A delightful installment in the Phylida Bright Mystery series. Phylida navigates the Bustling London theater scene, investigating murders. I loved the witty dialogue and the historical setting. Charming and well crafted.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When a string of bizarre murders rocks London’s theater scene, Agatha Christie’s housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, must use her sharp wit to solve the case before the killer strikes again.

This is a fun and clever mystery that kept me guessing. While it can be read as a standalone, the series is more enjoyable if read in order. The mystery in this book is a little slow to start, but once it gets going, it’s fast-paced and full of twists.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

MURDER TAKES THE STAGE (Phyllida Bright Mystery Book #4) by Colleen Cambridge is another wonderful addition to this addictive historical mystery series featuring Agatha Christie’s housekeeper, Phyllida Bright. I look forward to reading each new murder mystery and catching up with this memorable cast of characters. Each book can be read as a standalone mystery, but the characters continue to evolve so I have enjoyed and recommend reading them in order.

Phyllida Bright is the housekeeper of Mallowan Hall for her friend Agatha Christie, but Agatha and her husband are in London at the moment to see about a proposed production for one of her plays and she has asked Phyllida to follow to take care of their rented home in the city. Phyllida is anxious about being in London due to her past, which is still a mystery to everyone but Agatha and Phyllida.

Phyllida gets a call to come to the theater and discovers a dead actor on the stage. While it appears to be a death by natural causes, she can’t help being struck by the circumstances. The actor was Archie Allston asleep in an armchair at the Adelphia theater. The very next day, Trent Orkney who is playing Benvolio is found on a stage balcony with his head bashed in at the Belmont theater. When a third victim, Claudia Carmichael is catapulted from the catwalk at the Clapham theater, Phyllida is determined to uncover and stop the killer before they can murder their way through any more of the alphabet.

This is my favorite so far in the series. Besides the fun alliteration and the perfectly paced murder plot, this book finally reveals Phyllida’s secret and the reason she never likes to travel far from Mallowan Hall or be around law enforcement. This book also advances the budding attraction between Phyllida and Bradford, the Mallowan’s chauffeur, but we are still waiting for more of Bradford’s backstory which is only hinted at. Phyllida’s denouement was dramatically given on a theater stage and walked the cast of characters and the reader through all the possibilities, twists, and red herrings which led to the grand reveal of the killer. It was a surprise to me, and I love it when that is the case.

I highly recommend this historical crime mystery series! It is always a must-read for me.

This was a great addition the the Phyllida Bright series! The shift in setting was fun, and it was great to find out more about Mrs. Bright’s past. I especially enjoyed the personal developments and look forward to seeing where that leads. The murders and case were intriguing, though the conclusion wasn’t my favorite… and honestly the cases almost took a backseat to our characters this time for me.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital review copy of this book.

This might be my favorite of the series so far! The reason for the murder was kind of stupid, but I love this series so much. I'm always totally transported into the world of Phyllida Bright anytime I'm reading one of these books.

In this installment, Phyllida,the ever intrepid
housekeeper to Agatha Christie finds herself in London. When there are a couple murders at different theaters, Phyllida is on the case. There seems to be a pattern to the murder. How will Phyllida solve this crime?

This was a very cleverly plotted storyline that
kept me guessing and entertained
throughout the book. I can't wait until the next book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The premise of the book is rather fun. A friend who also serves as Agatha Christie’s housekeeper has a Poirot knack for solving murders. She joins Agatha in London with part of the household and is almost immediately swept up in theatrical deaths. As Phyllida negotiates the highest and the lowest of London life with the aid of the handsome and enigmatic chauffeur, she must try to solve what has become known as the alphabet murders. Like a Christie novel, there are multiple clues that point the reader in all sorts of directions. What Phyllida must do is sort through the genuine facts and discard the tricks.

In the course of the story, she must deal with an obstreperous police inspector who needs to be taken down a peg or two before he begins to value her input. The story unwinds like a Christie novel and her summing up of the facts and revealing the villain is pure Christie. Great fun to read because the characters are so interesting in themselves and the settings are a treat. Five purrs and two paws up.

Murder Takes the Stage is a historical mystery featuring Phyllida Bright, the housekeeper of Agatha Christie, as an amateur detective. Phyllida has traveled to London with Agatha Christie's household and she becomes involved in solving a complex set of murders in the London theatrical community. The victims are in alphabetic order and all have alliterative names ... and there is a long list of suspects.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, and am a big fan of Colleen Cambridge's series featuring Julia Child. This is my first book in the Phyllida Bright series, but it read fine as a standalone. That said, I now really want to go back and read the other books.

