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Fiction » Thrillers (Books)

Cast, in Order of Disappearance by Simon Brett
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Cast, in Order of Disappearance

by Simon Brett

Recommendations from our site

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

Best Audiobook Thrillers

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

Other books by Simon Brett

Guilt at the Garage by Simon Brett

Guilt at the Garage
by Simon Brett

A Deadly Habit: A theatrical mystery by Simon Brett

A Deadly Habit: A theatrical mystery
by Simon Brett

The Killer in the Choir by Simon Brett

The Killer in the Choir
by Simon Brett

Mrs Pargeter’s Point of Honour by Simon Brett

Mrs Pargeter’s Point of Honour
by Simon Brett

Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess by Simon Brett

Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess
by Simon Brett

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