A new author to me but as the story is set in pre-war London, I chose it. I am very familiar with that area of the city. If you like Agatha Christie, then you will like this. A very genteel background to murder in the theatre. There are hints at a potential relationship between Bertie and Hugh, we shall wait and see. Lots of suspects, lots of changes of scenery as you would expect in the theatre. Easy and quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC

This book starts when playwright Bertie Carroll is called by his friend and rival playwright Alice Crawford, worried about an advert for her current play in The Era telling people to watch that day's matinee as there will be a murder in act three of her play. Except that's not part of the script. What ensues is a whodunit with many suspects, from cast members, those behind the scenes, journalists, and others in the profession, including Bertie himself. All have alibis, only some have a motive. Bertie is also reunited with his old school friend Inspector Hugh Chapman for only the second time since they left school (yes, the first time also involved a murder).

This is the second in a series, I haven't read the first, but it could absolutely be read as a standalone. What I particularly enjoyed about this book, as well as the mystery, was the setting of 1930s West End London, when 'the talkies' were in their infancy, and the theatre, and theatre actors, were massive. I also liked the little details, the things you don't even think about when you watch a play. I could tell just how much the theatre means to the author (he has had a long career workingin London's West End).

Another important aspect is this was a time when homosexuality was still illegal and punishable by imprisonment in the UK. There's clearly chemistry between Bertie and Hugh, but they can't act on it, especially given that Hugh is a police officer. But it's handled with complete discretion, it's hinted at massively but never mentioned explicitly, which really evokes the era and secrecy around sexuality then.

I really like Jamie West's writing, and there are some brilliant lines. My favourite quote was about one of the suspects: "She was determined to answer on her own two feet." To take a well-known expression and turn it into something new, I thought it was brilliant. I recommend reading this upon publication in September, and I intend on getting my hands on the first book and giving it a go.

This was the second in the series about the playwright Bertie Carroll and his policeman friend, DCI Hugh Chapman.
I enjoyed it as I love anything to do with the theatre; old and new and you can tell that the author has a passion for the theatre. It does have a few similarities to some Agatha Christie Poirot novels (announcement, typewriter, secretary, gathering at the end, etc. etc.) but it has a good mix of characters and “old school” detective work.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

A newspaper advert says that there will be a murder at a theatre in the West End of London, and murder mystery playwright Bertie Carroll is unavoidably caught up in it when a rival playwright calls and asks for his help.
Bertie is thrown together with old friend inspector Hugo Chapman as they work to find the killer.
All is not as it seems and everyone and anyone could be the murderer, even Bertie himself.
A fairly easy read, along the lines of Richard Osman.
Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC

‘death on the pier’ was in fact the first netgalley arc i was approved for in 2022 so getting approved for this felt like a very nice full circle moment.

‘murder at the matinee’ is for the cozy crime lovers and the theatre fans and i’m both so i very much enjoyed this, with it’s detailed and clear descriptions of 1930s london and the theatre scene at the time. bertie carroll is a great main character and the time spent with the eclectic and varied side characters made the story remain interesting. i will definitely be reading the next one.

Was hoping for good things from this with so many people saying it resembled Agatha Christie for me it did not resemble Agatha Christie I found the writing style too simplistic. I didn’t really get a good Sense of place or character which Agatha Christie is so good at doing so all in all this was not the book for me please see below for an example of the writing style
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC


An ominous twilight hung over the scene as they departed in the police car. Bertie insisted he was dropped off at the nearest underground station even though Hugh had offered to drive him all the way home. He was taking a late night visit to the fingerprint bureau at Scotland Yard to see if he could get the note tested for what he kept calling latent impressions .

📚 Book Review 📚

A golden age whodunnit, written with a bit of flair and pizzaz; this is a fun, enjoyable read.

This is the second book in a series involving playwright Bertie and his old school friend, DCI Hugh Chapman. I haven’t read the first instalment, but it made no difference to my enjoyment. It’s a good mystery with a couple of nods to my favourite, Agatha Christie, which I loved. The message in the newspaper, the typewriter and the final reveal are all very Agatha-esque and added to the charm of this read.

