The fourth Phyllida Bright mystery finds her in London with Agatha Christie, who is working on staging a play adaption of one of her books. Phyllida is soon drawn into a series of murders happening in the theater scene where people with alliterative names are being murdered (a fun nod to "inspiration" to the A.B.C. Murders).

I loved this one! I really enjoy this series, and this was a great addition. It was a fun change of scenery, with the same supporting characters. I also love the character development we get with Phyllida here! Even if you are not familiar with Agatha Christie's works, this mystery series would still be enjoyable. However, for those of us who love Christie, all the nods are added fun! Can't wait for the next one in this series!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy this series! Love the Agatha Christie Easter eggs and Bradford is a love. The mystery had many layers and was intriguing all the way through

Murder Takes the Stage is the 4th book in the Phyllida Bright Mystery series and I hope there will be many more to come. Not only is Phyllida an interesting main character in her own right but she happens to work for one of the most beloved mystery authors of our time! Agatha Christie! With the help of Agatha and some other sidekicks Phyllida effortlessly catches the culprit all the while maintaining her role as housekeeper extraordinaire! The mystery was well-planned but I did feel the story lagging in some spots so it wasn't my favorite in the series so far but I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Phyllida Bright takes the 1930s London Theater District by storm as our intrepid amateur detective returns for a thrilling encore performance. Colleen Cambridge’s Murder Takes the Stage is an atmospheric delight that pulls the curtain back on the historic West End.

Phyllida, Agatha Christie’s fictional housekeeper, finds herself at odds with her latest assignment when Dame Agatha and Mr. Max descend on London for an extended stay. Phyllida is prepared to lord over the rented Gantry House and its new chef—the hilariously ornery Monsieur Chardonnay—when she is summoned to the Adelphi Theater to inspect the dead body of the show’s star. While the acclaimed actor is believed to have died of natural causes, Phyllida is forced to reconsider her findings once another dead man is discovered at the Belmont Theater. The theater community is spooked, and it’s up to Phyllida to catch a cunning killer before the curtain comes down on her…permanently.

I loved being back in Phyllida’s world. Her no-nonsense approach to the world is so refreshing; she knows what she wants and how to get it. While she rules the household staff with an iron fist, she deftly interrogates her suspects with a gentle hand. She investigates with such poise and style; as an avid mystery reader, I appreciate how her analytical mind works.

Experiencing the London theater scene through Phyllida’s eyes was also fun and engaging. What surprised me most was that readers got another viewpoint in this installment. I don’t want to spoil things, but let’s just say I am very happy with the way Phyllida’s personal relationships are progressing in this series. Cambridge walks a perfect line of romantic intrigue while keeping Phyllida focused on the mystery. This cast has so many wonderful supporting characters, and they shine as an ensemble.

London’s West End comes alive in Murder Takes the Stage, and Phyllida navigates this enchanting environment with grace and flair. Readers also get some long-awaited answers about her past, and I cannot wait to see what challenges await Phyllida in her next case!

Phillida Bright, Agatha Christie’s housekeeper, is back to solve another murder and it was a delight to see her again. Christie may have one of her plays opening on a London stage. While she meets with the producers she has brought Bright, her chauffeur Bradford and several other members of her staff to London. At the Adelphi Theater Archie Allston, an actor, was found dead on the stage. Agatha was meeting with Melissa and Hugh Satterwait, the producers, and requested Bright’s presence to determine whether his death was due to natural causes. For some reason Bright would prefer not to be present when Scotland Yard is called, but when a second body is found the next night it is unavoidable. This time the victim was Trent Orkney. He was cast as Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet at the Belmont Theater. Trent was the Satterwait’s nephew and Melissa enlists Bright’s help to find the murderer before another death occurs. The paper has dubbed him the alphabet killer and the Scotland Yard detective who is handling the case has made a connection between Bright and a past case. He threatens to reopen that case if she gets in his way.

Bright also has trouble back home.dealing with a temperamental chef, Monsieur Chardonnay. With an attitude, an obviously fake name and an occasional slip in his accent, he presents a real challenge. She also has to deal with her feelings for Bradford. While he has teased her in the past, he is always there for her. She is afraid to reveal what occurred in her past, fearing that it could destroy their relationship. Colleen Cambridge has developed this relationship over the past entries in this series and Bright finally realizes that she can fully trust him. Like Christie’s Poirot and Marple, Bright gathers her suspects for a final reveal with a surprising twist. It will leave you hoping that Phillida Bright will soon return with a new mystery. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this book.

One of my favorite series has another winning book! Great characters, interesting story lines and a good job with creating settings reflecting the time period. Love the way the book title reflects the plot. Hurry up and write another!Thanks to #NetGalley and #MurderTakesTheStage for advanced digital copy.

