The King Is Dead

By: Benjamin Dean

Narrated by: Ivanno Jeremiah

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Gossip Girl but make it royal—a Black LGBTQ+ royal reimagining full of scandalous secrets, rollercoaster romances and one hell of a mystery, from the award-winning author Benjamin Dean.

James has been a prince all his life, and since he was born, he’s been thrust into the spotlight as the first Black heir to the throne. But when his father dies unexpectedly, James is crowned king at the tender age of seventeen, and his life irrevocably changes.

When James’s boyfriend suddenly goes missing, threatening envelopes appear in the palace, and gossip and scandals that only he knows are leaked to the public. As the anonymous informant continues to expose every last skeleton in the royal closet, James realises even those in his inner circle can’t be trusted.

#LongLiveTheScandal

©2022 Benjamin Dean (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, UK

Critic reviews

"All hail this exquisitely twisty, delightfully queer mystery." (Chelsea Pitcher, author of This Lie Will Kill You)

"Benjamin Dean has written a royal triumph." (Juno Dawson, author of Her Majesty's Royal Coven)

"A compelling thriller that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading." (Kathryn Foxfield, author of Good Girls Die First)

A real page-turner ... until the last half hour

It's a whodunnit -- or more accurately, a "who's doing it?" -- with the author doing a fantastic job dropping clues and false clues and baiting the reader keep guessing and keep listening. So much fun. But as the climax hits, it's like a different author takes over the writing and the story dies just when things should be at their most exciting. One more thing: The narration was probably the best I've experienced in an audiobook.