Dead Ringer

Dead Ringer by Charles Ross Directed by John Ellis

When the Prime Minister drops dead from an apparent heart attack on the eve of a general election, two cabinet members who fear they need his charisma to get re-elected hire an out-of-work actor to replace the deceased. This dead ringer is supposed to fill in until after the election is won, but he grows to like the role until he discovers that the real PM was poisoned. This thriller plunges from early amusing fantasy into murder and dark plots.