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Published in 1975, Cast, In Order of Disappearance is the first book in the series featuring one of the funniest anti-heroes in crime fiction, the seedy, alcoholic, out-of-work (mostly) actor Charles Paris. Simon Brett (who’s been on Five Books recommending his favourite whodunnits) continues to write the occasional book in the series just because they remain so popular. The audiobook is actually a BBC dramatisation starring Bill Nighy, an excellent choice for the louche actor he portrays.
Note: if you take your thrillers very seriously, this is not the book for you.
Narrator: Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Suzanne Burden, full cast
Length: 1 hour and 52 minutes
Lastly of books that, like The Thursday Murder Club, embrace the ridiculous, I highly recommend the Charles Paris series by Simon Brett. The main character is a louche, out-of-work actor who lives in a bedsit in London. The first book in the series, and the one to start with, is called Cast, In Order of Disappearance. First published in 1975, these books, as well as being laugh-out-loud funny, capture life in an era which seems very different to life now, nearly half a century on. If you like audiobooks, they’ve also been adapted by the BBC into radio plays, starring Bill Nighy as Charles Paris.
From our article Books like The Thursday Murder Club
