I love murder mystery stories and this one really appealed as it's a murder mystery set within a murder mystery play! What was unusual was the use of the playwright, Bertie - he is used as a sort of sounding board and amateur detective as we see him being present at the final rehearsal of his play, then taking his old friend Hugh, the Scotland Yard detective, to watch the opening night performance and then him working alongside Hugh as an assistant before stepping into centre stage for the denouement of the murder! It was an interesting and unique point I thought.

The murder mystery itself was good with plenty of suspicious characters, clues, red herrings etc scattered throughout the book. I did suspect the motive quite early on and realised the opportunity a bit later too, however 'solving it' before Bertie and Hugh did not take away from the enjoyment of the read - if anything it gives one a feeling of smugness rather than the frustrated feeling that one gets with a Christie!

I hope that Bertie and Hugh have lots more mysteries to solve together and I'll certainly be interested in reading them!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

I really loved reading this book. It was gripping and I could not put it down. I genuinely look forward to reading more books in the Bertie Caroll series.
The story did not feel dragged out, and the additional characters introduced added value to the plot even if it were a sort of red herring. The foreshadowing and the tiny details which can be noticed in the second read just added the cherry on top.
Plus, this book has depictions of queerness in that Era and it was accurate with the closeted characters and their reasoning for their actions.
It was a well written book and as a non native English reader I really appreciate this type of writing which felt easy to comprehend as well as enjoyable.

This was well written but a little slow going for me. Crime fiction isn’t my usual genre but I was drawn to this as it was billed as being LGBTQ+. While it’s refreshing to have queer characters in a story like this, I just wanted more!

Lots of interesting elements and a cosy mystery story but not a new favourite.

Thanks to Brabinger Publishing and Net Galley for this ARC. It was a very slow start but something kept me reading and i'm glad it did as this is quite a good first novel and i'm pleased to see there is a sequel. The story line is ok, lots of twists but you could see how it was going to end. I liked the characters and look forward to Bertie's next adventure, delving more into his character and hopefully Hugh too.

A cosy murder mystery set in the 1930's isn't my usual taste in books, but this one kept me entertained throughout. Located in Brighton, I loved seeing the world of theatre through a screenwriters eyes and even more so with the era it was set.

A definite Agatha Christie 'who done it' vibe exuded from this novel for me, with a locked-room type scenario.

Death on the Pier is Jamie's first book and tells the story of a murder that happens on stage, the opening night of one of Bertie Carroll's lesser known plays. Bertie just happens to be in the audience along with his old school friend, Chief Detective Inspector Hugh Chapman. The two set about investigating the crime and interview every cast member. It was during these interviews that my mind changed several times about who the killer was as secrets and motives came out with every one.

The description of every location and character really brings the book to life and I could picture it all immediately.

At the end of the book there's some great history of The Palace Pier Theatre in Brighton, where the murder takes place, and I loved that. It's very obvious that Jamie has a great love of the theatre and I really enjoyed finding out what goes on behind the scenes of a production and you could tell Jamie has worked in this field and has a great passion for it.

There was also the first chapter of the next Bertie Carroll, and that made me so happy, I can't wait to read more from Jamie and more in the Bertie Carroll series.

This book reads like an Agatha Christie book. It feels quite true to the time, including the language and tone used. I found it quite slow going, particularly at the beginning of the book.

i’m extremely busy at the moment, so i don’t have much time to read arcs but i will come back and edit this with my actual review once i’ve read it! super excited!

I guessed who did it before the book even reached its half-way point, so there was not much surprise in it. And for a book marketed as LGBTQ, there was surprisingly little queerness or queer romance in it.

The reason I could guess the twist so early on is probably the fact that the author simultaneously gave us a lot of information when most of the suspects were being investigated (that borderline obviously set up the stage for the actual perpetrators), while ignoring the ones who I saw as the most obvious suspects for a long, long while. The mix of this made what happened pretty obvious.

Still, even with the surprise not being a surprise anymore, and without much tension or tentative romance between Hugh and Bertie, as I expected, I still found the characters extremely loveable and enjoyed reading, and I laughed out loud at some points (Teddy especially is a very entertaining character). 

It's very clear that the author is a big fan of crime mystery classics, as some things reminded me of the countless Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes books I read non-stop in my early teens, and that was something that made me unreasonably pleased and happy.

I saw at the end of the book that Bertie will be coming back in the author's next book, which I am looking forward to reading and seeing how the story, author's writing, and the queer romance arc develop further.

