The Pantomime Murders is book two in a very entertaining and well-researched cozy mystery series. Set in 1929, Clara is an independent woman with an education in science who has also inherited her late uncle's enquiry agency. This makes Clara unique in a few ways compared to similar lady detectives in the genre.



The story takes place during pantomime season giving a festive feel to the book. Fairy godmothers from Cinderella are being killed. This aspect really intrigued me. What kind of character would kill a fairy godmother and what would their motivations be?



Clara does a great job investigating and she is able to use her scientific knowledge to guide her. Not everyone appreciates a woman being involved in these matters but Clara has a couple of friends who assist and encourage.



This was very easy to get into and read in a few hours. It isn't necessary to read book one to enjoy it but you will miss out on another good book if you don't.

The Pantomime Murders by Fiona Leitch Smith takes place in England in 1929 at Christmas. Downstairs from Clara’s office lived her friends, Juju and her brother, Jonny, who also ran a costume shop. They were involved in a traveling production of Cinderella and asked her to come help a friend. The friend’s name was Peggy Rose. It would be Clara’s second job as she was currently working on a shoplifting problem in a local department store. Upon hearing from Peggy, she decided she could do both. Peggy was concerned about the star of the show, Sybil Langdon’s, disappearance. It took place in a different city so Clara would spend some time traveling, but she thought she could handle both, especially when she found someone to help with the shoplifting case. It had been only three months since she had inherited her uncle’s business and she felt she was getting the hang of it. She ran into lots of problems because she was a woman, but she was slowly coming to grips with those, as well. This missing actress case had her befuddled, but the shoplifting case was handled in a trice.

It turned out it was really two cases: theft and murder. It took Clara a while to figure that out. She was skeptical of the police and involving them too early as she had had bad experiences. She was a clever young woman and felt she had found her calling with this enquiry agency. The mystery was a good one and it took her a few days to figure it out, but she did. Her beau was in a care home still recovering from an injury. He and his brother were her accountants and were wanting to move her money out of the stock market following the crash which was sure to arrive in England before too long. They suggested real estate and that fact helped her to the solution. All-in-all, it was a good read. Lots of twists and turns and complications. The murder/theft mystery was a good one and the shoplifting mystery was solved almost immediately, involving a rather vulgar man who was a security officer at the store. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Pantomime Murders by Embla Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #EmblaBooks #FionaLeitchSmith #ThePantomimeMurders

December1929 and Miss Clara Vale is wrapped up against the cold as she braves the icy streets of Newcastle in her latest investigation. When Peggy a young actress from a touring theatre company, Clara isn't sure what to make of her request. Sybil Langford, the legendary fairy godmother in their production of Cinderella, mysteriously vanished whilst the company were in York. Clara is tasked with finding her. But a few days later, Sybil's body is pulled from the River Ouse, and Clara finds herself in the middle of yet another murder mystery. When Sybil's replacement meets her own tragic end, Clara is in a race against time before the murderer sends a third cast member to their unhappily ever after.
The second book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. Another well written book, the characters are well portrayed & have depth. I really like Clara & how her character is evolving, she’s an intelligent, smart woman determined to make a success of the investigative business her Uncle Bob left her. She is supported by a strong cast of secondary characters, in this book we meet Betty who becomes Clara’s assistant. The case is interesting & things aren’t straight forward with twists, turns & red herrings. I was kept guessing about the villains but did work out part of the mystery. I look forward to more in the series
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Another cracking mystery in the Midd Clara Vale series from Fiona Veitch-Smith. I’m loving following Clara and her development as a character and detective. Her no nonsense attitude is one to admire and in a world full of misogyny, she stands up tall for what she believes in. Her relationship with Charlie developed in this story and I love how they worked together - Uncle Bob would be proud of both of them. A clever who-dunnit putting the strength of the female characters to the fore again. Just great

Newcastle upon Tyne, December 1929: Clara Vale has recently inherited a detective agency and house from her uncle, about 4 - 5 months previously. While many people have been hesitant to hire (or work with) a woman detective, she’s solved several cases. The book opens with her focused on closing out several cases her uncle started, the most recent one involving shoplifting at a local department store. As she starts investigating it, planning to go under cover, another case lands in her lap: a local actress has disappeared. She was playing the fairy godmother in Cinderella, and after the end of one performance, walked out, still wearing her sparkly costume and carrying her fairy wand. As Clara starts digging into both cases, she finds some new allies, including a male detective and a new female assistant.

There’s an interesting side plot dealing with the Great Depression and the collapse of the US Stock market. While her accountant has recommended diversifying her portfolio, apparently her father and brother-in-law weren’t as well advised, leading to an unplanned visit from her mother, her sister, and her sister’s four children.

This is the second book in the series, and I enjoyed it more than the first. The first felt too pessimistic, with too much highlighting of misogyny. There’s still some of that here, but there’s also a few scenes where Clara is reminded that it’s not always discrimination. In one scene, for example, Inspector Hawkes chides Clara that he’s not being dismissive because she’s a woman - he’s worked with female investigators before - but it’s because she only has four months of experience. I also liked the inclusion of her family and how her mother and sister are almost trapped by their lifestyle and reliance on servants, etc. I look forward to seeing how that subplot plays out in future books.

