Rex Graves and his new wife, Helen D'Arcy, are enjoying a night at the local community theater when the murder of the leading lady interrupts the show and delays their move to Edinburgh. I'd never read a book in the series before, and my experience was ambivalent. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it. The plot was rather mundane, the suspects not that interesting, and even though the author lived in the UK for several years, the dialogue didn't ring quite true. I didn't quite understand Rex's involvement beyond being interviewed as a witness. Why the inspector let him just interview suspects at will was not really explained well for first-time readers to the series, but I assumed the two were friends who'd worked on previous murder mysteries. Otherwise it seemed like a dereliction of duty. The resolution was no surprise. It's not a bad book, it's just not a good book.

I started this but just wasn't feeling it. There was nothing inherently wrong with it I just wasn't feeling it at the time, I don't think this a style I would usually enjoy anyway- I think it's a little 'cozier' than I usually find compelling. However I was really intrigued by the blurb and so was a little disappointed that I didn't care enough about the mystery to want to finish it.

Princess Fuzzypants here: There were times while reading this book that I had to remind myself I was not reading one of the 1930’s classic British mysteries. It was not just that the setting for the murder was on stage where five of the greatest fictional detectives were being portrayed in a play. There was a flavour to the writing that harkened back to the olden days although the characters are thoroughly modern with cell phones, texts and all.
Rex himself and his wife Helen would have been comfortable in the drawing rooms of the past. He is a QC but dabbles in detecting and is welcomed by the police who have been assigned to the case. The leading lady is murdered on stage during the opening night performance-an act no one saw. Knowing that the villain had to be someone connected to the play, Rex must sort through the murk. He does an admirable job uncovering the killer. It was not a total surprise but certainly one that I did not suspect until quite late in the tale.
If you are a fan of the mysteries of the 1930’s, you will enjoy this book. I know I did.
I give it four purrs and two paws up.

This was an excellent story line with very nicely developed characters.

The initial setting is a play with 5 classic detectives called in to solve the mystery of a missing heirloom. The author of the play has chosen Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Father Brown, and Lord Peter Whimsey as her detectives for the play. As the play progresses, a woman is murdered and the detectives have to learn who the murderer was as well as what happened to the missing heirloom.

The play opens with Rex Graves and his new bride Helen attending as guests of the playwright, a friend of Helen's. During the scene when the ingenue is murdered behind a curtain, a real murder takes place. Now the detectives as well as other characters in the play all become suspects of the real murder.

I had only read one other Rex Graves mystery which was the first in the series. I noted here in goodreads 6 years ago that I loved it and wanted to read more. Obviously I was sidetracked by all the other books that I have read since then and never returned to this series. What a mistake that was! I need to move the other titles up on my "to read" list!

I especially loved the vocabulary used in this book and was very happy to be reading it on a kindle so I could immediately access the dictionary for British terms I was unfamiliar with.

Upstaged by Murder

by C.S. Challinor

Upstaged by Murder turned out to be more interesting and complex than I had imagined. I was treated to a theatre setting embedded in an English setting. The main character is a Scottish barrister with quite a reputation as a private detective. Full of Britishisms such as “gone for a burton” and “you finally twigged,” the production’s actors have diverse backgrounds as the cozy mystery’s focus is on a community theatre play. Thus they have their own natural personas in addition to the roles they play on stage where fictional detectives are assembled to solve a fictional crime.

Rex Graves is attending the play Peril at Pinegrove Hall written by his new wife’s friend when Cassie, the actress with the lead in the play, is killed. Rex is invited to assist the investigation in an informal capacity, and the reader gets to watch his efforts to discover not only who committed the crime and why, but also how it could possibly have been done.

I stayed engaged in the story as I followed Rex through his investigative efforts, interviewing the cast and crew and assembling a worthy timeline that eventually, along with other clues, leads him to discover the identity of the murderer. Join Rex as he pursues his passion and talent in detecting in C.S. Challinor’s latest mystery.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Midnight Ink for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery

Notes: #10 in the Rex Graves Mystery Series, but I enjoyed it as a standalone.

Publication: July 8, 2018—Midnight Ink

Memorable Lines:

A decorative wind chime on the door tinkled as he entered the shop, and he was immediately assailed by the heady scent of cut flowers, which abounded everywhere in an explosion of colour, tinted rows of almost every variety arranged in transparent plastic buckets.

