Paperback edition – coming March 2024. Hardback edition is available to pre-order now! The first novel in the sensational The Sequin Mysteries series, from world-renowned dancer and Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas. Behind the sequins and sparkle of Blackpool Tower Ballroom’s famous Dance Festival, the competition is about to turn deadly… When a promising young dancer collapses during the opening tango of the festival, Lily Richmond, dance legend, teacher and one-time world champion, is convinced that murder is afoot. There’s only one person who can help her delve into the mystery: her former student and private detective, Susie Cooper. But Susie vowed she’d never return to the ballroom – let alone go undercover as a professional dancer when there’s a killer on the loose… As the competition gets even fiercer and the bodies start to pile up, can the unlikely dance-detective duo unravel the rumours from the rumbas and expose the murderer’s identity, before they strike again?

Leave it all on the floor... Queen of Latin Ballroom, Shirley Ballas has a spectacular dance career spanning over 40 years - she has Cha-Cha'd her way across the world's dance floors to become a multi-award-winning ballroom champion and one of the most renowned dancers in the world. In 1996, Shirley retired from competitive dancing to become a highly-acclaimed coach and now holds the enviable position of Head Judge on BBC One's prime time show Strictly Come Dancing. In Behind the Sequins, she leads us through her dramatic and determined life, from growing up in a rough estate on the Wirral and leaving home at 14 years old, to conquering the high-octane world of ballroom and coping with betrayal, bullying, two broken marriages and a personal tragedy that left Shirley and her family devastated. Speaking from the heart, Shirley leaves her dancing shoes at the door to tell you the story of a fiery, strong-willed grafter who could make the brat pack blush.