A Trial in Three Acts by barrister Guy Morpuss KC blends courtroom drama with a Christie-esque locked room murder mystery.

Six nights a week, the smash-hit play Daughter of the Revolution performs to a sold-out audience – until one fateful evening when the leading lady is beheaded live on stage. Each cast member has a motive, but it's her ex-husband who stands accused. Enter defence barrister Charles Konig, a staunch traditionalist with a sharp legal mind, determined to uncover the truth.

The novel unfolds primarily in the courtroom, but we also follow the characters to the play’s unusual venue – a chapel – while mixed-media elements, including excerpts from legal gossip blog Cicero’s Law and Charles’ amusing attempts to get his letters published in The Times, add variety to the narrative.

I was particularly drawn in by the murder itself, especially the mystery surrounding the guillotine – how it was adapted and used was fascinating. The dynamic between Charles and Yara was also a highlight, bringing some charm to the story.

While I don't think this was quite for me, I do think this will really appeal to fans of theatre and historical fiction, particularly those who love Hamilton. The rich backstory surrounding figures like George Washington and Lady Dunmore adds depth for readers who enjoy that kind of detail. If you like your crime fiction with a theatrical flair, this is worth checking out!

An enjoyable whodunnit! When an actress is murdered on stage, everyone is a suspect. Brought in to defend the accused, Charles Konig and his assistant Yara find themselves caught up in the intrigue.

Interspersed with scenes from the play, it was interesting to follow the court case and see how both the defence and the prosecution work. I enjoyed it and would read a sequel, as I liked the main characters and how they interacted with each other.

Fun and clever, this one's sure to be a hit. One of the most enjoyable legal thrillers I've ever read!

This is the first book I've read by Guy Morpuss, and it's my favourite genre, cosy crime/murder mystery/whodunit! I particularly liked the courtroom scenes and the interaction between the prosecution and defence. The inclusion of the letters to The Times gave the book an additional time structure. The addition of the script mostly helped with the trial narrative. There were definite Janice Hallett vibes.
It took me a while to get into the story even though the number of characters was very manageable, but once I did, I romped through, particularly the second half of the book. As usual, I didn't guess who did it!!

Well this book was a whole lot of fun. Combining two of my favourite things - a good, old fashioned murder mystery and the theatre - Guy Morpuss has brought us all a legal thriller with a difference. Yes this is, if taken at face value, a courtroom drama, an attempt by one very clever and skilled, if initially reluctant Barrister, Charles Konig, to prove the innocence of his client - at least in the eyes of the law. It is also a foray into the theatre world, in particular the life and times of former husband and wife duo, Leo Lusk and Alexandra Dyce. The victim? Why, Ms Dyce. The accused, Mr Lusk. The murder weapon? Well that is where it gets interesting and where our dear author, had me well and truly hooked.

The victim in this sorry tale was murdered in full view of an entire audience of people, killed by one of the props in the play. The question is less of the what, more the exact how and the why of the case, although given all that is revealed about the victim and those around her, the why is perhaps less in question too. The suspected motive is one of the oldest of them all - greed. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems and Guy Morpuss has done a brilliant job of muddying the waters when it comes to this particular victim. She wasn't portrayed as the most likeable of personalities, and whilst there is never an excuse for murder, it was fairly easy to understand why people may have been tempted to exact a kind of vengeance against her. And I am using the word people deliberately there as whilst the police may have honed in on a single suspect, Konig is very adept at ensuring the potential motives of all of the key played in this case are made very clear for all to see.

I love how the author has used his own personal experience to inform this story. Because of this the story oozes authenticity, even if scenes and circumstances have been amplified and exaggerated for dramatic effect. This is not like a dramatic American Legal drama, and the gaps between the two cultures are heavily emphasised when looking at the solicitor who has engaged Konig's services. frustrated by the lack of action, and objection, in the more staid courts of the UK, Yara Ortiz is a character almost too large for the courtroom to contain and I really liked her. Liked her spirit, liked her determination, and liked how she was a perfect counter for Konig. I'd more than happily read about both of them again. The author has really sold them to me. Made me invested in their ability to win a case, even if I wasn't entirely engaged by the people they were representing.

There is a strangely intriguing scientific element to this story too, about whether or not DNA manipulation, or a person's genetic make up would be responsible when someone acts out of character, or even used as a defence against an accusation of murder. Not so much an insanity plea as my genes made me do it. This stretches the bounds of possibility more than a touch, but lends itself to the case perfectly, brining a touch of humour to proceedings. Extremely tenuous links indeed, but enough to make you think, if just for a second. What do you say to a man who says 'George Washington made me do it ...'? Whether the defence works ... well you'll have to read the book to find out.

