This is a brilliantly plotted murder mystery with a fabulous cast of characters, all of whom are suspects. I loved meeting up again with Hugh and Bertie, who team up to solve the case. I also can’t get enough of the chemistry these two share.
As well as being hugely entertaining, Jamie West carries out so much research into the history of the theatre’s featured in his books that I can’t help being fascinated about the history of them and the theatre business in general.

If you enjoy an old style crime fictional read then this could very well suit your taste. An enjoyable, easy read that is easy to slip in and out of at your leisure. Perhaps not a gripping, page turner likesome, but it is one that is easy to enjoy.

I really enjoyed the murder mystery element going on through this book. The overall story worked with the time-period and thought it worked for a stage and a killer. It had everything that I was looking for and thought everything worked with it. It was a great sequel in the series and left me wanting more. Jamie West has a great writing style and can’t wait for more.

A well-written but slightly bland Golden Age style whodunnit, set in the theatre world of 1934 London.

Successful playwright Bertie Carroll gets a phone call from his worried friend/rival Alice Crawford. Some anonymous person has placed an announcement in the newspaper that there is going to be a murder in her play that night. Since Bertie has had previous experience with murder in the theatre (in the preceding book, which I haven’t read) she thinks he might help. Bertie agrees to accompany her that night, and lo and behold, someone does get killed… Detective Chief Inspector Hugh Chapman, Bertie’s old school friend (and unhappy love interest) shows up to solve the mystery, with some help from Bertie and his secretary Gertie.

The mystery is fairly straightforward and I guessed the murderer early on. However, the real star of this book is the Gaiety theatre. I loved reading about the theatre, the descriptions of its machinations and history etc, so much so that I dug out Dorothy Parker’s complete Broadway reviews as a companion read.

A nice read.

I absolutely loved this book! It was the first I had read although second in the series but it didn't matter that I hadn't read the first one. The character development was great and I loved learning about the period and the theatre.

The murder itself was a bit obvious.

But overall a great read and I'd recommend!

Thanks for the arc.

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

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Brabinger Publishing, and author Jamie West, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for September 5, 2024.

Murder at the Matinee is book #2 in the Bertie Carroll Mystery series written by author, Jamie West. West is familiar with the theatrical form, having previously worked backstage on countless shows in London's West End, so knows firsthand the history and fascination for theatres and the shows performed in them. His first book, Death on the Pier was published in October 2022.

In Murder at the Matinee, West takes us back in time to 1934, to the Gaiety Theatre, located in London's West End. Steeped in history, the theatre was first established as the Strand Musick Hall in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. In 1868, it became known as the Gaiety Theatre and was, at first, known for music hall and then for musical burlesque, pantomime, and operetta performances. From 1868 to the 1890s, it had a major influence on the development of modern musical comedy.

The story opens with playwright (and amateur sleuth), Bertie Carroll, on his way to the theatre to meet his friend Alice Crawford. Crawford, who was also a playwright, had telephoned Bertie with some distressing news. After a very successful run, the play was finally coming to a close. While reading articles about the play in the newspaper, Alice had come across something that caught her eye. There was an advertisement in the back of a newspaper which read: "Beware patrons of the matinee performance of Alice Crawford's latest thrilling play: Time to Kill. A terrifying and very real murder will be committed in the third act." Seeing this ad brought Alice to a state of high alert. Not knowing what to think - whether the add was a stunt, some sort of prank, or, heaven forbid, real, she phoned Bertie for help.

With a full house for this matinee performance, the play started, and. that was exactly what happened, there was indeed a murder at the matinee.

Working the case alongside an old school friend, Chief Detective Inspector Hugh Chapman, Bertie investigates the mystery and breaks down the list of possible suspects and their motives.

All possibilities, however unlikely, remain possible until they can be disproven.

The cast of characters is moderately high - basically the entire cast and crew of the production together with the theatre employees.

This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the theatrical setting and the author's prior knowledge of the industry certainly helped recreate a more realistic atmosphere.

For this reader though, I thought the characters were a little underdeveloped and I would have liked a little more depth to Bertie especially. This book has been shelved as LGBTQIAP+, with the mc described as a gay playwright detective, but this element in the story is so subtle that it's almost entirely non-existent. I would have liked to have seen that element explored a little more. Maybe that's something that's coming in future books?

