A sharp, funny mystery set in Troubles-era Derry.
Derry is buzzing about a prestige TV drama-until its star, Monica Logue, goes missing. As suspicion falls on the last person to see her, a chorus of voices reveals a city wrestling with who gets to tell its stories.
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Prestige Drama
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A sharp, funny mystery set in Troubles-era Derry.
Derry is buzzing about a prestige TV drama-until its star, Monica Logue, goes missing. As suspicion falls on the last person to see her, a chorus of voices reveals a city wrestling with who gets to tell its stories.
- Book Synopsis
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'A comedy about tragedy. Séamas O'Reilly has written a brutal, profound, and very funny novel' NINA STIBBE
'Sparkling with heartache and wit. I'm in love with every character in this novel' CAROLINE O'DONOGHUE
'Prestige Drama is bristlingly funny, richly humane . . . Séamas O'Reilly is a writer with a rare and vital comic gift' MARK O'CONNELL
Derry is already abuzz with news that famous American actor, Monica Logue, has flown to the city and will be starring in a new series set during the Troubles. And then she goes missing . . .
All eyes are on Diarmuid, the flaky scriptwriter who was the last to see Monica alive.
From budding young actors hoping for a role to grieving parent whose story forms the backbone of the narrative; newspaper editors covering the mystery to taxi drivers hearing all the news from their clients, Prestige Drama follows the city's cast as they all try to locate themselves in Monica's disappearance.
Séamas O'Reilly's debut novel is a comedy about dramatising tragedy, and the responsibilities of a teller to a tale.
It brings to life the voices of a city, the people, families and communities who find themselves obsessed with, and terrified of, interrogating their past.
'Séamas is one of my favourite living writers. Honestly - there is nobody else who could write a book like this about tragedy, loss and who gets to tell a story, with such deft and moving wit' EVA WISEMAN
'Prestige Drama is a hilarious and profound novel. Seamas O'Reilly has an acute ear for the rhythms of real speech, and for the lies we tell ourselves' ED CAESAR
Ideal for readers who…
- love darkly comic literary fiction that interrogates who gets to tell a story—and at what cost
- enjoy ensemble novels that capture a whole city’s voices, gossip, and fractured truths
- want a mystery hook (a missing star) wrapped in sharp social observation and real emotional heft
- are interested in stories that grapple with the Troubles and the ethics of dramatising trauma
- like books that are funny and profound at the same time, brimming with wit and heartache
- About The Author
- SÉAMAS O'REILLY is a writer and author who has worked as a columnist for the Observer, the Irish Times and the Irish Examiner. He is Features Editor of London satirical magazine, The Fence and his writing has appeared in The Guardian, the New Statesman and the New York Times. His memoir Did Ye Hear Mammy Died topped the Irish Times Bestseller List for seven weeks, and won Best Biography at the 2021 Irish Book Awards. Séamas currently lives in Walthamstow, London with his family.
- Product Details
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- ISBN
- 9780349727899
- Format
- Hardback
- Publisher
- Fleet, (07 May 2026)
- Number of Pages
- 192
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 222 x 138 x 22 mm
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