Often a coincidence spelt a clue.

…that was the nature of investigations; they rarely took the course of a straight line.

UPSTAGED BY MURDER by C. S. Challinor is the latest in the mystery series involving Rex Graves, a Scottish QC, lawyer and consulting detective. Here, Graves and his new wife attend the theater on a night when one of the actresses is murdered. Given his expertise, he is invited to be involved with the case, but I was surprised that the police were so accommodating – even joining Graves and his wife for a Sunday lunch. There's quite a few suspects to track – the actors and their characters, plus those involved in the play's direction, production and administration. Overall, a gentle mystery that Graves solves quickly – just before heading off to a honeymoon in Cornwall which should provide a lovely backdrop for his next adventure.

Being fairly new to Rex Graves' world, i really enjoyed this book. I liked the idea of a play within the story. Good characters and writing ensure that I will be a frequent visitor in this world. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading C.S. Challinor’s number ten Rex Graves mystery novel. I was a tad worried that I might need to read earlier novels in the series to get the gist of the story, but that was not the case. This book works wonderfully as a stand alone novel. I had no trouble getting into the story and its characters.

I love Rex Graves. He is a witty Scottish character, a barrister and private detective, and a well rounded protagonist. Just after getting married to beautiful Helen, and before the honeymoon, they decide to pack up her belongings in England for a move to Scotland. Just for fun, they agree to attend a playwright friend’s opening night. It’s a murder mystery. However, in this case life imitates art and the story develops into a real whodunit. At first the audience is not aware that the resounding gunshot is not part of the play, and that the death of Lady Naomi Grove played by Cassie Chase is real! Rex spends the next few days helping local Detective Inspector Mike Fiske solve the case. Was it suicide, or was it murder? Rex does some wonderful sleuthing as he helps uncover the truth. Helen is very supportive in the case and as soon as the mystery is solved they’re off to enjoy their honeymoon. Bravo!

This novel does not include any steamy romance scenes, and very minimal violence – which is not graphic at all. What the author does is effectively describe characters and scenes to make the story come alive. I had fun reading Upstaged by Murder, where Rex, with the aide of his new wife, Helen, helps solve a mystery between getting married and going on a honeymoon. I’ll bet this will be a case they never forget. 3.75 stars > 4 stars. I thankfully received this book for review purposes from Netgalley and Midnight Ink.

Rex Graves (Scottish barrister and private detective) and wife, Helen, are invited to attend the opening night of an amateur production of a play. Unfortunately by the end of the first act one of the actors is found dead. Graves offers his help to the police.
Although this is the tenth in the series it can be read as a standalone.
An enjoyable, well-written and a gentle read.

This is the 10th entry in this lovely series but it can easily be read as a stand alone. It's perfect for those readers who don't like blood and gore in their mysteries. This series is more of the puzzle, English village, locked room style, perfect for a quick getaway from the days trials and tribulations.
Rex Graves and his bride, Helen, are attending the opening night performance of a play written by one of Helen's friends. The premise of the play is fun, having the five most famous detectives on stage to solve a crime - Miss Marple, Sherlock Homes, Father Brown, Lord Peter Wimsey and last, but not least, Hercule Poirot. As the story unfolds on stage, it's as close to a locked room mystery as one can get. Somebody has enough knowledge of the script to time the deadly deed as part of the show. The victim seems to have been without enemies so could it have been a suicide? Because Rex is a barrister (from Edinburgh) and also does some private detective investigation on the side, the local police are fine with his investigating. After all, he has been asked by his wife's friend to do just that. There follows a mystery that fits perfectly with the famous sleuths on stage, from the Golden Age of mysteries. I will be looking forward to the next in the series.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Another excellently written and well-plotted addition to the Rex Graves Mystery series. While this is a part of a series, you would be perfectly fine reading it as a stand-alone book. If you are interested in exciting, fast-paced action, you won’t find it in this book. It is a logical progressive mystery where Rex interviews subjects, examines evidence and comes to a conclusion – usually not a conclusion being pursued by the police investigators.

Rex and his new bride have come to London from Edinburgh in order to pack up her old house. It is just to be a quick long-weekend trip to finish the packing up and then heading back to Edinburgh. While in London, Rex and Helen decide to attend the opening night production of a local amateur theater. Rex and Helen are seated in the front row, in the uncomfortable chairs – and Rex can’t help but doze a little bit.