Fun, fresh, with brilliant characters, a twisted storyline that rides along the edges of the darkside and enough misdirection to keep you confounded to the very end, I loved this. Definitely recommended.

This book had me from page one. It is a joy to read and I loved every minute of it. A leading lady beheaded on a stage, her husband the prime suspect. This is a very entertaining read, a cosy mystery with a bit of oomph. Barrister Charles and American lawyer Yara come together to try and solve the crime and they work really well together.

The characters in this book are what make it and they are all different, quirky and even a bit of fun! The writing and the storytelling is wonderful and I found it fun, exciting, quirky, entertaining and a very enjoyable book to read. I want more now!

Thank you NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Trial by three acts by Guy Morpuss is a quirky murder/mystery courtroom drama.
When Alexandra Dyce is beheaded on stage of a play by guillotine in Act three, her ex-husband movie legend Leo Lusk who is also acting in the play becomes the main suspect of her murder.
I thank the publisher for a copy of Guy Morpuss’ latest novel. I found this to be an interesting whodunnit. With its original storyline due to the way it was written. The courtroom is set and with the jurors are talked through what happened in the play. I find though there was quite a lot of history of went on through the book, which at times I felt it made the story kind of slow. Some of which I found it to be a bit farfetched, but it added to the quirkiness of it. This is a kind of book that you must be full invested to get the whole gist of the story. 3.5 stars from me.

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me,

However I do know there are so many people who would love this book, it just wasn't for me
This book gives the readers a chance to get involved and try and solve the mystery themselves
The trial elements of the story were enjoyable in this book
The way the book is written will definitely appeal to others

Hollywood star Leo Lusk is on trial for murdering his ex-wife. Charles Konig, the leading barrister in the country is engaged to defend him. Konig has his work cut out for him as Lusk refuses to deny he carried out the murder which took place in front of a theatre audience.

I love murder mysteries. I love legal thrillers. Combine the two and I'm salivating. Throw in a little bit of historical information and you have a surefire winner for me. A Trial In Three Acts by Guy Morpuss offers all three of these. With an effortless writing style, engaging characters, touches of humour and a plot line that is at once utterly ridiculous and in another moment almost plausible you have a thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

Leo Lusk, movie star, has spent the past year in London starring in a play alongside his ex-wife, Alexandra Dyce. Following an acrimonious divorce, Dyce managed to turn the couple's daughter against her father and Lusk had hoped that the three of them working together on the production would allow him to rekindle some father-daughter bonds. Unfortunately, Dyce has continued to pour poison into her daughter's ear. When she is gruesomely murdered in full view of the audience suspicion immediately falls on Lusk.

Working alongside Konig in defense of Lusk is an American attorney, Yara Ortiz. The interactions between Ortiz and Konig highlight how different the legal systems are in America and the UK. The author has managed to write a story that flows easily and is immensely readable, avoiding all the boring stuffiness that takes place in the British court system.

I found the book impossible to put this down. The pace never let up and there was lots of misdirection. I had figured out the "who" very early on but was completely in the dark regarding the "how" until the big reveal. Let's hope that we see more of Charles Konig, KC, in the future.

Review - A Trial in Three Acts - Guy Morpuss

This was an ARC provided by @netgalley @viper.books

I requested this title based on a comment ‘if you like Janice Hallett you’ll like this’ and I definitely get the comparison.

The book follows the trial of a Hollywood A lister who had starred in a stage production with his ex wife in which she was murdered, lots of the cast, including their daughter, have motive to murder but whodunnit??

The story of the play is utilised as a plot device throughout the story and for me this is where the comparison of Janice Hallett is drawn. Clearly meticulously researched it really added to the story.

The barrister (silk) Charles and American lawyer Yara team up on the case and some capers ensue.

The story kept me engaged and wanting to know the outcome (I did guess at about the 2/3 point of the book), the interwoven story of the play was really interesting…BUT I felt a fair bit of mansplaining from most of the male characters and the romance fell flat.

It was a good January quick read and fans of whoddunits should give it a whirl.

An enjoyable murder-mystery told as a courtroom drama. The author draws heavily on his own knowledge as a lawyer to do a good job of infusing criminal proceedings with humour and creates a sympathetic protagonist in Charles Konig, a leading criminal barrister turned sleuth who tries to find the truth behind the murder of a famous actress. The mystery is deftly handled although some suspension of disbelief may be required for some aspects of the plot.