This was just a delightful read! Phyllida is a wonderful amateur detective with skills rivaling the ones of Agatha Christie's detectives! I enjoyed the London theater setting, the period details, Phyllida's friendship with Agatha Christie, and her beginning romance with Bradford, who works in the same household.

I have already recommended this book to several friends and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I can now say that Colleen Cambridge is writing TWO of my favorite cozy mystery series!

Content warning: murder, discussions of domestic abuse

In this 4th installment of the Phyllida Bright Mystery series, Cambridge FINALLY gives readers more information about the past that Phyllida has hinted at escaping from. Honestly, the reveal couldn't have played out better than it did... especially with what happened afterwards.

With the setting moved to London for this book, readers are introduced to a new cast of characters... and some familiar faces as well. At the start I wasn't sure if I bought into this series of murders, but by the time Phyllida was slowly piecing the details together, I was hooked. It didn't hurt that this mystery also put two characters closer together. I had some guesses as to who the murderer was and why, but I was wrong on most points and thoroughly enjoyed Phyllida's reveal.

I'm definitely looking forward to the 5th book to see what happens next... especially on some personal, non-murder related fronts.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun and exciting continuation of Miss Bright's story!

I thoroughly enjoyed this fourth novel in the Phyllida Bright Mystery series. The change of scenery from Mallowan Hall to London gave this sequel a boost of energy. As always, Phyllida is on the case and finding the smallest of clues. Being a theatre lover myself, I also enjoyed having the murders take place at West End theaters! The secondary characters are theater actors and provided fantastic foils and red herrings as actors are very adept at lying!

If you're a fan of this series, of course you will want to pick this one up. And if you aren't a fan of this series, why not??? It's so well written that I recommend it to every mystery fan I know.

Off to London goes the Agatha Christie household for town living and a staging of one of Agatha’s plays, if a fiendish murderer doesn’t kill the play before it even gets started. Colleen Cambridge has built a sparkling keen historical cozy mystery series with a fascinating amateur sleuth in the skilled and clever housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, set against the Agatha Christie world.

Murder Takes the Stage is the fourth book in the connected series of standalone murder mysteries that can be read out of order, though are so much better to get all the build of background and character relationships as it happens.

For readers like me who have been dying to know what is the big mystery of Phyllida’s past, and will she and the chauffeur Joshua Bradford progress beyond their needling each other in their unofficial collaborations on Phyllida’s investigations, yes, we move forward significantly on both counts.

Some series, I just like from the beginning. While other series, need to grow on me first. Phyllida has grown on me as have the books in this series so I can say this was the best yet. The mystery part was intriguing and harked back to Christie’s stellar The ABC Murders, but I have to say that finally getting the reveal on Phyllida’s mysterious past was even more satisfying as was Phyllida and Bradford finally acknowledging the sparks they kick off aren’t dislike, but attraction.

I thought I had this mystery figured out, but I got that one wrong all around. I was practically biting my nails as Phyllida engaged with this killer in the final pages. I can now appreciate the humor of Phyllida’s personality and quirks and her serious capability and confidence especially since she was feeling vulnerable and off her game a little with her personal life intruding.

I can’t wait to get the next installmentin the Phyllida Bright mysteries and see Phyllida, Bradford, Agatha, Max and the whole cast sleuthing once again. Historical cozy mystery fans are the target audience and should put this series on the reading list.

Colleen Cambridge once again engages Phyllida Bright to solve murders in Murder Takes the Stage. Phyllida is Agatha Christie's housekeeper and friend who also keeps getting entangled in murder investigation. She and Agatha are in London for Agatha's involvement in the London theatre over the possible staging of one of her mysteries. Actors are targets and Agatha's friends the Satterwaits lost their nephew to the plot. Phyllida is also dogged by her earlier history in threats from a Scotland Yard inspector. Very enjoyable period mystery.

This is the fourth book following the character of Phyllida Bright, who is a housekeeper for Agatha Christie and Max Malloween. This book takes place in London, so it is a bit of a change of scenery from previous books. While the whole series is an homage to Agatha Christie, I feel like this one is the best of the best. This book clearly echoes The ABC Murders. However, Colleen Cambridge has come up with new motives. It will clearly be enjoyed by people who are familiar with Christie’s mysteries, however, this previous knowledge is not a requirement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy. I gave this novel 5 stars. I recommend it to everyone who loves a good mystery. It is the fourth book in the series. I think you could jump in here and enjoy the story, but it would be better to read earlier books firs

Oh how I love these books!! This was, quite simply, a real joy to read from beginning to end.