I did guess the identity of the murderer but I wasn’t sure how it was done, so the reveal was a great one for me! I really enjoyed this book and I’m really looking forward to reading more by Jamie West, what a fab find!

I’d like to thank Brabinger Publishers, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

Book released on 5th September 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a murder mystery set in the 1930's that revolves around the Gaiety Theatre with the main character Bertie who is a playwright and part time would be detective. Lots of twists and turns in the story after Bertie together with his friend and detective Hugh try to discover the murderer of one of the main characters in the current play. All this action occurs after the murder had been predicted in the local media.
This is a very good read and reflects the times it is set in perfectly.

1930s pre-war London West End.
Playwright Bertie Carroll investigates a murder at a theatre, aided by his fellow playwright Alice Crawford, and London detective Hugh Chapman
The atmosphere is beautifully evoked, the oddities and rivalries of theatre folk, and also the attitude to anyone who doesn’t quite fit the mould, as do a lot of the characters. Bertie and Hugh would like to be more than friends, but have to be circumspect, Alice is a successful single woman.
There are a lot of golden age references, many red herrings, wonderful descriptions of theatre life, and an Agatha Christie type ending with all the interested parties collected together.

However, although enjoyable, there is a lot of “cosy crime” about at the moment, and this book doesn’t shine.

Thanks to Netgalley and Brabinger Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

"...you're the one who's done this before. How do we go about solving a murder?"

I do love a whodunnit.

The second installment in the Bertie Carroll Mysteries series sees Bertie Carroll back in the middle of a golden-age-style whodunnit, set against the backdrop of the Gaiety Theatre in London. When Bertie recieves a call from fellow playright/rival Alice Crawford, he doesnt expect to be in the middle of another murder mystery. After all, the threatening note stating that there will be a very real murder in the third act of the play on closing night can't be anything more than a hoax right? The cast of the play seem to think so, until the body of the male lead, Anthony Debenham, is found hours after the matinee performance. Bertie must once again team up with his old school friend Hugh Chapman to find the killer, but no one is above suspicion. Can they work together to unravel the mystery of this seemingly inprobable murder?

I really love a classic whodunnit. I grew up watching Midsomer Murders with my dad, always being excited when he'd guess the killer within the first half hour, meanwhile all my guesses ended up being the next victim. This book really felt like a love letter to the golden age of whodunnit murder mysterious, as well as the old fashioned theatreland of the London West End. I loved the discovery of the murder, the way there was no solid explination for the killer getting in and out undetected. I also really loved the subversion of it focusing a lot on Bertie's investigation rather than Hughs as it really felt like something I could follow along with.

The cast of this book are really really interesting. Although its a relativley small cast of chracters, they all add soemthing to the story. Alice was really interesting. Once we got past the 'they're still so in love, I oculd never be like that it would tire me' i found her a bit more interesting. I could never figure out if she had something to do with the note, maybe to drive up sales for her play. It made for a really interesting read trying to figure out her motives. My mind almost immediatley drifted to thinking it's always the wife, but that was more because I always said that watching Midsomer. But I think Katherine may have been my favourite character. she really embodied the glitz, glamour and dramatics from 1930s theatreland. I kept flitting between her and Alice as to who I thought did it, sometimes thinking maybe it was Margo, but each character was crafted so carefully, that I thought they all could have plausibly done it, but also thinking that I didn't want any of them to be the killer.

As it is the second book in the series, I didn't think I was able to connect with Bertie and Hugh as much as I wanted to. Whilst this book can be read as a standalone, there is just enough intrigue into Bertie and HUgh's past, and enough mention of what happened in Brighton for me to not fully understand their dynamic, but that's mostly on me for not reading the first book before delving into this one.

It was a shorter read than I was expecting, but it really worked well. It meant there were never any filler scenes. The pacing of the book really worked well , from the beginning, to the murder, to the investigation, to the reveal. My favourite part of the book was the reveal. Having evryone in one room while they talked it out is my favourite way of finding out who the killer is. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I thought it was so well done. I liked that it never felt out of left field, the whole explanation felt like it made sense.

