by catty Kimberlee's megaseller, Dying for a Latte. Suspects include Kimberlee's literary agent, who's worried another agent wants to steal her star client, a flamboyant publicist and various jealous authors. Malliet's satirical take on the mystery scene is spot-on. Adding spice is the inspector's new romantic interest, writer and criminologist Portia De'Ath, with whom the love-starved widower becomes deliciously smitten. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

In his second outing after the Malice Domestic Award-winning Death of a Cozy Writer, DCI St. Just is sent to a mystery writers' convention in a Scottish castle to give a talk on his most interesting cases. The gathering is also going to present an award to best-selling author Kimberlee Kalder, who shows herself to be self-absorbed, rude, and a flirt. Of course, the drawbridge is up when the murderer strikes, and we are treated to an old-fashioned Agatha Christie-style mystery in which all the suspects are gathered under one roof. Lots of humor and a bit of "guess who this writer is" make this one a good choice for readers who enjoy intelligent cozies and traditional mysteries.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK (April 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738712477
• ISBN-13: 978-0738712475
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am currently writing a new mystery series for Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books. The first book in the series is WICKED AUTUMN and it will launch September 13, 2011. It features Max Tudor, former MI5 agent turned Anglican priest.

My books are affectionate send-ups of the traditional British mystery. Two of my previous books, Death and the Lit Chick (2009) and Death of a Cozy Writer (2008), were Anthony Award nominees. Death of a Cozy Writer also won an Agatha Award for Best First Novel, having first been completed with the aid of the Malice Domestic Grant. Kirkus Reviews named it one of the best books of 2008.

In addition to the Anthony Award, Death of a Cozy Writer was nominated for a Macavity for best first novel. It also was nominated for a Left Coast Crime/Hawaii 5-0 Award (best police procedural) and a David award, and won a Silver Medal IPPY (best mystery/thriller/suspense).

The second book in the St. Just series is Death and the Lit Chick (2009). Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine named Death and the Lit Chick one of the best paperback original mysteries of 2009.

The third book in the series is Death at the Alma Mater (2010).

Agatha Christie and other "Golden Age" authors have had a big influence on my writing. I am also a lifelong fan of the humor and graceful writing styles of Robert Barnard, Caroline Graham, and Martha Grimes.

More at http://GMMalliet.com/. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drawing Room Mystery With a Satirical Twist, March 24, 2009

By 

Allison M. Campbell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death and the Lit Chick (A St. Just Mystery) (Paperback)

One of the highlights of my 2008 reading was Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet, the first mystery to feature DCI St. Just of Cambridgeshire. I was so completely hooked by the first novel that I pre-ordered the second, Death of a Lit Chick, as soon as amazon.com listed it. I wondered a bit whether the follow-up would be as satisfying, mainly because Malliet created such deliciously wicked characters in Sir Adrian's family, and of course, the only recurring character is DCI St. Just. I needn't have worried, because Death of a Lit Chick features an equally engaging cast of characters. DCI St. Just travels to Dalmorton Castle in Scotland for a mystery writer's conference (he has been asked to attend as a speaker) and finds himself confronted with a gaggle of mystery writers, all with clashing personalities and huge egos, along with a publisher, agents, and a journalist. When ditzy superstar "chick lit" writer Kimberlee Kalder turns up dead, there is no shortage of suspects. St. Just is asked to assist the local constabulary with their investigations, which culminate in a hilariously over-the-top drawing room scene worthy of Agatha Christie. A cast of suspects including mystery writers is a challenge, as they all make things up for a living and seem unable to turn off the prevarication under interrogation. As St. Just unravels the web of secrets and lies, the deliciously complex plot comes to a logical yet surprising conclusion. Malliet manages to embrace the classic cozy mystery while satirizing its conventions with her sharp wit, and as we learn more about DCI St. Just, he becomes even more endearing. I'll be pre-ordering the next in the series as well.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Satire Gone Wrong, March 22, 2009

By 

Mindah Glatstein "glatstein" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death and the Lit Chick (A St. Just Mystery) (Paperback)

I had high hopes for this "Cozy" book as a needed escape from the bad news we have been exposed to from every medium. Malliet attempted to satirize mystery writers and the genre and fell far short. Her detective St. Just is both shallow and pompous and the mystery writers that populate this book are superficial or shrill, sometimes both. Love interest, Portia De'Ath (this name was too precious) had no substance. It is incomprehensible to me why St, Just was interested in her or she in him for that matter. The best mystery writers have the ability to make us care about the fate of their creations. (Read Reginald Hills "The Price of Butchers Meat" ) Cardboard characters and a not very interesting plot line sink this humorless book. I have to admit the cover was great and it was downhill from there.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Batting One-thousand, March 25, 2009

By 

Salvatore N. Barranca "Torre" (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death and the Lit Chick (A St. Just Mystery) (Paperback)

She's done it again - another hit. I was so intrigued by G.M. Malliet's "Death of a Cozy Writer, that I simply had to order her second St. Just Mystery. Glad I did. It was refreshing to see that DCI St. Just has moved beyond the first cast of characters( though I enjoyed them so much as well...) into new settings and characters. The theme of the story still revolves around mystery writers' conventions of sorts, but we've moved on to castles, hotel rooms and another murder, of all things! What could be better than playing the board game "Clue" for the first time on a stormy night?...."Death and the Lit Chick". It's a fun read, particularly by a wood fire with a glass of good port, and a refreshing retreat from today's wordly concerns. I highly recommend it to you!