Murder on Stage was a fun young adult mystery - usually a hard genre to pull off successfully. I enjoyed this story and would consider reading the rest in the series.

Young Alfie is given a bunch of tickets to a show at Convent Garden Theatre & he is told to make sure that he & his friends make as much noise as possible when a certain signal is given. The small band of ragamuffins are all there when an actor dies on stage – Alfie knows that he has seen a hand emptying the contents of a small glass phial into the glass that the actor then drank from. Alfie tries to help the stricken actor but he was seen close to the body & soon becomes the main suspect.
Alfie & his friends try to find out who did murder the actor but the police find Alfie first & he ends up in prison. His friends continue the quest for the truth…
‘Ever since the death of his parents, Alfie had lived on the edge of danger, as well as starvation, and had learnt to bolt for home when trouble arose.’
This is a short, fast paced book that works for older children. It’s described as young adult but I think it would suit ages 10-14 perfectly. Some knowledge of Victorian life would help readers enjoy it more.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free from the publisher via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher & author for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.

Murder on stage is a great mystery for young adults probably around eighth grade. Great writing,characters,and storyline. I shall have to go back and read the rest of this series.

‘Only Alfie saw the hand.’

Alfie thinks himself fortunate when, one night, he’s given free tickets to a show at Convent Garden Theatre. The man giving him the tickets told him to bring his friends, and to make as much noise as possible when a signal is given.

‘It was a great occasion for a riot. The Queen herself, the young Queen Victoria was present!’

So, Alfie, his brother Sammy, their cousins Jack and Tom and their friend Sarah are all there when Alfie sees a hand empty the contents of a glass phial into a glass. Alfie tries to warn the actor Harry Booth not to drink from the glass, but he’s too late. Alfie makes it on stage to find Harry Booth dead.

‘Ever since the death of his parents, Alfie had lived on the edge of danger, as well as starvation, and had learnt to bolt for home when trouble arose.’

Alfie was seen on the stage, and soon becomes the main suspect. What can he do? He can’t leave London; he needs to look after his brother and cousins and Mutsy their dog. Alfie decides that with an appropriate disguise he can stay, and he can try to identify the murderer. But while Alfie (with the assistance of Sammy, Jack, Tom, Sarah and Mutsy) tries to find out who did murder Harry Booth, the police find Alfie first. Alfie ends up in Newgate Prison.

‘Who had murdered Harry Booth?’

There’s plenty of action as Alfie’s friends try to find out who the murderer was. There are a few tricky situations to be navigated, and only a few clues to begin with. How will they solve the crime?

This is the third in a series of six YA novels set in Victorian London. Ms Harrison provides plenty of detail of the conditions in which the poor lived: the fog, poverty and squalor. Alfie, Sammy, Jack, Tom and Mutsy live in a small, damp cellar and finding the money for rent and food is always a struggle. I’m looking forward to the fourth instalment, especially now that Alfie has been approached by a reporter who want to tell his story in the newspaper.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I liked this series as it's enjoyable and entertaining.
I love the well developed cast of characters, the historical setting and the mystery that is always good and engaging.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was a fun middle grade murder mystery. I went into it thinking it was for a older audience and people have described it as YA but it's definitely middle grade. The story is easy to follow, doesn't have lots of unnecessary description so is fast paced and has likable characters. My favourite character was Sammy followed by Sarah, I liked their quiet intelligence and quick thinking calm. Musty the dog was adorable!

I liked that a group of street wise orphans were the main protagonists, I've always enjoyed those types of characters and how they learn to survive in harsh environments and do so while looking after each other.

For such a short fast paced book there was a good amount of character development, especially with Tom. He might be a bit bratty and makes plenty of mistakes but his heart is in the right place and in the end he comes through for his family.

Overall I enjoyed this but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been the target audience.