When there is a refreshment break between acts, everyone hears a scream which is part of the play and a loud bang – which is NOT part of the play. The curtains are closed, so the audience can’t see what has happened, but the crew and cast are quickly moving to the area. What caused that loud bang? Well, it was the sound of the gun that took the life of the beautiful, sweet star of the show, Cassie Chase.

There are many suspects including the entire cast and crew. Everybody loved and admired Cassie and nobody can think of anyone who would wish her harm. Rex and the police inspector had to question everyone – and eliminate everyone except the guilty party.

Rex talks to witnesses and suspects and examines evidence until an idea begins to form in his mind. He is sure he knows who did it and even how, but he has no proof. So, he does the type of reenactment that you see in a lot of the old style murder mysteries. He calls everyone together and they reenact the scene at the time of the murder. A classic who-done-it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope you will as well.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Upstaged by Murder by C.S.Challinor is the tenth installment in Rex Graves Mystery series.
This is the first book in the series that I have read but I had no problem at all getting familiar with past happenings and characters.
Rex and Helen are at the local amateur theater production when a beautiful young lead actress is murdered. Rex offers his services to the local policeman in investigating the accident. Time is running out and he has to juggle packing, moving and other earthly tasks with what he likes to do best.
The thing I liked the most is the old fashioned atmosphere and fabulously presented characters. I could easily imagine story happening some 50 or even 100 years ago and would be takn by suprise when someone metiones cellphone.
Well crafted, nicely paced and with the clever plot it is the epitome for a good old fashioned whodunnit.
It hooks the reading from the first scene and you simply can not put it down. I enjoyed romantic references as welll as it shows as the whole person and life of Rex Graves.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy reading good old mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for providing this copy of Upstaged by Murder by C. S. Challinor in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The clues were well placed throughout and still well hidden. The characters were entertaining and interesting, with many I wanted to cheer for as well as a few I didn’t like.

The setting for the murder, an amateur production of an original play provided a great location with well defined physical limitations, however it still was not a “locked room” version of a mystery. The solution was clever in that it was under the reader’s nose, but still not obvious.

This is the ninth in the series of books featuring Rex Graves and my first introduction to the books. While there may be some secondary characters and relationships that progress with the series, the mystery itself stands alone and can be enjoyed without reading previous books in the series. That said, i think I would enjoy reading more in this series and would probably enjoy beginning with the first one, since I believe there may be some character development I would enjoy as the books progress.

I am delighted to have found an author who is new to me and whose books I plan to enjoy in the future.

Upstaged by Murder by C S Challinor is a series featuring Rex Graves. I have not read any of the previous books but that didn’t ruin the experience. The only thing I had trouble with in the book was there were so many names to remember since it took place at the opening night of a new play. Five known detectives: Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey, Father Brown, Miss Marple, and Hercules Poirot are all in the play trying to solve the crime. Of course there are other changes too and so you don’t have just to remember the actor but also their role. I might be getting a little too old for this because I had to sit and look up who was who several times. Anyway it was a nice little story with hardly any blood or gore more like a little bland mystery in the middle of a little English village. I read this in a couple of hours and enjoyed the time I spent on it. I would recommend this book to others and give it 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Our erstwhile QC finds himself investigating yet another murder in Upstaged by Murder by C. S. Challinor, the ninth book in the long running series.

Let me start by saying I am of two minds with the writing -- while I appreciate Challinor’s ability to come up with something fresh for the story, I have never felt that the actual dialog and phrasing is at a par with the plot. That much of the book has always felt amateurish to me. The writing has gotten better as the series progresses, but winning a prize for the excellent of the prose, it would not.

This one in the series is the usual --- Rex Graves gets involved, interviews the witnesses, and solves the murder. It’s a straightforward, few twists and turns rumble to the finish. A tried and true formula that doesn’t leave more room for imagination. Perhaps sometimes all we went is a little diversion in life. That’s what you’ll get, with this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

Upstaged by Murder is the 10th book in the Rex Graves mystery series by C. S. Challinor. I read it as a standalone and had no trouble following the backstory or keeping the characters straight. It is a nice cozy with a Scottish barrister (who's a QC and amateur sleuth) and his new wife who seem to have a wonderful relationship. The book is written in 3rd person limited pov in a lightly humorous and informal style. The main characters are quite likeable and intelligent.

