_Dead Famous_ was recommended to me by a colleague who knows I love a good mystery. _Dead Famous_ is so much more than just a well-written whodunnit. On the surface it is a classic "closed door" murder: 10 contestants compete in a reality television show, their every action and word recorded by dozens of microphones and cameras throughout the house. In spite of the close scrutiny, however, one of the housemates is murdered - and the culprit is unidentified. Elton jumps back and forth between the police investigation and the events leading up to the murder, keeping readers guessing as to not only who the victim is (we don't find out until almost 3/4 through the book) but what the possible motive may be. It is a brilliant new take on an old mystery device.
Added to this, however, is a satirization of the ubiquitous generational division (young, beautiful contestants, each wanting their 15 miutes of fame; young, hip police officers who have watched the show and believe they know the suspects from what they've seen on T.V., and a curmudgeonly older lead investigator who is out of touch with pop culture) as well as a biting social commentary on reality television in general. On the premise of the program, Elton writes, "Marvelous! ... An opportunity to spend an entire evening watching someone you don't know being asked to leave a house you've never been to by a group of people you've never even met and of whom you'll never hear of again. It's hard to imagine a more riveting scenario." On the people who are in the show and who produce the show, Elton writes, "It's Stockholm Syndrome, you know ...When captives fall in love with their tormentors ... and begin to rely on them, to trust them. I mean, how can that girl not have realized that as far as we're concerned she's a prop, and extra, to beused, abused and utterly misrepresented as we see fit?"
The structure, the premise, the writing and the portrayal of both contestants in and producers of reality television all warrant five stars. This was my first Ben Elton book, but if this is at all indicitive of his work, I will be sure to read more by him. I highly recommend _Dead Famous_.
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