Murder at the Matinee

Murder at the Matinee is a welcome return to 1930s and the world of Bertie Carroll, playwright and amateur detective. Bertie first appeared in Death on the Pier, and having finished the second book in this series, I opted to read The first book, as I was curious about his adventures in Brighton. And the first novel, is equally full of theatrical info.
The author's knowledge of theatre and the history of the Gaiety Theatre is evident in every page, as this novel is full of historical details which added to my joy of the storyline.
This time around, Bertie has been invited to attend a performance of a new play by fellow playwright Alice, once a number of Death threats are received. And when a murder does occur (after all, a Golden Age mystery must involve a murder!), Bertie is reunited with his old school-friend, Hugh.
Now, a successful detective at New Scotland Yard.

There are numerous references to Bertie's friends and the places where he socialises - mainly when Hugh warns Bertie to be careful and I soon realised that my hopes for a relationship between these two, was seemingly unlikely. Hugh's reticence may well be related to the absurd laws of the time, outlawing homosexuality. However, our duplicate work so well together, with both parties playing a role in resolving the case (though Bertie plays a greater role in the denouncement) , and I can see them as less Sherlock & Holmes but more my beloved Tommy & Tuppence who work solidly as a team.
The case is a delightful mix of red herrings and hidden clues, as our duo struggle to work together again and resolve the mysteries taking place at the Gaiety Theatre.

There is a reasonably large cast of characters so I did need to keep my attention carefully focused on the storyline.

But to be fair, this was hardly a difficulty and I thoroughly enjoyed this charming and funny historical cosy mystery

2SLGBTQIA+ Historical Mystery set in England 1934 in which a renowned murder mystery playwright turns sleuth to help a rival playwright after the star of her play's found murdered.

5/5 stars: This is the second entry in West's Bertie Carroll Mysteries series which is a 2SLGBTQIA+ Historical Mystery set in 1934 England and features a renowned murder mystery playwright who's asked by a rival playwright to uncover who killed the star of her play. He's once again thrown together with his old school friend and inspector as two work to find who's behind the devious murder. With plenty of twists and turns, West has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects and weaves in plenty of clues and red herrings that will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Additionally, West's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Bertie's a total joy and I love catching back up with him and the world of golden-age theatreland. I also really like seeing how Bertie and Hugh deal with their very complicated friendship. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Death on the Pier.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Brabinger Publishing | Brabinger in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Following on from Death on the Pier we again meet up with gay playwright Bertie but this time set in London’ s theatre land in the 1930’s. A fellow playwright calls him in to help out over an advert that’s been placed saying there’s going to be a murder! Inspector Chapman also returns when a victim is discovered. I love this series and can’t wait for the next one.

Uh-oh… according to Amazon, this is “perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood and, of course, Agatha Christie” which is usually not a good sign. But it is clear that Jamie West is something of a student of Christie’s style as this gets a lot closer than most.
The book does claim the crime is an “impossible murder” but it’s more of a “no one could have done it” rather than the body being found in a room locked from the inside sort of thing… Having said that, the trick that the murderer uses is right out of the traditional playbook. It’s a variation of something that I’ve seen a couple of times before, and it’s odd that the impossible aspect isn’t played up a bit more as it’s a nicely simple and clever solution. There are even clues…
On to the characters, and the theatre background and characters are beautifully created and distinct. Bertie himself is a lovely character, and his friendship – or possibly more - with Hugh is very well done. The pedantic might point out that it’s not the sort of thing that would have turned up in a Golden Age book, but despite this, the book reads like something from the classic crime era – a number of suspects and motives, clues… I’d have preferred a slightly more surprising murderer but I was having a lot of fun with this so didn’t really care.