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A haunted theatre
A murdered actress
Three cursed teenagers
A secret that devastates them all…
The Dean Wilson Theatre is believed to be haunted by a long-dead actress, singing her last song, waiting for her final cue, looking for her killer…
Now Dust, the iconic musical, is returning after twenty years. But who will be brave enough to take on the role of ghostly goddess Esme Black, last played by Morgan Miller, who was murdered in her dressing room?
Theatre usher Chloe Dee is caught up in the spectacle. As the new actors arrive, including an unexpected face from her past, everything changes. Are the eerie sounds and sightings backstage real or just her imagination? Is someone playing games?
Is the role of Esme Black cursed? Could witchcraft be at the heart of the tragedy? And are dark deeds from Chloe’s past about to catch up with her?
Not all the drama takes place onstage. Sometimes murder, magic, obsession and the biggest of betrayals are real life. When you’re in the theatre shadows, you see everything.
And Chloe has been watching…
My reading experience:
Atmospheric, thrilling, compelling and page turning, this book from Louise Beech has been perfect for engrossing myself in a ghostly tale.
I found the chapters on The Game very uncomfortable. The young adults in a love triangle game of romantic cat and mouse end up using that most supernaturally chilling tool, the Ouji board, to find out how far the other will go. The naivety of youth coupled with a coming of age tale is the root of this story.
The musical Dust is returning to the Theatre where the show first opened, experienced huge success and then closed after the death of one of the main actors – Morgan Miller. Is Morgan still haunting the Theatre? Have the childhood escapades of Chloe and her friends caught up with her? Is witchcraft at the root of this curse?
This story is a quick page-turner, a thrilling unfolding of plot and mystery. This is young adult fiction in my opinion and is suitable for the market it is aimed at. I’m aware that the writer has won fiction prizes but I think the writer still has more to give. I look forward to following her progress.
I recommend I Am Dust.
Appletree Books 