Set in the 1930’s a playwright views a production of an old play of his in the middle of winter at the end of the pier in Brighton. The content of the play becomes reality when the leading lady shot in the play is killed on stage in real life. It is up to Bertie along with his police colleague (an old school friend) to solve the crime on stage. The book is slow to begin with but gathers momentum at the end and has some subtle clues along the way in order to solve the mystery. A cross between Jonathan Creek and Agatha Christie.

You get the feeling that the author is setting up for a series with this likeable partnership and why not! Great for fans of Agatha Christie this is a gentle, undemanding murder mystery story.

This was a proper page turner. I enjoyed the authentic 1930s feel to the characters voices & the hints woven throughout the story. This is a good old fashion murder mystery & I'm already looking forward to hearing more from Jamie & Bertie Carroll. Overall 4 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the first Bertie Carroll book I have read and it was enjoyable. It's set in the 1960's when homosexuality was illegal. Bertie, a playwright, is friends with Hugh, a police detective, and it seems like he cares for him, but he cannot say this. An old play of Bertie's is revived at Brighton Pier theatre. One of the cast is murdered, and the murderer has to be another if the cast. They all have reasons to dislike her. Hugh is assigned the case, and Bertie helps him to solve the crime. The characters are well written and the writing feels of the period.

closed-circle-mystery, England, murder, murder-investigation, 1930, amateur-sleuth, detective, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, m/m-cozy-mystery, first-in-series, playwright, law-enforcement*****

Bertie is a successful playwright opening a new one in Brighton with a renowned actress with an abrasive personality. It doesn't take long for the reader to root for her to be the murder victim! Bertie is pleasantly surprised to meet up with an old school chum he has corresponded with for some years. That would be Hugh, who has risen in the ranks and is now a rather famous police detective. The play begins. Soon it becomes apparent that the "star" has really been shot dead with a prop gun. Let the sleuthing begin! Good story and engaging characters. I was happy to see that this is a first in series as books usually improve with each new addition (unlike TV and movies)!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Brabinger Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you

Thanks to Netgalley and Brabinger for my copy of the Death on the Pier.
On a pier in 1930's Brighton, we have our leading lady and fading Hollywood star, Celia Hamilton. Loathe by everyone who knows her. She is assured to make opening night a killer.
This was a wonderful and delightful read. From the murder mystery plot to the characters. We follow our playwright turned sleuth Bertie alongside his childhood friend Hugh, famed detective, and their journey to uncover the murderer.
I absolutely adored the relationship and dynamics between Bertie and Hugh. By themselves I thought something was missing for each of them individually but together they have undeniable chemistry. I really hope the underlying of their romance is continued on and develop more. I know the time does not favor this relationship, but I do.
Although I did figure out the mystery before it is revealed it does not take away any of my enjoyment in reading the story.

Death on the pier is a manuscript of pure genius. West writes in a way that makes it impossible to stop reading and I absolutely raced through this book. The reader is kept guessing and your mind constantly ticks as to what may be coming next - a modern day Agatha Christie!

A well written story giving a good insight into theatre life. However, I felt that this lacked a really good twist to the tale. I had guessed some of what was going to happened so I didn’t get that “didn’t see that coming” feeling you get from a really good murder mystery.

Fading Hollywood star and gloriously loathsome prima donna, Ceilia Hamilton, has unfathomably joined a tinpot end of the palace pier theatre show in Brighton. It proves to be her final role.

Bertie, the playwright, and Hugh, the police inspector, old schoolmates and maybe more than that combine forces to unravel a murder which could have been done very understandably by any of the cast or their helpers. In truth Bertie uncovers what happened with Hugh providing not much more than an impressive physique and lessons in cold sea swimming.

On the cosy end of mystery writing, I enjoyed this tale, despite it unfolding quite slowly. The denouement is not a great surprise but some of the world of theatre and stagecraft comes through enjoyably in the writing.

It is worth a read and it distracted me on a long, very crowded train ride to Scotland. No mean feat!

this is my very first arc from netgalley and what a great start. i’ve only very recently started reading books within the crime genre and i’m particularly fond of those set years ago - so with this being set in the 1930s and at a theatre of all places, it caught my eye immediately.

it’s an easy to follow story, never straying to the unbelievable, with the characters being slightly ahead of you when it comes to solving the mystery at hand so the twists remain twists but you can see where they came from.

my heart is happy that there is follow up incoming. i’m prepared to follow bertie on his crime solving adventures wherever he heads next.

I loved this book. Written by a true lover of the theatres around the UK. Would really recommend this to anyone who wants a new book to read and will recommend to friends. I think sometimes you judge a book by its cover and for some reason I thought it would be a slow read. I read it in two days flat. Meals were served in silence and I’m not sure what happened in my family’s life over this two days but it was so worth it.