Rating: 
Summary: Dead Famous
Review: A very good book although lacking consistency throughout. Highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: A good introduction to Ben Elton writing style.
Review: Ben Elton is a very intelligent and cluey man. This is a good example of his excellent literary style. Personally I found his book, "This Other Eden" preferable, and his most recent "High Society" takes us to a higher level of understanding than I could have imagined. Amazon.co.uk stocks both these books. However this is a fun book, and easy to read.
Rating: 
Summary: another winner
Review: Ben Elton is at his funniest and his sharpest when he is exploring human emotions and everyday situations. This book covers the real and the surreal as it is based on the Big Brother game show.
A closed house with cameras in every room, a group of strangers, alcohol and boredom, Elton uses this gameshow set up to invent some ludicrous and believable characters both in and out of the house. Throw in a murder for good measure and you have British comedy writing at it's best.
Rating:
Summary: reality TV? something to die for...
Review: Ben Elton is in good form with "Dead Famous". He captures the absurdity of reality TV ("Big Brother") perfectly in this lighthearted murder mystery. I think British readers will also relish his use of colloquial slang used by today's youths (whereas the American readers might be a bit puzzled). My only complaint has to do with the characterizations: they are a bit too stereotypical, and their inane dialogue does grow tiresome. However this is a book one must not take too seriously.Bottom line: great fun. One of Elton's better efforts.
Rating:
Summary: reality TV? something to die for...
Review: Ben Elton is in good form with "Dead Famous". He captures the absurdity of reality TV ("Big Brother") perfectly in this lighthearted murder mystery. I think British readers will also relish his use of colloquial slang used by today's youths (whereas the American readers might be a bit puzzled). My only complaint has to do with the characterizations: they are a bit too stereotypical, and their inane dialogue does grow tiresome. However this is a book one must not take too seriously. Bottom line: great fun. One of Elton's better efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Reality TV Rules
Review: Ben Elton ridicules the human desire for fame with a comical murder mystery based on a reality television show. His style and explanations are both refreshing and pinpoint accurate. I enjoyed 'Dead Famous' for the taunt at our 'MTV' society, the comparison between a 'Death Show' to the entertainment value crowds took pleasure in when gladiators fought in Roman coliseums.
'Dead Famous' is a delightful and well written story.
Rating:
Summary: A diverting little mystery
Review: Ben Elton takes a page from the Agatha Christie style of murder mystery--bring together a group of potential suspects, let a murder occur and then have an outside try to piece together the threads that will deliver the solution. Elton's twist on this classic story of the genre is to have the murder take place inside a reality TV show house where all the action is broadcast to the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With all that coverage, how could someone commit the crime in question, much less have there be a mystery surrounding it? Edlund does a nice job with creating the situation and populating it with interesting characters. And the hook of the murder taking place inside a Big Brother type house is enough to keep you turning the pages. There are lots of red herrings in the book and the identity of the murderer won't be too shocking when you finally find out who it is. But the mystery itself isn't necessariliy what I'd call terribly deep or complex. But then again, this book isn't intended to be deep and complex on the same level as a Minette Walters or an Elizabeth George novel. Instead, what you get are some rather memorable characters that inhabit the story. There's an awfully lot of rather witty dialogue and some interesting observances on the popularity of reality TV and what it means to our culture. Also looked at is the type of people who go on these shows. Yes, there's a lot of emphasis on wanting to make things sexy and interesting for the sake of ratings. In the end, the story isn't necessarily the deepest, but the book is still an entertaining one. It's not going to require a great deal of thought. It's an ideal read for a long summer afternoon by the pool or after a long day of work when you don't want to work the grey cells too much.
Rating:
Summary: Death in the fast lane
Review: Ben Elton writes as he performs - 100 miles an hour with few stops for breath. Warning - do not start reading this unless you have time to finish it in one sitting. Once you have started you will not stop. The old formula of the whodunnit story bringing together a group of people under one roof is brilliantly translated into a 'Big Brother' house. The whole thing is televised by Peeping Tom Productions, including the murder. The inmates are repulsive in every way. Only the physically repulsive anarchist Woggle is a likeable character although he also has his dark side. Best of all is the portrayal of the cynicism of reality TV. The ending was a touch predictable but no less entertaining and clever for that. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: Dead Famous is Dead Funny
Review: Dead Famous is a hilarious satire of today's pop culture. Ben Elton's novel follows the "escapades" of an old fashioned police officer, Coleridge, and his colleagues, who are attempting to solve the mystery of a reality show contestant. This book uses wonderful literary techniques, using flashbacks and third-person irony, not even revealing the victim until well into the book. Overall, this was an outstanding and witty satire, filled with insights that are patheticly accurate. I recommend this book to everyone who has ever criticized today's society!
Rating:
Summary: Good Ellery Queen style whodunit
Review: Ellery Queen comes to mind as the sort of Golden Age detective novelist who might have promulgated DEAD FAMOUS had he (or the two men who collaborated to produce the Ellery Queen books) lived on into the age of reality TV. Ben Elton's spoof show, HOUSE ARREST, is so similar to the tripe on TV you'd think he had been a contestant himself on one of those awful, shameless shows. So some of the elements may be satiric (surely no producer could be that banal and greedy) but otherwise it sticks close to the bone, and some of the characters are hilarious in their ignorance and their shameless self-promotion. To me it seems that at least one of the characters, the classical actor turned porn star, would have done anything to get out of appearing on TV for fear of recognition, but maybe in Britain audience recognition is somewhat different than here in TV.
Best of all, you will not guess who killed poor Kelly. I tried afterwards to work it all out in my mind how it was done, but as I say Ellery Queen would have taken off his hat to Ben Elton.
By the way, the hot tub scene during which the murder was done turned out to be very sexual. BIG UP to BEN for that. Is this the same Ben Elton who wrote the musical for Andrew Lloyd Webber and the other one with all the songs by Queen? He's a boy with many strings to his bow. Add a star for versatility.
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