The first death at the Kismet Klub in Newbury is treated as an unfortunate accidental overdose of Ecstasy tragic as it involves a popular girl who is still at school. However, it soon becomes evident that this is not just an ordinary Ecstasy death. A new drug, Entry, is in town, it kills indiscriminately and the recipe is on the web. One tablet can be fatal.
The club becomes the focus for a large investigation and police stake it out on the same night that DC Nicolaide’s fiancée, Nadia, holds her hen party there. Despite heavy police presence both at the hen night and undercover in the club at large, another victim falls prey to the “Kismet Killer”, striking at the heart of the investigation. As ever, no one is immune and no one is quite what they seem. Finding the supplier of the drug and capturing what could be the town’s first serial killer becomes a priority.
Murder on the Dance Floor is a well told tale with believable characters, some thoroughly unpleasant! Covering the difficulties of parenthood during a separation, trust, the agonies of being a teenager and set in the backdrop of modern Newbury (flats on the riverside and drug culture) this has a lot to offer listeners. In addition, the twists and red herrings keep you engaged to the very end.
Having never listened to unabridged Audio tapes before I was surprised at how long this became as a narrated tale and how much it relies on the skills of the reader to convey some of the nuances of the story and narrative. Occasionally I found this a bit frustrating, but the skills of the reader, Gordon Griffin, helped to move this along and it made long drives for work more enjoyable as each installment unfolded.
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Amanda Brown