The mystery had perfect pacing, but the ending was a little contrived and my belief in the ending was hanging by a thread. I found myself wanting to enjoy this more than I did. Unfortunately, I found myself not really caring for the main characters. Bertie especially, was just too subtle for me.

I finished this one a couple of days ago and have been wavering on my rating. A solid 3.5, but whether to round up or down. I chose down. Would I continue with the series? Yes, I'd very much like to see the author explore the main character - I think Bertie Carroll has a lot to offer.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Brabinger Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A cosy mystery set in 1934 in the West End of London. This is the second book in the series but the first one I have read.
Following the final matinee performance an actor is found dead in one of the dressing rooms. Bertie Carroll teams up with his friend DCI Hugh Chapman to try to solve the crime.
This was a very quick and easy to read book. The story was reasonably entertaining but I did guess the perpetrator early on. The characters didn't really engage me and there was no real sense of the historical setting. Otherwise this was a pleasant read but nothing special.

Nice and cozy murder mystery that, although easily forgettable, provided a good few hours of entertainment for me.

If you´re a fan of Agatha Christie, you´ll probably enjoy this, because it has a similar plot structure (and quite a few references to that author herself), with an amateur sleuth gathering evidence and an ending with all the suspects gathered in one place for the great reveal.
As I said, the old formule always works well. And, since the murder is committed in a theater, I guess that also adds a bit of a show to it (in more than one sense).
I liked the book (it´s the second of a series, but I haven´t read the first one yet), but it´s not that impressive: I guessed who the murderer was and why they did it pretty quickly. The characters (particularly the main ones) were nicely done but I still felt there was something missing... This book was categorized as LGBTQ+ and, althouth Bertie (the protagonist) is queer in a very subtle and almost let´s-not-talk-about-this-in-public way, I didn´t really see anything particylarly queer in this book: If you remove the LGBTQ+ tag of it, I could have perfectly seen Hugh and Bertie´s relationship as some sort of strangled friendship. Maybe, if you pushed it a bit, I could see it as a friendship wanting to be something more (particularly on Bertie´s side, because Hugh is very closeted)... But then I could trick myself into thinking I was imagining things because, you see, there is nothing romantic about this book and what Bertie and Hugh have in the end is just friendship (that has potential to be something more in the following books, I suppose).
Will I keep reading more of this series? That´s the real question.
I´d say, probably. It was cozy and it´s a fast reading so, why not?

Those readers of the first in this series, “Death on the Pier”, who anticipated developments in the friendship between playwright Bertie Carroll and Detective Chief Inspector Hugh Chapman will be delighted that in this novel they do end up in a clinch- but one with absolutely no romantic connection.

They have not communicated in the six months separating the novels and the friendship seems still to be predicated on mild infatuation on Bertie’s side and a kind of protective concern and brotherliness on Hugh’s, albeit that he seems to indulge in mild jealousy when Bertie appears to be interested in another man.

That I have concerned myself primarily with a relationship rather than the mystery elements of “Death at the Matinee” is indicative of two things. Firstly, complex relationships and love lie at the heart of the murder plot. Secondly, that plot is just a tad creaky, with few credible suspects and a solution which occurs to Hugh and Bertie out of the blue, by inspiration rather than investigation.

There are a couple of nods to Agatha Christie-in the newspaper announcement of murder and in the gathering at Romano’s of those interested in the crime to hear the detectives’ explication- but overall I felt the set-up was just too contrived: there was a much simpler way out of the perpetrator’s problems than murder.

“Death at the Matinee” is enjoyable and engagingly-written.The theatre setting is brilliant, and brim full of reality, but the plot is less involving than in the first in the series. I remain intrigued about where Bertie and Hugh’s relationship can go but would suggest that DCI Chapman should resign from Scotland Yard and set up a private detection agency with Bertie. Only when Hugh is freed from official considerations and constraints could the friendship progress in a meaningful way-wherever it ends up.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Brabinger Publishing for the digital review copy.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I love historicals, and the author's deep knowledge of the theatre boded well. Unfortunately, I never ended up caring about any of the characters. Perhaps I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd read the first book in the series... but as it was, it was mostly just a lot of people talking and having things happen to them. There was also some head-hopping, which I hope will get fixed before the final version comes out (but suspect it won't). I'm rounding up to four stars here.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.