It was my pleasure to meet Guy Morpuss at a wonderful evening organised by Viper Books a little while ago and so I’m thrilled that my latest My Weekly review is of Guy’s A Trial in Three Acts.

Again, my apologies that the review has been slightly delayed following the magazine’s restructuring.

Published by Viper on 6th March 2025, A Trial in Three Acts is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

A Trial in Three Acts

A trial is rather like a play.
We wear our costumes. We perform to the audience.
And on a good day no-one gets murdered.

Six nights a week the cast of the smash-hit play Daughter of the Revolution performs to a sold-out audience. A thrilling story of forbidden marriage and a secret love child, the critics say it’ll run for years. That is until one night the third act ends not in applause but in death, when leading lady Alexandra Dyce is beheaded live on stage.

Every cast member has a motive, but it is the dead woman’s co-star – and ex-husband – Hollywood legend Leo Lusk who is charged with the crime. When defence barrister Charles Konig is brought in last minute, he knows this ought to be the case of a lifetime. But Charles would rather be on his holiday trekking up K2, and he isn’t interested in celebrities, especially ones that seem to be mysteriously trying to derail their own defence. But as he and his co-counsel New York lawyer Yara Ortiz sift through the evidence, it becomes clear that clues may lie in the play itself. And that Charles’s only chance of victory is to identify the real murderer…

My Review of  A Trial in Three Acts

My full review of A Trial in Three Acts can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that A Trial in Three Acts is a really witty and clever locked room murder mystery that I found highly entertaining, with a brilliant insight into both theatre and people.

Do visit the My Weekly website to read my full review here.

About Guy Morpuss

Guy Morpuss worked as a barrister for thirty years, on cases featuring drug-taking cyclists, dead Formula 1 champions and aspiring cemetery owners. Much like his fictional creation Charles Konig he was a celebrated King’s Counsel, and enjoys writing letters to The Times to see how many they’ll print. He is the author of Five Minds and Black Lake Manor, and his latest novel, A Trial in Three Acts, has recently been published by Viper. Guy lives near Farnham with his wife and two sons.

For further information, visit Guy’s website, follow him on Twitter/X @guymorpuss, or find Guy on Bluesky.