Recommended! I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com and that I voluntarily chose to review.

This is the second book in a series, however it does work as a standalone. I have not read the first book.

Clawa has inherited a Private Detective business from her uncle, and is trying to make her way as a female detective. She is hired to solve the disappearance of a pantomime Fairy Godmother - can she solve the mystery before more crimes are committed?

I found the story to be slow at times, and it lost my attention often. However I really like the historical references, such as those to the stock market crash, poverty, prostitution and the suffragette movement. I also liked the characters of Charlie and Bella, and would probably read another book in the series.

It’s December 1929 and the pantomime this year is Cinderella but unfortunately the fairy godmother goes missing and Clara Vale is called in to investigate.
I really enjoyed this story Clara Vale is a strong character with an analytical mind , in this book she takes on a new female assistant who looks like she may follow closely in Clara’s footsteps.
The book is well written and well researched highlighting some of the social conditions at this time in history.
The are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing all in all an enjoyable Christmas read .
Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books .

This story is set in 1929 when the fairy godmother from a touring pantomime company mysteriously vanishes and Clara Vale is called upon to investigate, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot is full of twists and turns, and it made me want to keep reading to see what would happen next.
The book is well-researched and really brought the late 1920s North of England setting to life.
I loved the character of Clara Vale - a strong, independent, feisty young woman at a time when women were not always listened to or taken seriously - and I look forward to reading more of her stories.
This book is the second in the Clara Vale series, but it is the first one I have read. I felt that the back story was filled in well and I didn't have the feeling of missing out having not read the first in the series. (Having said that, i do plan to read it now!)

After having listened to the audiobook of the first in this series and absolutely loving it, I just had to get my grubby little mitts on the second one and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. If you haven't read or listened to the first one, don't worry, this can easily be read as a standalone but I would recommend it.

Set in December 1929, the story follows Clara as she continues to get used to major changes in her life having inherited a detective agency from her late uncle. Having already become embroiled and helped to solve a couple of murders, she now finds herself with two more cases to solve; a spate of thefts occurring at a department store and the disappearance of the fairy godmother from the Cinderella pantomime cast.

Both cases provide a host of characters from all different walks of life and bring with them a snapshot into the social norms and conditions of the time which is enlightening. Clara is a strong and independent woman which is a challenge in 1920's Britain where women are mostly seen as feckless and only good for marriage and having children - Clara is most definitely not in that group and she is not afraid to challenge this perception sometimes to her peril.

With a great plot and sub plot, written at a good pace and with excellent characters - I can't wait to see how Clara and her new assistant Bella, work together on future cases. This is a really good cozy murder mystery which is perfect for people who prefer a more genteel read rather than the in-your-face all violence and action of other murder mystery books.

Thank you to the author, Embla Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this latest outing from Miss Clara Vale.

This is the second book in the series and in my opinion, they are getting better and better! The character Clara is modestly finding flaws in the way she goes about detecting and working with the police. This encourages her to think differently and even better than before. Her detective agency grows in this book, as does her stream of admirers.
I like the way the relationships with her family were tested and the circumstances in which they were left. I am excited to see what the character Bella will be like, already thinking she will be feisty and fun!
I am incredibly interested in this series and appreciate the lengths of research the author goes to and her notes at the end about what was history and what was fiction.
Sign me up for the next installment!
My thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona Veitch Smith is fast becoming one of my go to authors for cosy crime. In this, the second of a series, we see fearless detective, Miss Clara Vale, tracking down actresses, thieves, murderers and magic wands.
It's set in the wonderful world of Pantomime over the Christmas period, which makes it a great festive read but it will definitely appeal all year round. The plot keeps moving at a good pace as clues are uncovered and characters develop. I sped through it, gripped by what might happen next and trying to solve the puzzles alongside Clara.
I did manage to get some of the solution but there was enough of a surprise at the end to make for a great denouement and a couple of gasps!
I can't wait to see what Clara might get up to next, particularly with a couple of new characters I really want to get to know!

My thanks to NetGalley and Embla Publishing for a copy of “ The Pantomime Murders “ for an honest review.
I was attracted to this book because of it being set at Christmas, but I wasn’t aware that it was the second in a series.Unfortunately , it may be due to this, I didn’t really connect with the storyline . It seemed a little slow paced and i sadly lost interest before the end of the book .
Because of this I can only give it an average score

Christmas, Cosy, Murder and mystery. So what's not to like about this one?! Well I loved it and enjoyed reading it. It is fun, loved the setting (a929 Newcastle upon Tyne) and Clarice Vale is a wonderful female character, strong, smart and she can solve a murder.

This is the second book in the series and I found it very entertaining. The story was good, the characters good but my only gripe is that at times it was a bit slow. But it is easy to read, love the historical aspect and the story has enough depth to make it interesting. A great read and I look forward to see what happens next!

