The question if whether Julian Clary’s first attempt at novel writing was merely a lucky flash in the pan can be savagely swept aside and crushed under foot forever more because The Devil In Disguise is a sheer delight from start to finish.
I blame Clary for the bags under my eyes and my mumbling late-night mantra of “just one more chapter”. And this is despite the gay character Simon – who drinks too much, sleeps around and ends up becoming a foul-mouthed drag queen – being quite abhorrent.
No, the star of the show here is his best friend Molly and the tale of her rise to fame that her gay mate has more than a hand (and a mouth) in involuntarily shaping.
Throw in Molly’s mentor, the devious ex-cabaret star Lilia, and it’s Showgirls meets Queer As Folk meets Baby Jane. Wonderful.