Blurb:
One house, ten contestants, thirty cameras, forty microphones, one
murder… and no evidence.
Dead Famous is a killer read
from Ben Elton – Reality TV as you’ve never seen it before.
My thoughts:
I’ve not been a fan of Big Brother since I was about 12
years old so when I first read the blurb I thought it might be quite a tragic
read, despite how many critics seemed to have loved it. I couldn’t have been
more wrong. Yes, it’s quite heavily based on Big Brother but it has something
that Big Brother’s been lacking for many a year now… The element of mystery plus the twists and turns we all love to watch that have been lost over the years.
The writing style is laid-back and simple to read, making it
easy to get through a hundred pages before realising you’ve spent a large chunk
of time, sat in one position, reading. I will say straight away, if you don’t
like the c-word, this book probably isn’t for you because one of the main
characters, Geraldine, is quite the fan of it!
The story follows the murder of a housemate on ‘House Arrest’
a show that, like I’ve said before, is based almost entirely on Big Brother,
with a few differences. One being that House Arrest is broadcast on the
internet as opposed to television. It takes about 200 pages of the book before
you find out which housemate was killed but Ben Elton writes in such a way
that, whilst you’re dying to know who was killed, the suspense isn’t the kind
that makes you get annoyed. It just spurs you on to read more.
Another clever thing Ben Elton does is to write about
characters in such a way that you’re sure you know who killed it but, like the
police in the story, you’re not so sure it wasn’t somebody else. The fact that
there is no evidence for the police to work with further helps to draw the
reader in the book. When you’re reading, every little decision you make about a
character is based entirely on what you read, so what better than to read a
book when the only way you can decide who the murderer is lays entirely on your
ability to read between lines and work people out. It’s amazing.
The ending, and ultimate revelation of the mystery killer,
is one of the most captivating I’ve read in a while. Chief Inspector Coleridge captivates
the audience of the show but also the reader of the book in a speech that is
full of twists and turns and smart ideas.
I know the book’s pretty old now; in fact, it was first
published in 2001, I believe, but it’s a brilliant story and, given that so
many people still rave about Big Brother, it’s clearly still relevant. It’s
smart, it’s funny, it’s well-written, and it’s utterly captivating.
4/5