#Blogtour Death in Heels by Kitty Murphy

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Death in Heels by Kitty Murphy.

About the Author

Kitty Murphy lives with her husband, Roger, on the very westerly edge of CO. Clare, Ireland. She adores drag in all its forms and crime fiction in all its chilling splendour. Kitty is bi/queer. From a well spent youth divided equally between the library and the LGBTQ+ scene, it was only a matter of time until both worlds collided in a flurry of fictional sequins. Follow Kitty on Instagram: @kitty_murphy writes or on Twitter: @scribblingink1

About the book

When Fi went to support her best friend's drag debut, she didn't imagine a killer would be going to watch it too. And they're waiting for their grand finale...

Fi McKinnery is overwhelmed with pride, watching her best friend Robyn perform his drag debut as the dazzling Mae B at Dublin's premier drag club Trash. But the evening is ruined when bitchy young queen Eve Harrington lampoons Mae B's performance and ruins the show. Eve is unceremoniously evicted from the club, and later that night Fi finds her dead, face down in a flooded gutter.

The police decide it was an accident and the queens are keen to move on as well,  but Fi isn't so sure. Eve had plenty of enemies with her casual cruelty and many people might have wanted her dead. Fi is determined to uncover the truth, even though her 'Hagatha Christie' sleuthing is driving a wedge between her and Robyn, whose star is now rising at TRASH.

Something dark is lurking beneath the feathers, glitter and sequins of Dublin's drag scene. Fi is determined to protect her friends, even as they distance themselves from her. Can she stop the killer before more people die?

Review

I wonder if Fi realises that supporting and encouraging her friend Robyn to emerge themselves into the world of drag is also a step that will lead to humiliation and death. Is her quest to find a vicious murderer also the beginning of the end of their friendship, even if Fi is only trying to keep her friend safe. Fi has become a hazard to the newly found sanctuary and their community.

It's interesting to watch Robyn slowly be drawn into the close circle of the drag queens. Home has finally opened its doors, and same embraces same, whilst simultaneously drawing a line between Fi and Robyn. As she investigates the death Robyn takes on a defensive stance and begins to regard Fi as the enemy.

Aside from Robyn escaping the cocoon of societal norms and boundaries, and the journey to face internal and external fears and threats, I found the cracks that appear in the relationship between Fi and Robyn quite deep. Once inseparable and supportive of each other, one of the friends finds themselves fighting to fix the chasm that has appeared between them. I'm sure the question of whether finding the killer is worth throwing their friendship away is one that hovers in the background, and equally whether it is sustainable after Robyn finds a new place to become the inner butterfly that has been waiting to emerge.

It's a murder mystery, one that fits under the genre heading of crime, but it ventures beyond the vast space all things murder and mayhem encompasses - it's also a tale of coming-of-age, of coming out, of discovery of self. Perhaps most importantly it's a story about finding a safe space where you belong and are accepted for each and every facet of your self.

Buy Death in Heels at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Thomas and Mercer, Pub date 1st January 2023. Paperback - £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.

The Convictions of John Delahunt by Andrew Hughes

This is a fictional story based on the conviction of a man called John Delahunt in 1842 for the murder of the very young boy Thomas MacGuire.

It is good example of how sociopaths can walk among us unnoticed perhaps because they have yet to commit a crime or have never been caught. Delahunt lacks a conscience and a sense of moral responsibility, and yet he is a responsible member of society. He comes from a reputable family, he goes to college and he is a gentleman. John Delahunt is also capable of the most heinous of deeds without feeling any remorse whatsoever.


Or is he guided by desperation? He has no more options and has to do what he does? Sounds fair right? Or could it be that the situation allows him to do things he subconsciously wanted to do. There is a scene in the book describing John as a child and an incident with a small animal. That incident is indicative of his true nature.

The relationship between John and his wife Helen is quite intriguing. She is far from being the naive young woman from high society. Helen is a hard-nosed manipulator and liar. She has her own role to play when it comes to John making money. She does it willingly and with a lot of pleasure.

John fails to understand just how far Helen will go to get what she wants and until the end he holds on firmly to the belief that she will think of him and be sorry about his impending death.

The real story lies within the grimy filth ridden streets of Dublin of that era and the corruption within the very structure which is supposed to keep the population safe. Instead of doing that the Castle rules Dublin like a mafia like street gang.

After watching John act without any conscience over and over again the scene between himself and the child at the end was a contradiction to his prior behaviour. Once again the reader is lured in to believe John was just a victim of circumstance. Was he?
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley.