Murder on Stage: An utterly addictive historical cozy mystery

By F L Everett

England, 1941. Trainee reporter Edie York is doing her best to keep calm and carry on despite London's Blitz dominating the news. But, at the theatre one night, she is thrust into a shocking mystery when the lead actor drops dead on stage...

The Victory Gang Parade theatre group are in town, entertaining the troops and the determinedly cheerful people of Manchester with their spectacular all-singing all-dancing show. But We'll Meet Again becomes impossible for two cast members, when Leonard Lessiter dies suddenly mid-song, and leading lady Ginny Sutton goes missing the very same night.

Reluctantly encouraged by DCI Louis Brennan - up to his ears catching looters and ration cheats - to investigate, Edie interviews the cast and quickly uncovers jealousies, lies and back-stabbings galore. From former lovers to bitter rejects, old hands to up-and-coming ing nues, any one of them could be guilty. And the leading lady Ginny is still missing.

Then Edie gets caught in a bombing raid and finds her chief suspect stabbed with a stage dagger. As the body count climbs, will Edie and Louis find Ginny alive? Can they uncover the most theatrical killer they've ever encountered? Or will it be the final curtain call for the detecting duo...?

A compelling and addictive historical cozy mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Agatha Christie. Totally unputdownable and utterly charming, this is the perfect book to snuggle up and race through an evening with.

Read what everyone's saying about F.L. Everett:

'So much fun with this read ... A wonderfully cheery, sparky heroine... This story just makes me want to curl up with chai tea and journey alongside Edie on her humorous yet ever-deeper case.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Cosy and murdery and a great read ' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1837904685
• ISBN13: 9781837904686
• Release Date: June 2024
• Publisher: Bookouture
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Entertaining WWII murder mystery

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. This is the third in the Edie York mystery series, and I enjoyed it as much as the first two. It can be read as a stand-alone but do go back to read the others because they’re all great. The story takes place during World War II just outside of London during the Blitz and is told in the first person by endearing Edie York, a want-to-be newspaper reporter who is currently an obituary writer. Edie’s personality shines from the first page, and I was right there with her as she tried to solve first one murder, then a missing person, and then another murder – all actors. She teams up with Detective Inspector Lou Brennan and they continue their developing relationship, which generates humor as well as romance as the story progresses. The theme of this novel is drama, with many of the characters being stage actors performing as the Victory Gang Parade before they’re off to Egypt to entertain the troops. There are several possible murder suspects, secrets, hidden histories, red herrings, and danger for multiple characters. I enjoyed trying to solve the murder along with Edie, who is clever and determined. The novel skillfully incorporates many of the hardships of the time – food rationing, clothing limits, entertainment, blackout curtains and air raid warnings, as well as the uncertainty of bombs and mortality. If you’re looking for an entertaining murder mystery combined with a bit of romance set during WWII, put this one on your list to read soon!