1941. After the theatre was bombed in London, The Victory Gang Parade theatre group move to Manchester. But one of the actors dies on stage, an apparent natural death. Then another one goes missing. DCI Louis Brennan investigates while Edie York asks her own questions, but what will she reveal.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of likeable and varied characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful addition to this charming series that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The characters were fully developed, and the plot was intricately woven. The historical background is well researched and vivid as usual.
The solid mystery had me continually speculating and often surprised me.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a different take on a mystery novel. it starts with a death on the stage and then we have a missing persons case. I enjoyed the story and the characters and also the plot as this is the type of mystery that I like. I had not read the previous books which means that I have not got alot of the background for the characters that the previous 2 books would have given me. I do think that it would have been an advantage to have read the others however this did not take away from my enjoyment of the book.

Another excellent book in this highly enjoyable series. This 1940s cosy mystery has brilliant details of life during WW2, from fish paste sandwiches to growing vegetables instead of flowers, as well as the horrors of bombing raids. These provide the backdrop to murder at the theatre. The relationships between the main characters continue to develop, and the book could also be read as a stand alone. I’m looking forward to more in this series.

This is the 3rd book in the Edie York series. This book sees Lou’s sister visiting Manchester due to bombings in London. When the friends go to see a show, an actor dies on stage and another member of the acting group goes missing. Lou, stressed and overworked investigating other crimes asks Edie to look into the mystery.

This series is so much more than a cosy crime series, set in the Second World War you are reminded of the danger of living in a city in war time.

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy of “Murder on Stage.” All opinions and comments are my own.

One of the oldest motives for murder sets the stage for just that in “Murder on Stage,” the latest in the Edie York -- Reporter series by F.L. Everett, set in a bombed-out Manchester in 1941. As befits the title, this time it’s a dead actor and missing actress that’s got her attention. What author F.L. Everett has in mind for her readers will keep us entertained -- and figuring out the culprit -- until the final pages.

Obituary-writer Edie is still doing her best to get into some real newspaper writing -- specifically crime features -- at the “Manchester Chronicle,” her employer. Well, here’s hoping that after her help with ferreting out the truth of an old betrayal and the hurt and sorrow that turns to rage, that editor Gorringe will see his way clear to doing that. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, we do get an… understanding of sorts between Edie and her detective “boyfriend” DI Lou Brennan. Fingers crossed to see how that goes, too.

“Murder on Stage” comes complete with the drama of a city under siege, with characters that draw you in with their foibles and secrets, and with a main character that is not a Polly Perfect nor a Superwoman, either. Fictional she may be, but human enough for all that, brought to life under the expertise of her author. Looking forward to seeing what she’ll get into next.

My first introduction to the Edie York Mystery series and I will have to go back now and read books one and two.

Murder on Stage is set in London in 1941 during the Blitz and the descriptions of what the residents suffered are very realistic. Edie writes obituaries for a newspaper but her dream is to be a news reporter. She is good friends with a detective and when an actor dies on stage she finds herself in a position where she is first on the scene and is able to write the article.

The body count in this one is high and the mystery is interesting, but when the murderer is exposed their rationale for the crimes is to my mind a little weak. However I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the historical backing very much.

In 1941 England, trainee reporter Edie York investigates a shocking mystery when a lead actor drops dead on stage during a wartime show. As Edie delves into the world of the theatre group, she uncovers jealousies, lies, and a cast of suspicious characters. With a missing leading lady and a rising body count, can Edie and DCI Brennan solve the mystery before the murderer kills again?

This is an emotional historical mystery with well-developed characters and an engaging plot. I quickly became attached to the characters and look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

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

This was another good addition to the series. I did think it was a bit draggy in spots. It does keep you guessing to the end. Looking forward to seeing what Edie and Lou get into next and what happens in their relationship

I enjoyed this one like I have the other in the series. I never anticipated the killer or their motive, so that's a major win. This book takes place in London during the war so the author also adds scenes involving bombings that get the heart racing. I can recommend this book and the previous ones in this series.

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley, and the author for an advanced reading copy.

4.5 / 5.0 stars

This was a delightful addition to the Edit York Mystery series set in WWII Manchester, England. The year is 1941 as the Germans continue to Blitz the Brits. The protagonist, Edie York, is still an obituarist at the Manchester Chronicle and an aspiring crime columnist. She rents a flat with her best mate, Annie and together they dream of their wonderful future selves. She is out to the theater with friends when one of the lead actors keels over on stage in death. Shortly thereafter the troupe's ingenue disappears. Then a second troupe member is found murdered. While Edie is working through the obituary for the first, she and her friend DCI Louis Brennan are trying to work through the details and staunch the progression of dying actors. But can they remain out of the murderers sights? And why is DCI Brennan so short-fused when other men show interest in Edie? He and Edie are just pals, right? If more, it's definitely a very slow burn.

The writing of this story is solid and the research is spot on. The mise en scène is cinematic, right out of a WWII film. The tension builds gradually, accelerates as it nears the climax and then eases gently. The characters are developed well and slowly over the course of the story. With each book, Edie becomes a bit less naïve and a bit more credible for the likes of a newspaper reporter. It has been fun observing her mature through the war years. All in all, this was an excellent story and I eagerly await the next book in series.

