Published 16th April 2020 by Orenda Books.
Read April 2020.
The Dean Wilson Theatre is believed to be haunted and some of the staff that work there have definitely seen some ghostly goings on, especially around the dressing room that belonged to Morgan Miller. For Morgan was murdered in that room, during the opening night of the musical Dust, and she lingers there, still waiting for her final cue.
When Dust is set to return to The Dean Wilson, for its first performance in twenty years, speculation is rife about who will be brave enough to take on the role of Esme Black, the part Morgan Miller played - as the play is thought by many to be cursed after what happened to the last leading lady.
Usher at The Dean Wilson, Chloe Dee remembers the first run of Dust, even though she was just a child at the time. As a keen amateur actress in her teenage years, Chloe dreamed of a career on the stage, but her life ended up taking a different path. She has however, been working on a play of her own, inspired by her love of Dust, which she hopes to star in herself. She can't help but be caught up in all the excitement surrounding the return of her beloved musical after all these years.
But the return of Dust stirs up more than a frenzy of anticipation. One of the new cast turns out to be someone who was very important to Chloe in the past, and seeing her again sparks a flood of long buried memories - recollections of magic, obsession and betrayal that it would have been better not to have remembered.
As the eerie happenings at The Dean Wilson become more frequent, Chloe knows it is the right time to solve the mystery of who killed Morgan Miller, before the tragic events of the past can be repeated - and she knows she is the only one with the power to do it.
But obsession and betrayal are set to mark Chloe's fate once again - especially when rules are broken...
****************************************************************
I Am Dust is an intoxicating mix of murder mystery, supernatural thriller and passionate love story, and I polished the whole fabulous book off in less than a day.
The story is told with a dual timelines - swinging back and forth between the present (2019) when Chloe is working at The Dean Wilson Theatre, and her time at the youth theatre (2005) when she becomes embroiled in a dangerous "game" with two other young actors.
The central theme is the infamous musical Dust, specifically the unsolved murder of Morgan Miller, which fascinates Chloe, and Louise Beech cleverly works her threads in and around this theme with style. Thus acting, the theatre and everything that goes along with this world, form the fitting stage for our drama.
So this is the story of an unsolved murder. An aspect that is brought sharply back into focus when Dust is revived. Morgan Miller has been waiting patiently, quite literally, in the wings for her chance to see her murderer brought to justice and as the investigation is reopened many new little clues come to light - and I really enjoyed putting them all together. I love it when you realise who performed the wicked deed just before they are exposed, as this is the mark of an expert storyteller.
But, we also have some very spicy human elements to throw into the mix! There is the matter of some strong human emotions to drive our story along - passion, frustration, longing, ambition, jealousy and backstabbing betrayal. All very tasty indeed!
However, I Am Dust gives us rather more to play with than a murder mystery set in a theatre, with some juicy human mischief, and this is what sets is apart for me. We have another element here to pique our interest, and that is an added sprinkling of the supernatural. Chloe it seems is a witch - and has abilities that have been passed down to her from her grandmother. It is these powers of Chloe's that make her the ideal person to help the ghostly Morgan Miller, but they are also the very ones that will bring the heavy hand of destiny crashing down on them all. I would love to say more, but the fear of spoilers prevents me!
Although this is a story with a modern twist, there is something undeniably nostalgic about it and it revolves around the supernatural elements of the story. There is something deliciously teen horror tale about the youth theatre part that really takes me back to my teenage reading and movie years, and I found this irresistible.
I Am Dust is another winner from the Orenda Books stable, which continues to serve up excellent books for ones reading pleasure, so do yourself a favour and get a little Louise Beech into your life!
Please note that self-harm is a big part of this story, so beware if this is a trigger for you.
Available now from your favourite book retailer!
Thank you to Louise Beech and Orenda Books for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Anne Cater for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
From the cover of the book:
When iconic musical Dust is revived twenty years after the leading actress was murdered in her dressing room, a series of eerie events haunts the new cast...
The Dean Wilson Theatre is believed to be haunted by a long-dead actress, singing her last song, waiting for her final cue, looking for her killer...
Now Dust, the iconic musical, is returning after twenty years. But who will be brave enough to take on the role of ghostly goddess Esme Black, last played by Morgan Miller, who was murdered in her dressing room?
Theatre usher Chloe Dee is caught up in the spectacle. As the new actors arrive, including an unexpected face from her past, everything changes. Are the eerie sounds and sightings backstage real or just her imagination? Is someone playing games?
Not all the drama takes place onstage. Sometimes murder, magic, obsession and the biggest of betrayals are real life. When you’re in the theatre shadows, you see everything.
And Chloe has been watching...
About the author:
Both of her previous books Maria in the Moon and The Lion Tamer Who Lost were widely reviewed, critically acclaimed and number-one bestsellers on Kindle. The Lion Tamer Who Lost was shortlisted for the RNA Most Popular Romantic Novel Award in 2019.
Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice.
Louise lives with her husband on the outskirts of Hull, and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012.
Huge thanks for this blog tour support xx
ReplyDelete