This is book 2 of the Bertie Carroll Mysteries. Bertie Carroll is a famous playwright, who is asked by a rival, Alice Crawford, to unravel a mystery of the ad placed in The Era saying there will be a murder during act 3 of the final matinee performance of her play at the Gaiety Theatre. Bertie is intrigued by the notion and sets about finding out why in this Golden Age Whodunnit! Shortly afterwards, a body is discovered, enter stage right, Detective Chief Inspector Hugh Chapman of Scotland Yard! I love how the characters are written and how they interact with each other. Hugh asking Bertie to help solve the crime was a delight as their dynamic is brilliant. All the sub plots with a few red herrings thrown in, lead this plot to a exhilarating conclusion! More Bertie, Hugh and Gertie please.

"Renowned murder mystery playwright Bertie Carroll returns, this time in London's West End, to solve the mystery of an impossible murder and the newspaper advert that preceded it.

Following on from the success of Death on the Pier, gay playwright detective Bertie Carroll returns for the second book in this golden-age-style whodunnit series, set in the exciting world of theatreland in 1930s London.

An unexpected phone call from a rival playwright puts Bertie centre stage in another mystery. Can he help unravel the motive behind a mysterious newspaper advert that boldly declares a murder will take place during a show's third act? There's only one problem, there is no murder in the third act of the play!

When a victim is discovered and the police are brought in, Bertie and Inspector Hugh Chapman get thrown awkwardly back together as they both work to find the killer.

The spotlight falls on each suspect in turn and, this time, even Bertie is not above suspicion. But can rivalries and differences be put aside to solve this devious murder?"

I love the trope of announcing a murder will happen, combine it with theatrical thrills, and this is just the book for me.

Jamie West has delivered another fun, cosy, exciting murder mystery with Murder at the Matinee.

I loved being back with Bertie and Hugh and the theatre. I was so sad when I thought they weren’t going to be working together and was so glad when I’d been over dramatically wrong.

Bertie is such an easy character to love. He’s gentle and affable and I think it’s him more than anything that makes me classify these books as cosy. It’s like settling in with an old friend.

The murder mystery was fun. Another somewhat closed-door mystery, which I don’t read nearly enough of. I didn’t pick the murderer at all, though I’m never very good at that to begin with, but it sure kept me guessing.

If you’re looking for a light murder mystery to read in the upcoming season, I definitely recommend picking this one up.

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.

For me, this was a welcome return of Bertie and life in he 1930’s. Jamie West is very good at setting the scene for this period. The storyline is good, everything is believable and I like the characters. Waiting for Jamie’s third novel in this series now!

A quick and fun read, with well-developed characters, albeit not all of them pleasant. I guessed the murderer early on in the book, but it was fun to follow the investigative process as they were unmasked. Although it is the second book in this new-to-me series, I didn’t feel that I had missed any background, and shall probably read the first of the Bertie Carroll mysteries before too long.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read early for an honest review. I’ve read the first book in this series and was excited for another chance to hang out with Bertie and Hugh.

This one starts with a good hook - an advert says a real murder will occur in act three. When Bertie tries to lend his support to his friend Alice, he ends up in the middle of another murder mystery. This one had some good misdirection and plenty of suspects. Also, the background of the historical theater is always entertaining. I’m not sure why Bertie gets so much leeway to help Hugh solve these mysteries, but it was a solidly enjoyable mystery.

This is the second book in the Bertie Carroll mysteries. It does stand alone but I do think the reader may find it a bit more enjoyable having read the first as there is a background which is mentioned often. If you’ve not thought, then it is still enjoyable on its own.

I was really anticipating this second book as I loved the first, and Jamie does not let us down. We meet new characters, a new theatre (!!), old friends are reacquainted, and murder is afoot!

Loved this, and I did not have a clue who did it!

Another triumph by Jamie

My thanks to Netgalley and Brabinger Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've not read the first book in this series, but I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery! The West End is always a killer setting for me (pun intended), and I think it allows for many layers to a mystery. Bertie is a great protagonist and I will be watching for further books in the series to see if his story/world expands. The ending was slightly expected, but that's okay with me- I don't expect every single mystery I read to catch me entirely off-guard.

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.

