The year is 1955 and in the fictional seaside town of Fairbourne, the theatrical season has started with the lovely old Victoriana Theatre the venue for a series of plays. Actress Betty Morse arrives from London and is pleased to meet up with actor Roger Johnson with whom she once worked. There are four more actors, two male and two female with over-anxious producer and director, Tim Merry, in charge. Rehearsals begin but tensions quickly run high with an undercurrent of bad feeling within the company; then comes the shocking news that local actor, Arnold Brand, has been shot dead in his dressing room.
Detective Inspector John Carding and Detective Sergeant George Binns -called to the scene-quickly decide that the crime is not an open and shut case.Their investigations reveal that the murdered actor was not only arrogant and universally disliked but he was also a blackmailer. Suspicion falls on one female member of the cast, who was having an affair with the victim, after a gun is found hidden in her dressing room. But with other members of the company with strong motives for loathing the dead man, and after two failed attempts by someone to murder Betty Morse, the detectives realise there is more to this mystery than they first thought. The plots twists and turns and thickens, keeping the reader guessing until the end.The sense of place is excellent, characterisation is good and the plot credible with a nice surprise ending.
This is a very enjoyable read and an excellent debut crime novel. The author has been writing for some years and a lot of her published work includes biographies and romances; I hope this will not be her only crime novel. Highly recommended.
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Edna Jones