A Play to Kill
01 January 2026Imprint: Zaffre
Synopsis
From the No. 1 internationally bestselling author, Lars Kepler, comes another twisty murder mystery. ________________________
Private Detective Julia Stark is hired to solve an impossible case: a deceased previous lover is haunting a theatre, determined to kill.
Famous actress, Bianca Salo, is convinced her dead fiancé is stalking her. Just the night before, she tells Julia, she'd woken to find him standing over her bed, and a short while ago, he had broken into her dressing room and set fire to her dress.
It's been three years since Bianca was told of her fiancé's sudden passing in a hotel room in Helsinki. She was in Stockholm at the time, playing the female lead in Macbeth, and collapsed on stage in her grief. The entire run was cancelled just a week after the premiere. Now, the ensemble and director have a second chance to perform the ill-fated tragedy. Julia accompanies Bianca to the rehearsals, to watch over her but to also survey the rest of the cast. Almost none of the actors have alibis for the incidents, and each of them have their own reasons to want to harm Bianca.
Julia asks her ex-husband, Sid, to help investigate, and together, they try to solve the strange happenings. Then, things shift and it seems the stalker has entered the final, active phase of his pursuit, which Julia knows often ends in violence and death.
Will she be able to find him before it's curtains for Bianca...?
Private Detective Julia Stark is hired to solve an impossible case: a deceased previous lover is haunting a theatre, determined to kill.
Famous actress, Bianca Salo, is convinced her dead fiancé is stalking her. Just the night before, she tells Julia, she'd woken to find him standing over her bed, and a short while ago, he had broken into her dressing room and set fire to her dress.
It's been three years since Bianca was told of her fiancé's sudden passing in a hotel room in Helsinki. She was in Stockholm at the time, playing the female lead in Macbeth, and collapsed on stage in her grief. The entire run was cancelled just a week after the premiere. Now, the ensemble and director have a second chance to perform the ill-fated tragedy. Julia accompanies Bianca to the rehearsals, to watch over her but to also survey the rest of the cast. Almost none of the actors have alibis for the incidents, and each of them have their own reasons to want to harm Bianca.
Julia asks her ex-husband, Sid, to help investigate, and together, they try to solve the strange happenings. Then, things shift and it seems the stalker has entered the final, active phase of his pursuit, which Julia knows often ends in violence and death.
Will she be able to find him before it's curtains for Bianca...?
Details
01 January 2026400 pages
9781804187333Imprint: Zaffre