Phyllida is at the top of her game here, ad the twists and turns take the reader on a crazy journey to a deeply satisfying end that I never saw coming [YAY!]. Every time I was sure I knew what was going on, I was proven wrong and had to start all over with my "killer" list and it was just such a fantastic time and it IS so fun to be proven wrong [probably the ONLY time LOL].

With an excellent cast of characters [including the indomitable Agatha Christie], this is one of the best historical mystery series out there and I am so glad I get the chance to read it and I recommend it to anyone who likes very good mysteries.

Read this series and then dive into The A.B.C. Murders featuring the inscrutable Hercule Poirot as it is one of [IMO] Ms. Christie's best.

Very well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Colleen Cambridge, and Kensington Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Phyllida is back and wonderful as always.

This time we leave the countryside and join the household in London, where a series of mysterious murders suddenly start happening in various theatres - all with a little hint of an ABC Murders-vibe. As always Phyllida is a darn delight, the household is wonderful, and this time there's even a little sprinkle of romance in Phyllida's life! Utterly delightful. Loved every moment.

Deliciously Diabolical…
A deliciously diabolical plot in the fourth outing in this joyous series featuring the eminently capable Phyllida Bright, sometime amateur sleuth and the housekeeper at Mallowan Hall home to, none other than the Queen of Mystery herself, Agatha Christie and her household. This time a death onstage at the theatre causes great consternation, particularly when it becomes clear that it was no death by natural causes as was initially presumed. It is not too long before widespread panic ensues … and Phyllida steps up. Slipping easily into Phyllida’s atmospheric world once again, the reader delves into a well crafted whodunit and a wholly entertaining plot populated with a well drawn, colourful and eccentric cast of supporting characters and told with both elegance and wit. So enjoyable that the reader will not want to leave and will eagerly be awaiting the next in the series. Christie fans will be sure to be utterly charmed

Thanks to @netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated here are solely my own.

Synopsis:
Phyllida Bright, esteemed housekeeper of Agatha Christie, and part-time sleuth, has yet another case to solve. She has traveled to London with Agatha and her husband Max Mallowan as they are there for the theater scene. An actor is found dead on stage at the Adelphi Theater and Phyllida's detecting skills are called upon by theater guru couple, the Satterwights. Unfortunately, she comes upon many roadblocks, including Scotland Yard, and more bodies, all related to various theaters in London. Can Phyllida solve what appears to be an alphabetic killer's crimes, or will this be her own final performance...?

Opinion:
I ADORED this 4th installment of the Phyllida Bright mysteries. The tie-in with Agatha Christie makes this even more enjoyable and reminiscent of good old-fashioned murder mysteries. Mrs. Bright is a strong female character and has a huge amount of fortitude and gumption for solving murders while attending to her regular job as a housekeeper. I love all of the recurring characters from the previous novels, such as Bradford, the driver, and the fun cast of Agatha's household staff. I did not guess the killer until the big 'Poirot-inspired' reveal at the end, and look forward to seeing Phyllida's future adventures in sleuthing! Excellent book!

I've really enjoyed following Phyllida's story through the last 3 books and book 4 was no exception. I wont write any spoilers but all I can say is I certainly went WOO at a couple points in the book. Phyllida is smart and funny and tries so hard to be proper. It was also really nice to get some additional back story on her past. Can't wait to see what dead body turns up next!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC!

The best book in the series so far.

This has always been a solidly plotted and well written historical mystery series, but previously I’ve preferred Cambridge’s An American in Paris series, partly because the setting and atmosphere were better, and mostly because I just didn’t like Phyllida all that much.

Tabitha was a much easier sell, and I’m happy to report that Phyllida is finally starting to grow on me. I thought the setting and atmosphere were notably well done here, even though I find murder at the theater to be a shopworn mystery trope. Here the location and details were used well to build a story, and the mystery itself is well structured, well paced, and a fun nod to a Christie original.

Book 4 of the Phyllida Bright series but this is the first one I have read. It read well as a standalone but I wish I had read the others first simply for the character building I missed out on. A fun, cozy, yet gripping mystery! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough in the 2nd half. Truly Agatha Christie style - lighthearted but well-built storyline. Would love to read more by this author.

Thanks to Net Galley, Colleen Cambridge, and Kensington Publishing for the ARC and chance to give my honest feedback!