My favorite of the series. There is more action in Murder Takes the Stage and lots of variety in the settings and characters with an interesting twist in the end. I didn’t guess “who done it” with this one.

The latest in the Phyllida Bright series does not disappoint. I was so excited to get an early access to this one, as it's a series that I always keep an eye out for.

For those of you who've read, or might be new to the books, each of the Bright novels coincides with on of Christie's Poirot mysteries (at least so far!) and this one brings us to the ABC Murders. A title I've heard of, though haven't quite reached in my Christie catalogue, so that kept it as all a fresh look for me. I do like looking for the little easter eggs and nods, so I'll have to get hustling before the next release!

We finally get some answers too, as we move from Mallowan Hall to London, where Phyllida has a past. Where her marriage ended. We've gotten hints that her marriage was a period she had no desire to relive, and that things were left fairly unresolved. Here, we get the whole story.

What about Bradford? One of my favorite characters, and his involvement in the book did not disappoint.

Possibly my favorite book of the series so far, if you haven't met Phyllida Bright yet, you're missing out! This beloved, competent housekeeper for Agatha Christie is a natural born detective.

Since I had read and enjoyed the previous books in this series, I was delighted to get the chance to read an advance copy of this book, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I alternated between reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook, and I thought it was great in both forms. I was happy to read more about the amateur detective, Phyllida Bright, who became more down to earth in this novel. I enjoyed the change of venue to London for this installment. Phyllada is asked to investigate a death for a friend, so perhaps future books will have her becoming a "proper" detective. Once again, I like that Agatha Christie is only a minor character, and that the murders Phyllida solves become the inspiration for Christie's books. Jennifer Dixon did a great job narrating the audiobook; it was a very enjoyable listening experience. I look forward to reading more in this series. I highly recommend this book and the series.

This series just gets better and better. I was completely immersed in this book and all the drama that ensued. I LOVE Phyllida Bright's character and how much she has developed and become more and more endearing. She is a product of her time, but also as we learn more about her past, is breaking many molds. She will not let the men talk down to her just for being a women and gets to SHINE at the end as she dramatically unravels the many mysteries that became entangled in this book. Also it is SO FUN to see these fictional events and how they fictionally inspired Agatha Christie's own mystery books. I was SHOCKED by the ending, so happy about the budding romance, and enjoyed everything about this book.

I already cannot wait for more!

I am addicted to historical mysteries and when they include actual people in history, they are even better!

The author takes Phyllida, a maid in the Agatha Christie household and turns her into a sleuth. When the death of an actor in London occurs, Agatha has Phyllida try to solve the mystery.

Lovely and fun!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily. I was absolutely charmed by the rest of this cozy mystery series, so I was anxious to get my hands on this new novel. It was just as good as its predecessors. The fact that the main character is set in the writer Agatha Christie’s world is just part of the charm.

I love that Phyllida is a bright and resourceful older woman in charge of her own life. She’s a housekeeper to Agatha Christie, who is also her friend. Christie trusts her to take care of the household and handle any number of things that come up, as well as be a sounding board regarding her writing. Phyllida, as an amateur sleuth herself, has questions regarding means and motive that she either figures out for herself, or asks her friend a few questions for clarification. However, Agatha is not a major character in the book, either.

The Phyllida Bright series is written in the style of a Christie novel, and since it written in the same time period, you could call it Christie-adjacent. There’s well-developed characterization of the cast of culprits, and tiny clues are sprinkled throughout. And in typical Christie fashion, there’s a round-up of suspects as Phyllida lays out the case as she’s solved it. It’s a lovely journey to go on with her, even though the matter is murder.

Colleen Cambridge has become one of my favorite writers for this excellent series.

1930s The Christie's household have moved to London, but soon Phyllida Bright is called to the Aldelpi Theatre as her reputation has preceeded her, and where there has been a suspicious death. Then another, and so the Alphabet Killer or correctly the Alliteration Killer is born. Can she solve the case before another death.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its likeable characters supported by a cast of varied personalities. Another good addition to this enjoyable series
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


(Such a pity that Americanisms have been used, it doesn't take much effort to use actual English

Phillida Bright is in London with her employer, Agatha Christie, who is there to promote the new play she has written. Phillida is the housekeeper for the woman at her home in Devon. They have brought the butler, several housemaids, and a chauffeur with them and have hired a French chef to cook for them.

As her employer is a well-known author of Hercule Poirot mysteries, Phillida has also helped Agatha and others solving some difficult mysteries.

At the theater a death has occurred, but it appears to be natural. Close behind, a murder occurs at another theater. When a third murder happens at yet another theater, they are being called the ABC murders as the word titles all start with the same letter. Agatha asks Phillida to step in with her sleuthing talents to try and solve these murders.