All in all this was really enjoyable, and I was happy to see at the end that Bertie and Hugh will return. This was a 4 star read for me

ARC provided by Brabinger through NetGalley, thank you for the opportunity to read this early copy, all thoughts are my own.

A golden age style murder mystery set in the Gaiety theatre and surrounding areas in London in 1934. I have not read the first book in the series but I found it easy to read as a standalone novel. The information in the appendix about the theatre was very interesting.

This is a great old time murder mystery. Like a great game of Clue almost. You will fall in love with the characters and wo t be able to put this down. Love it!!!

A cosy mystery set in 1934 in the West End of London. The story follows police officer Hugh from Scotland Yard and his old school friend Bertie, a playwright, as they team up to solve a murder at the Gaiety Theatre.

The plot is straightforward but engaging, with a variety of lively characters from the theatre world - perfect for lovers of golden age detective stories.
A perhaps slightly predictable but entertaining read - I look forward to future instalments in the series.

Set in the 1930's, this is a murder mystery set in the Gaiety theatre.
Hugh, a police officer from Scotland Yard, leads the investigation, with help from Bertie, a playwright with knowledge of the theatre.
Hugh and Bertie are school friends and possibly lovers. This is illegal at the time, so the romance is very subtle, with an air of longing for what could be.
The plot isn't very complicated, although there are lots of suspects to eliminate.
Bertie's theatre friends are lively and fun. Gertie, Bertie's indomitable secretary, is great, I would like to see more of her.
The tone of the book is very gentle, it reminds me of Agatha Christie. This is the second in the series and I enjoyed meeting Hugh and Bertie again. I look forward to the next one! Recommended.

I found this to be an enjoyable story very much in the vein of the golden age of detective fiction. I found the choice to make Bertie openly gay to the reader, if not to most of the characters, a refreshing choice that added a dynamic that was not openly explored in the 30s and 40s.

The story was well rooted in it's time and location, as well as in the world of theatre. As someone who doesn't know a lot about the mechanics of theatre, I found this element very interesting. It reminded me a lot of Ngaio Marsh's theatre novels, in particular Enter a Murderer.

I think West did maybe too good of a job of ensuring the breadcrumbs were laid for the reader to work out the murderer, as I worked out who it was almost immediately. I didn't find that I was persuaded that anyone else could be the murderer through the novel, which cemented West's commitment to fairplay but turned the story into more of a howdoneit than a whodoneit.

Overall this is a solid example of the genre with an interesting take, but I would have liked a little more mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Brabinger Publishing for the ebook ARC, this has been a good fun book to read and review.

This was a nice cozy crime read. Since I am a fan of not only the theater but also Agatha Christie, this ticked all the right boxes for me. If you enjoy a historical murder mystery, this could be for you.

Not for me I am afraid. The writing style is simplistic with very little character building of note. A cosy crime that I guessed very quickly. So I skipped to the last chapters to see if I was right, and I was.

I liked the setting. A good cast of characters. The lead amateur detective, Bertie, shows promise as a character alongside the actual detective, Hugh.


I do think this book will be popular, despite the drawbacks for me.

I read a copy provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

Thanks to Brabinger Publishing and Net Galley for this ARC. I had hoped Death of the Pier would not be a stand alone novel so was so pleased to see a sequel. This is more or a howdunit rather than a whodunit; I guessed the murderer very early on but couldn't work out how it was done. The plot in this sense is very good though. I really enjoyed the character development too and do really hope there will be a third.

Excellent golden age style mystery with a theatrical leaning; this is the second in the Bertie and Hugh series and I’m sure could be enjoyed as a standalone. (Do read Death on the Pier though, it’s very good fun too).

As a classic detective mystery it ticks all the boxes, and as a piece of insight into lost theatres and theatreland in the 30s it also excels. West’s love of the genre, and of theatre, shine through and make this series really special.

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.