* ''Ever since reading R in the Month as a teenager, I''ve been a Nancy Spain fan. I love her juxtaposition of seedy, atmospheric settings with humour and showbiz glamour. There''s still no one quite like her'' ELLY GRIFFITHS

The oyster party had the kiss of death upon it - even though there were two ''R''s in the month. Miriam Birdseye - famed revue star and sleuth - could have told you that from the start. She isn''t a bit surprised to learn that her fiance''s mother died in the night.

But who at the seedy Sussex hotel would have poisoned the bivalves? Could it be the hotel proprietor - a handsome, drunken bankrupt? His put-upon wife? Miriam''s impressively moustachioed fiancé? Or the menacing, unsavoury chef?

Can Miriam track down the killer before anyone else is murdered by mollusc?

* ''Her detective novels are hilarious - less about detecting than delighting, with absurd farce and a wonderful turn of phrase'' SANDI TOKSVIG

* ''Ever since reading R in the Month as a teenager, I''ve been a Nancy Spain fan. I love her juxtaposition of seedy, atmospheric settings with humour and showbiz glamour. There''s still no one quite like her'' ELLY GRIFFITHS

The oyster party had the kiss of death upon it - even though there were two ''R''s in the month. Miriam Birdseye - famed revue star and sleuth - could have told you that from the start. She isn''t a bit surprised to learn that her fiance''s mother died in the night.

But who at the seedy Sussex hotel would have poisoned the bivalves? Could it be the hotel proprietor - a handsome, drunken bankrupt? His put-upon wife? Miriam''s impressively moustachioed fiancé? Or the menacing, unsavoury chef?

Can Miriam track down the killer before anyone else is murdered by mollusc?

* ''Her detective novels are hilarious - less about detecting than delighting, with absurd farce and a wonderful turn of phrase'' SANDI TOKSVIG