I’ve only read one other of this author’s mysteries and found it written well. I admit that at times, this story seemed to drag somewhat but there were also good spots. I like the sparring with the butler who is a pompous man and I also liked her budding relationship with Mr. Bradford, the chauffeur. As a Hercule Poirot fan, I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Let me start by saying that I always say that I am not a huge fan of historical mysteries. However, this author has proven me wrong! I tend to find historical themes to be boring, but the author has done such a great job and how she set up the protagonist as a housekeeper for Agatha, Christie and built the story around that. Oh my goodness, I’m hooked!

"Murder Takes the Stage" is a mystery set in 1930 in England. This is the 4th book in the series. You don't need to read the previous novel to understand this one. The household is in London because Agatha's trying to get one of her stories made into a play. A director and friend of Agatha asks Phyllida to investigate murder and creates a cover story that she's a newspaper reporter. People were quite happy to talk with her, and she maneuvered the conversation to topics she was interested in. She was quick to spot clues and logically consider possibilities.

This was probably the best mystery in the series. I initially thought it was a certain person for reasons Phyllida gave at the end, but one of the final, critical clues made whodunit guessable to both reader and Phyllida, though Phyllida hid the name until her Big Reveal. Phyllida becoming more likable as the series progresses. Historical details were woven into the story, bringing the time and place alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. There was occasional use of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.

Phyllida Bright, housekeeper to Agatha Christie and husband Sir Max Mallowan, is in London with her employers when she is asked to look into a series of murders of actors in theaters. The killer appears to be moving through the alphabet (foreshadowing The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie), and Phyllida must determine how the murders are linked and solve the mystery before the murderer gets too far along in the alphabet. This is a fun read with lots of details about 1930s London and the theater scene. More of Phyllida's past is also revealed, making parts of this book easier to follow for readers who have read previous books in the series, but it works as a standalone. At the end of the novel Phyllida gathers all of the suspects together (a la Hercule Poirot) to reveal the murderer; I found this part of the book slow-going, with a lot of false starts ("You could have been the murderer! But you weren't. It could have been you! But it wasn't."), and I skimmed most of the final scene. Overall an enjoyable read between 3 and 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the eARC.

I loved everything about this book!!!! I'm already a fan of Phyllida Bright so it's very easy to enjoy the rest of this cozy mystery. The theatre based illiteration of the crime scenes made each one memorable and was a twisted clue in it's own way. This is Book#4 featuring Agatha Christie's housekeeper Phyllida, who proves herself a match for any criminal around. Each book is a stand alone but together they make a delightful......did I really say delightful.....read for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

I love the premise of this series (and since this is the first book I've read in the series I will definitely be going back to the first three books). It centers on Agatha Christie's fictional housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, who has Poirot or Miss Marple-like detecting abilities. In Murder Takes the Stage, the Christie household finds itself in London, where Agatha is meeting with theater producers about bringing one of her stories to the stage. Phyllida's investigative skills are called upon after two actors die on-stage: Archibald Allston in an armchair onstage at the Adelphia Theater, apparently of natural causes, and the actor portraying Benvolio with his head bashed in at the Belmont Theater. The alliterative and alphabetic nature of the deaths leads to speculation that a deranged killer is at large, targeting London's theatrical community, and Phyllida Bright is hired to investigate by the aunt of the second victim, juggling her household duties with interviewing suspects and juggling admirers while parrying with the local Scotland Yard detective who doesn't want her interfering with his case. A twisty plot, Cambridge is so good at misdirection that I couldn't guess who the killer was but did a forehead slap when it was revealed. I love the characters and their interactions, the setting of post-WWII London, and the creative concept of inserting an "amateur detective" into Agatha Christie's household, whose cases appear to give the author some story inspirations.

This series just keeps getting better and better as it goes along and while it is definitely character-driven in that regard, the plots are also nothing to sneeze at either.

In this outing, Phyllida, intrepid housekeeper to Agatha Christie, finds herself in London investigating nefarious deeds in the theatre venue. There appears to be a pattern in the murders...or is there? Very cleverly plotted storyline that kept me guessing and entertained throughout the book.

And while I enjoyed that mystery and the different urban setting of London, it was the further unveiling of the mysterious Mrs. Bright's past that kept me mesmerized. She had always been a bit of a mystery herself, but with this outing the reader begins to see what has shaped her from her past into the strong and independent (dare I say formidable?) woman that she is now. Very enlightening and a bit heartbreaking as well.

I was also thrilled to have Bradford (Agatha's chauffeur) take a big role in this one as his and Phyllida's sometimes combative, sometimes flirtatious takes a decided turn forward...and in the right direction (wink, wink). Bradford, another mysterious character, is absolutely swoon-worthy and a total hero in every sense of the word here.

I'm excited to see where things go from here as the reader now knows much more about our fearless heroine.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the free early arc of Murder Takes the Stage for review. The opinions are strictly my own.