Welcome to Las Vegas, where the lights are bright, the sequins are tight, and book covers apparently audition for a Broadway marquee. The Death of a Showgirl tries so desperately to be cinematic that it skipped “book cover design 101” and went straight to “movie poster cliché.”
The title blasts across the top like a neon sign outside a dive casino, complete with glowing bulbs that scream “Tonight Only!” rather than “Someone dies in this story.” It’s less noir, more nightclub, like a poster for Britney Spears’ residency if Britney also solved crimes in her downtime.
Then we have our showgirl: strutting proudly with a microphone in hand, backlit like she’s about to drop the hottest track of 1999. But hang on—the title promises death. Where’s the menace? The tension? Instead, we get sparkly optimism in high heels. The only thing at risk here is a wardrobe malfunction.
The whole composition screams mobile game ad: download now and unlock your free sequin bodysuit. And the author’s name? Jammed underneath the marquee like someone remembered at the last minute, “Oh yeah, this is supposed to be a book.”
This isn’t a thriller. This is America’s Got Talent: Crime Scene Edition.