Firstly, Thanks to Netgally, Jamie and Brabinger books for allowing me read this in advance. I absolutely loved this second instalment of the classic detective mystery. I read this in less than 24 hours. We follow Bertie, the murder mystery playwright and his detective inspector friend Hugh on another murder mystery play turning in a. real life murder mystery. Bertie always seems to end up in this situation! His love for writing the murder mystery, his clever ideas and unique view allows him to help Hugh discover the truth of the real life murder.

I would class this as a "cosy murder mystery". The way Jamie writes the endings when all the clues and evidence is presented in front of all involved creates great tension and suspense.

If you are a fan of a classic whodunnit, Murder at the Matinee is just for you.

This is the second book in the Bertie Carroll series by Jamie West. I was fortunate to receive the first book 'Death on the Pier' through Netgalley two years ago (my very first book review on social media), and now have been equally fortunate to receive Murder at the Matinee. I would describe this series as Cosy Crime, on the background of theatreland. Set in the Golden Age of theatre, Bertie is a playwright who finds himself entangled in murders. Is he a bad omen, or a lucky charm? I like this series as they are well written and easy to read. The characters are likeable, and they keep you guessing about who the culprit is. I like that Jamie also includes a lot about the theatre scene, on stage, backstage, and after hours. Can't wait for book 3!

I would probably describe this as a cozy mystery murder.
Set in the Gaiety theatre where a play written by Alice is coming to the end of its run
An announcement in the press that a murder will take place makes Alice reach out to Bertie, a friend and playwright who has helped solved cases before
Several relationships are revealed and plenty of past history
Hugh, an old school friend of Berties is the investigating Officer, they have worked together in the past
Enjoyed reading could see it as a tv series

As an aficionado of 1920s and 1930s crime novels I was looking forward to reading this book and it didn't disappoint. Bertie Carroll is an affable playwright who is trying to help out Alice his friendly rival playwright as her play has the spectre of murder looming over it. Using both his knowledge of the world of theatre and previous connections with the police, Bertie works to uncover the truth before further danger occurs.

I liked this book and thought it was well paced with some good twists along the way. I liked the description of contemporary London and the haunts of the theatre crowd as fun little details. Sometimes the wisecracking of the characters was a bit jarring (e.g. when they're reenacting the crime scene) but overall it fit with the light-hearted tone of the writing which doesn't take itself too seriously. There were also a couple of loose ends that weren't quite wrapped up but I'm not sure if that is a deliberate choice for inclusion in future books in the series.

One caveat is that I haven't read the first book yet and unlike similar detective books I think it probably does matter if you read them in order. There are a lot of references to the first book as part of the character building so I'd recommend reading chronologically (unlike myself!). I'll now be seeking out the first one so I'm more prepared for future books :)

A fun read with an enjoyable setting. I didn’t realise it was part of a series but it’s quite possible to read and enjoy as a one-off. Well paced.

Murder at the Matinee by Jamie West


Firstly, my thanks to NetGalley, Brabinger Publishing and the author Jamie West for the advanced reading copy of this book in return for an honest review! This book is expected to be published on 5 September 2024.

This book is the 2nd in a series of whodunnits with Bertie Carroll, a gay playwright and is set in the West End Theatre scene in the 1930’s.

The writing is good, a nice flow, somewhat Agatha Christie style, with interesting characters. I enjoyed the subtlety of his male relationships and was hoping he would find love.

I was racing through it but, unfortunately, I worked out whodunnit and how very early on. Such a pity because it managed to evoke the 1930’s and the feel of theatre land - I could almost smell the greasepaint!

A good read! Given I’d worked it out I can only give it 3 stars!

Three stars!

This book will be reviewed on Goodreads, Facebook and Amazon UK!

Well about all I can say is it was a nice book. Set in the 1930’s it was written in that style too I’m sure if you like that sort of book you’ll enjoy it, I found in uninspiring

An enjoyable whodunnit set in an interesting time and curious detectives as the main characters.
If you love stories where several suspects have subjective justifications to have committed the crime, this is a good, quick read for you.
4/5 for the setting. 3.5 for the plot and the characterisation.
3/5 for the prose.

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.

Maybe a good, easy holiday read. but quite simplistic, and easy to guess the ending. Enjoyed the first one, but probably won't be back for the third.