Thank you NetGalley and Embla Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had a hankering for a cozy Christmas mystery and this novel perfectly scratched that itch. The story is set in 1929 and stars Clara, a new private investigator in Newcastle, England. There’s a novel that precedes this one that I haven’t read, but the author, Fiona Veitch Smith, gives enough background detail that I never felt I’d missed something.

Clara’s primary job is to search for a missing woman, one of the stars of a traveling theater group, at the request of the woman’s friend. The story progresses with more questions than answers until a body is found. The stakes are high, the mystery is compelling, and the novel is as cozy as a warm cup of tea.

I thoroughly enjoyed Clara as a strong-willed female investigator. She has an out-of-the-box background, with a degree in chemistry at a time when most women only got married and had babies, but the historical setting means she’s not as crass as female leads can sometimes be. I also really enjoyed the historical tidbits scattered throughout the story. I was a little hung up on Clara’s investigative tactics, which sometimes blatantly broke the law. I think the antics she pulled would’ve both damaged her professional relationship with the police and made some evidence inadmissible in court. However, this is my first historical detective mystery; maybe that’s the norm for the genre. Overall, the story was fun and just what I was looking for. Five stars.

Miss Clara Vale is a strong, independent, educated woman in a time when in many ways it was illegal to do so. I em inspired by the character of Clara and look forward to many more whodunnit adventures starring Miss Vale!

This second book in the Clara Vale series was the first I’’d read, although I had enjoyed the author’s Poppy Denby series. Clara this time braves a northern English winter to try to solve disappearances and murders linked to a traveling pantomime performance, while also taking on a shoplifting case that brings her into contact with acquaintances old and new. The book is well-written and worked without having read the first. Clara is a strong main character, and the side characters are believable and engaging. The mystery itself is well plotted. Lots of loose ends to be picked up in future books, including how the financial crash of the late 1920s will play out for Clara’s obnoxious family. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1929 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Clarice Vale has inherited her uncles detective agency. She solved a few of his old cases and has two new cases to keep her busy; shoplifting in the local department store and the disappearance of a renowned actress who should have been playing the role of the fairy godmother in the Christmas pantomime. The two cases are perused in parallel and provide opportunity for some interesting societal observations about class structure, poverty, discrimination and homophobia.

The pace of the story was slow in places and some characters were introduced in detail towards the start but didn’t actually feature in the plot. I felt the character development was generally weak and the use of strong dialects rather distracting. It took me quite a while to read this book as I found the characters superficial and the plot was lacking in any real tension.

Overall a good plot but not as engaging as I would have hoped for.

Thank you NetGalley and embla books/Bonnier Books UK Limited for a copy of "The Pantomime Murders" in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second story in the Miss Clara Vale series and is set in December 1929. It's setting is York where a pantomime troupe called the Starlight Players has been performing Cinderella. Sybil Lanford who plays the fairy godmother has mysteriously dropped out of the tour without a word to anyone. Clara, who inherited the Wallace Enquiry Agency (now called Vale Investigations) is asked by her friend JuJu Levine to help a friend of hers named Peggy Rose who is worried about Sybil disappearing.

It is interesting to read about the suffragettes and how Clara is not taken seriously as an investigator because she is a woman. She finds more clues than the police do. Why is someone looking for the magic wand? Why did two actresses get the same rash from a jar of cream? How does a second fairy godmother end up dead? Clara puts herself in grave danger to get answers and angers the authorities along the way. The poisonings and jewel thefts are all linked by greed, spite and jealousy but who has the motive to murder these women? An excellent second book in the series with interesting historical notes at the end.

Clara goes undercover to try to find out who is killing the people who play the fairy godmother in a Cinderella performance. Two women have already been done in and the understudy is worried that she will be next.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Embla Books for an advance copy of The Pantomime Murders, the second novel to feature Newcastle based private detective Clara Vale, set in 1929.

Clara is asked to look into the mysterious disappearance of Sybil Langford, who was playing the fairy godmother in a touring production of Cinderella. She has made progress when Sybil’s body is found in the river and it looks like she is facing another murder enquiry, made more urgent when Sybil’s replacement also dies.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Pantomime Murders, which is a straightforward murder investigation in that it has a goal of solving the murders, how it gets there and the story it has to tell is much less straightforward.

The novel is told entirely from Clara’s point of view and that is both a blessing and a curse. It allows the reader to get immersed in the plot and events, but it also makes them more willing to rely on her interpretation and the author has a few tricks up her sleeve in that respect. It makes for an interesting read and a good sign for future novels as it is her newly engaged assistant, Bella Cuddy, who cuts through the peripherals and sets her on the right track.

I think that this series offers more than the standard historical cosy. There is an awareness of social conditions, like the limits on life that poverty brings and the way the rich are cosseted and more importantly the difficulties that women have in being anything but a wife and mother. Clara Vale is a trailblazer in women’s rights and the fight against the patriarchy (just kidding, but she does come up against a fair few misogynists).

The novel is well paced with plenty of developments and twists. It starts with a conundrum that gets deeper until more evidence comes to light. I was impressed by the plotting, which is more convoluted than the standard and has a neat solution.

The Pantomime Murders is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.