I enjoyed the storytelling and the underlying humour although for the most part the characters were largely undeveloped. There were some interesting glances towards contemporary social problems and the psychology of parental alienation as well as a sub-plot of historical interest. Some of the writing felt like padding especially the "Letters to The Times" interspersed throughout. The burgeoning relationship between Yara and Charles was neatly done and enjoyable if a touch predictable.

Overall a quick and engaging read.

Rating: 2.3/5

I had been looking forward to reading "A Trial in Three Acts", but all too frequently it failed to live up to my hopes and expectations. In fact, there were times when I found it annoyingly frustrating.

There are some very positive aspects to this novel. The plot is clever (perhaps a little too much so, at times). The central protagonist, Charles Konig, has a number of endearing qualities, which could potentially lead to him having a series built around him, rather than just appearing in a one-off outing. It is a pity, therefore, that the overall impact is spoiled by the excessive inclusion of procedural legal elements that is likely to alienate members of the reading audience who do not have significant knowledge and / or interest in this professional field. These sections may well be legally accurate, but they do not make for enjoyable fictional drama. The same is true of the lengthy extracts from the historical play that are incorporated into the narrative. These sections may well be quite clever and contain some key elements that are essential to the plot progression and ultimate resolution, but they are unnecessarily protracted to the point of becoming an unhelpful and dull distraction.

Ultimately, this is a novel that is intriguing at times, but is prevented from achieving its potential by being dull and protracted at others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you, Net Galley and Viper, for the Advance Read Copy!

I liked A TRIAL IN THREE ACTS way more than I was expecting!! It was a very well-crafted murder mystery, with an interesting cast of characters and a satisfactory resolution. I have seen it marketed as a cosy mystery and personally would not necessarily consider it as a cosy since you need to focus quite a lot to follow the plot, but it was a great read to travel with. Relaxing, good to keep the brain engaged during the holidays without overburdening it, it really hit the spot.

The story follows defense barrister Charles Koning, who finds himself defending Hollywood legend Leo Lusk. Leo has been accused of the brutal beheading, on stage, of his ex-wife. Leo is not the most cooperative of clients, so it becomes clear to Charles and the co-counsel, New York lawyer Yara Ortiz, that the only way towards an absolution will be to solve the murder themselves.

There are a couple of things that I didn’t love. I found it somewhat didactic, in that at times the author seemed to be very much focused on explaining the ins and outs of the English legal system. I did not understand the point behind the letters to the Times interspersed throughout the story. And I found the whole genetic engineering angle to be a bit nonsensical, although I understand that it was important for the plot.

That being said, I really enjoyed A Trial in Three Acts. I this the set up for the murder was incredibly ingenious. It’s one of those books where you know who did it. It must surely be this person, everything points to them and it would make sense. Except it cannot have been this person. So what are you missing? – which is a type of books that I LOVE. And when Charles explains the mechanics, it is absolutely jaw dropping. And the best thing is that it is a book that plays fair. Everything is there on the page, all the information you need to solve the case. I did not solve it (I got the WHO, but the HOW was really lost on me), but it was a lot of fun anyway. Finally, I really liked the banter between the characters, and the dialogue in general. I found it very well written and realistic.

So, all in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, which I will 100% recommend to my friends when the book finally comes out!

Please note: I would like to rate the book 3.5 Stars, but there is no option.

3.5, rounded down.

Nothing ground breaking but an entertaining quick read! Pretty cosy with some typical dry British humour. I enjoyed the random letters to The Times but could have done without alllll the transcripts of the play.

Very similar to Rob Rinder, Janice Hallett or Anthony Horowitz.

"A Trial in Three Acts" by Guy Morpuss is a theatrical/quirky/who-dunnit/courtroom drama. An actress is murdered on stage and we are walked through the play along with the jurors, trying to work out who did it. There are some odd but fun elements, a sort of sideplot of the SoulGene business. I'll continue to read Guy Morpuss as his books are ever so slightly quirky.

Up on Goodreads now, live on the blog on 24 February:

I’ve been a fan of Guy Morpuss’s books since day one and so A Trial in Three Acts was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. While I must admit it wasn’t my favourite of his novels, I still had a great time with it.

I’m not the biggest fan of legal thrillers or courtroom dramas, it’s certainly a subgenre I can enjoy but in moderation, it’s not one I seek out. Having said this, I really did enjoy the courtroom scenes in A Trial in Three Acts, and I loved the denouement, and I’m sure that if legal thrillers and courtroom dramas are your bag, you will gobble this one up! While reading, it’s clear that the author knows what he’s talking about, and from the afterword, it would appear that multiple real-life anecdotes made it into the book.