Some of the secondary characters are quirky and a bit flaky and also add humor and contrast to Rex and his wife Helen.

The plotting is well paced and readable and the narrative didn't drag for me. Just an all around readable and enjoyable cozy. I intend to chase down the earlier books in the series when I get a breather from my TBR list.

Four stars
Release date: 08 July 2018 by Midnight Ink books, 237 pages, available in ebook and paperback formats.

Upstaged by Murder is book ten in the Rex Graves Mystery series by C. S. Challinor. Rex Graves QC and his wife Helen decided to go to a local amateur theatre production to give them a break from packing Helen's house. However, the lovely quiet night with friends they were hoping did not happen one of the cast members died. At first, they thought it was suicide, but more Rex Graves investigates the more that idea is not right. The readers of Upstaged by Murder will continue to follow Rex Graves to find out what happened to Miss Chase. Upstaged by Murder is the book I have read of C. S. Challinor I am differently going back to read this series from the beginning. I love C. S. Challinor portrayal of her characters and the way the main characters interact. Upstaged by Murders is well written and researched by C. S. Challinor and I found it engaging and very easy to read. C. S. Challinor did a great job on describes the plot and the settings. The readers of Upstaged by Murder will learn how amateur detective works and how they help local law enforcement. Also, Upstaged by Murder highlights the problems that stalking can do for everyone involved. I recommend this book.

A Rex Graves mystery

Rex Graves is a barrister from Edinburgh who has an interest in solving murders as well as prosecuting those who commit them. He and his new wife are in London, packing up her flat so that she can move to Edinburgh. One evening they go to the community hall to watch a play entitled ‘Peril at Pinegrove Hall’ that was written by a friend of his wife’s. The play gets Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Lord Peter Wimsey, Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown – the crème de la crème of sleuths - to collaborate together and recover a priceless heirloom that went missing from the house the night before. But, after the first act, tragedy strikes and Rex Graves is called upon by the lead investigator to assist.

The book is a delightful read, something to take on a rainy day, climb under the fake fur blanket and transport yourself to London for the day with a glass, or two, of good wine. Rex is like a bulldog when it comes to sleuthing. In fact, he could give the crème de la crème a run for their money! He is like a combination of all the super sleuths invited to Pinegrove Hall, doggedly sniffing out clues and information while being a perfect gentleman at the same time. The author writes in a style that feels like a familiar, comfortable slipper, easy to slip into, warm and inviting. There are no fireworks, no violence, no bad language in the story just story telling at its best. A highly recommended read.

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

When the local community theater has a murder on stage opening night, Alex Graves and his new wife, Helen, have front row seats. The last thing they expect was for the leading lady to be murdered on stage, right in front of them. But the whole cast loved her and everyone seems to have an alibi.

Rex and the local police try to piece together what happened and who did it, but neither are having much success. While they have their own suspicions, they don’t have solid proof to make an arrest.

Finally the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the murderer is identified. You’ll wonder how you missed it at first.

This was first introduction to the author and I thoroughly enjoyed her

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for my review. The views expressed are my own.

The leading lady in a murder mystery play dies offstage during the play's first public presentation. Sitting in the audience is Scottish barrister Rex Savage who is known to engage in "private enquiries". At the request of the playwright, Rex agrees to look into this case and ascertain whether it is suicide or murder. Surprisingly the local police are receptive to him doing so, as long as he keeps them in the loop with anything he discovers.

It's a classic closed room murder mystery with the other actors onstage at the time being the chief suspects. Rex goes about interviewing them and of course some are more co-operative than others. Some have more to hide too. Rex is good at questioning people, I guess that comes from his barrister-training. Along the way to the conclusion, there's several red herrings and blind alleys that keep the identity of the killer well hidden.

It's a howdunit story as well as a whodunit. The reveal includes a re-enactment of the stage play and supports Rex's theory about how the killer managed to carry out the crime in plain sight of the actors and the audience. There's a bit of a chase scene at the end which brings the story to a satisfying conclusion.

It's a cleverly plotted murder mystery that makes for an entertaining read. Cozy mystery story fans will probably find it to their liking. It's one of a series but can stand alone.