What Bloody Man Is That? — Simon Brett

In What Bloody Man Is That?, Charles Paris is on his way up again, career-wise. No longer "resting" and no longer just a corpse in a cupboard, he blossoms in the play dreaded by superstitious theatre folk, who will not even speak its name: "the Scottish play"-Macbeth. It's only in the provincial rep, but you have to start (or re-start) somewhere. And his agent has promised that though what's offered is not much of a part, "other good parts are in the offing".

By which perhaps is not meant precisely what happens: that Charles finds himself doubling almost every role in the play that isn't held by the three principals. And as for the principals, they could hardly be more ill sorted. Macbeth is played by George Birkitt, the TV game-show personality. Lady Macbeth comes straight from Stratford: an intense young woman with method in her madness. And Duncan is that notorious old ham, Warnock Belvedere, who feels that he's in the tradition of great actor-managers.

With such a cast, sparks are bound to fly. It's not long before death strikes in the night. And Charles Paris takes on the role of private eye...