Based on that aspect of A Trial in Three Acts, as well as the murder mystery and the main characters and their interaction, I’d give it a solid five stars. However, two other aspects worked less for me personally. Firstly, the letters to The Times, which apparently is something the author does himself. While entertaining enough, those short intermezzos didn’t further the plot, and they took me out of the story a little bit. For me, incorporating those texts in another way, like having Charles weave them into a conversation, would have been more effective. But maybe I’m missing something? Is this a typically British custom I didn’t know about?

Secondly, and I really don’t know what happened there, I’m surprised at myself, and not in a good way, the historical facts behind the play just didn’t appeal to me all that much. While reading, I did appreciate why the historical bits and the play elements mattered, and in hindsight it’s even more clear just how much they matter. It’s just that, for some reason unbeknownst to even myself, I wasn’t as fascinated by them as I should have been.

All in all, I did have a really good time with A Trial in Three Acts. Despite the things that didn’t entirely work for me, I found it an engrossing read that kept me guessing for a long time.

A Trial in Three Acts is out in hardcover, digital formats and audio on 6 March.

Massive thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

Excellent legal / crime / theatrical mystery that brings together a KC, an American lawyer and a Hollywood star accused of murdering his ex-wife on stage in a site-specific production in the middle of a cemetery. Enjoyably twisty, loved the letters to the times throughout, in many ways this couldn’t be more English, including amusing culture clash with the American lawyer. Not at all what I expected having only read Black Lake Manor, but Morpuss is a KC himself and captures the legal bickering to a tee.

What an interesting and captivating read! My first Guy Morpuss novel but most definitely not my last.

Thank you to Viper for allowing me to read this ARC and over the past week I have immersed myself into the world of KC Silks, the art of the cross-examination and a murder mystery revolving around a play and a historical secret spanning centuries, continents and in a pre-revolution world.

It was also lovely to read a mystery from a different perspective i.e. a trial rather than the detective. I thoroughly enjoyed the "present day" narrative of the case, with the author using his own personal knowledge of his KC career, plus the chapters in the "past narrative" to give us readers a more deeper understanding.

The prose between the two main characters (KC Charles Konig & NY Lawyer Yara Ortiz) was brilliant with their different styles, attitudes and ways of dealing with problems. I saw the hilarity, the interesting ways Yara always wants to be in his company and albeit Charles resists he loves it also, and I really felt the growth of a great partnership brewing between them.

On saying all of this, the reason why I gave this 3.75/5 (rounded up to 4 on here) is because there are a few plot holes concerning the lives of the Dunmore family, their deaths and burials and how it all came to be. I appreciate there is a mixture of fact and fiction within this novel but the author in his acknowledgements confirms himself that most of the documents were factual concerning dates and yet this is isn't translated in the novel as to why Lady Virginia Murray was buried 20 years after Prince Augustus died (at this point int the novel everyone is to believe other things). I also disliked at the end that the explanation of what happened was all opinion and conjecture, it was not actually solved. It reminded me of the big speech at the end of an Agatha Christie novel by Poirot (who I love btw), but without the satisfaction of someone going "how did you figure it all out" etc.

As you can see this was not enough for me to reject the book entirely. I will still recommend, I will be purchasing a trophy novel for my bookcase as it is a great novel (I especially love the factual historical elements of an almost unheard era of history) and I do hope there is a sequel with these characters.

Happy reading peoples :)

A twisty turning courtroom whodunnit. Morpuss has a knack for writing whodunnits, and I was keen to read this after reading Black Lake Manor. However, while this book was good, it didn’t quite live up to BLM for me. The initial scene setting wherein the plot of the play and the history, were convoluted and hard to follow. I like history, and yet for a long while I wasn’t entirely sure what was being described. However, I persevered and overall enjoyed the book, and Konig/Yara - perhaps we might read another story featuring them in the future?

This starts off slow, dry slow even. There is a mix of characters, and extracts from the play that is the scene for the murder as well as flashbacks into the past to the family relationships. The basis for the book is a courtroom and most of the action happens either in front of the judge and jury or as part of the evidence for the crime. There are some excellent interruptions to the book in the form of letters to the times by the hero barrister. A nice bit of sarcastic and funny relief to murder and parental abuse. The book all comes together in the last chapter or so as pennies drop and knows get untangled - suddenly the book and the quirks all make sense and I felt bright for having come on the journey and just about worked it all out!