Murder at Heartbreak Hospital

'Heartbreak Hospital' is one of the most popular TV soap operas, an endless saga of life and death, love and hatred: to many of its fans, the characters seem much more real than the actors who play them. The character everyone loves to hate is Andrea Harmon, the soap's classic Bitch, played by Sunday Tyler -- a ruthless, demanding, manipulative actress who has alienated everyone connected with the show. The only person who has seen Sunday's softer side is Bill Troy of the New York Police Department Movie/TV Unit, who is inevitably drawn into the case when Sunday is murdered, and no one has a satisfactory alibi. Drawing on his long experience in the hothouse world of soap opera, Henry Slesar has woven a skilful, witty plot with twists and turns, red herrings and streaks of black humour. The surprising climax of this thoroughly enjoyable mystery tells us that soap opera stars might be open to threats from totally unexpected quarters.