I am grateful to Flic Everett and her publisher, Bookouture for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Publisher: ‎ Bookouture
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
ISBN:‎ 978-1837904686
Pages:‎ 290 pages

I'm sure that I am starting to become addicted to these Edie York mysteries. As soon as I have read one, I need another. Each book is as good as the last (if not better). More please F.L. Everett.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Edie York is back in Manchester, and still trying to convince her editor at the newspaper that she could be a crime reporter instead of just doing obituaries.
Her not-quite-boyfriend, police detective Louis invites her to a theatre variety show, and she gets the chance to do both when one of the actors dies mysteriously on stage.
Louis' sister, who got the tickets to the show, knows the theatre troup and helps Edie get to know all the players and their secrets.
Meanwhile, Edie's best friend and roommate is likely to get engaged and leave her in need of someone new to share the flat, and there's a major bombing to survive.
I love this series for the details of the main characters' daily lives, and the reality with which the author paints living in wartime Britain.
The mystery is maybe a bit too complicated in this one, but it adds to the feeling of a play being played out in real life.
Would recommend this series to anyone who likes a realistic and well-written historical mystery.

F.L. Everett’s Murder on Stage is her third novel featuring Edie York, a reporter in Manchester during WWII. Edie is part of a tight circle: her flatmate, Annie; Annie’s beau, Arnold; and Arnold’s friend, Detective inspector Lou Brennan. Edie’s job as a reporter brings her into contact with crime and her information and insights often help Lou to solve crimes, although he hates it when she’s placed in jeopardy.

Lou invites Edie to be one of a party going to the theatre to watch an ENSA revue and they meet the cast for supper beforehand. Sadly, one of the cast later collapses and dies on stage in the middle of reciting Kipling’s “The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God” while fingering a knife. Another member of the cast, Ginny, disappears and, a few days later, the body of a third member is found, stabbed to death.

This book is excellent in so many ways. Edie and Lou are friends and we can see they’re fond of each other, but they bicker furiously and can be very sharp with each other – any question of romance is beautifully tentative. The whodunnit aspects are very well done, with suspicion falling on several characters, many of whom have something to hide. Ginny was having an affair with Guy, but Guy is married to a dominating unforgiving woman. We readers are really unsure who the murderer is or, indeed, whether there is more than one – are the events related or not? The dialogue is natural and realistic: we never have characters telling each other what they already know, just to give readers some information. Everett is very good at evoking wartime Manchester and the fear engendered by the German bombs.

If you like romance, mysteries and 1940s’ historic fiction, I suggest you give F.L. Everett a try.
#MurderonStage #NetGalley

Murder on Stage is another compelling read in the Edie York Mystery Series

Edie finds herself involved in with a theatre troupe and soon we have a dead body, a missing actress, secrets and misdirection.

No one seems to be who they say they are.

Lou is back on the case and along with Edie they are racing against the clock as the bodies pile up.

It's war time and to add to the tension, the Germans are continually bombing London.

Murder on Stage is detective work at its finest for its time.

The Edie York series gets better with every book and this is my favourite of the three, until the book four that is.

Highly enjoyable and fun series that I highly recommend to spend a few hours with as you solve the case along with Lou and Edie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for page turning read.

Set in England in 1941. The world is perilous and glamorous. Characters are interesting. The book is suspenseful and mysterious. An Actor is found dead on stage and Edie found him while she was taking the interview of Gaiety’s doorman. The truth is twisted and as the heinous crimes happens including the death of Leonard and Ginny’s disappearance. It is so shocking, Edie is trying to find clues leading to his death as she interviews the cast, secrets and truth unveils with layer of mystery. The truth is twisted and shocking. Twists kept me on toes. The ending was jaw dropping. Will Edie and Louis be able to find Ginny before it’s too late?

This is my favourite in the series. I loved all the description of London, Theatre and all the characters.

Thanks to the Publisher and Author.

I haven’t read the other two Edie York books, but you thankfully don’t need to read them to grasp what’s going on here. Although I guessed the suspect around 26% into the book, I really enjoyed this book and seeing how everything played out. I also loved that there were a couple story lines going on at the same time (the case, Edie’s roommates engagement, and Edie’s housemate’s abusive husband). Overall, I was really pleased with this book and the author’s writing style.

Another great story from FL Everett! Edie becomes embroiled in a mystery affecting a group of actors working for ENSA, after one of the key performers dies on stage during a performance. As a key witness, Edie sets out to help her friend Lou investigate this unexplained death and soon finds herself up to her neck in intrigue.
I soon got caught up in this mystery and struggled to put my book down! With welldrawn and highly relatable characters, a strong story-line and the relationship between Edie and Lou, this book offers so much to the reader. I loved it- thoroughly recommended!

This is my first book read written by F.L. Everett, so getting used to the style of writing took me a few chapters. But once I did, I loved the characters and the storyline!

Edie is so strong willed and her new budding friendship with Marie was one of my favorite parts. Edie and Lou's dynamic works great too to tag team different aspects of what they are looking for throughout the mystery.

Can't wait to read more by this author, pretty excited for it.

I'm completely addicted to this cosy crime series. In this third instalment aspiring crime reporter Edie York is plunged into another murder mystery when a member of a theatrical troupe dies on stage. She and overworked police officer Lou Brennan dive in to investigate as the bodies pile up and secrets pour out.

Now there were times I could cheerily have strangled Lou. One minute he's roping Edie in to help interview suspects, the next he's getting angry with her for interfering. To be fair to him, though, she does move evidence around an awful lot! There were so many moments in the book, though, which made it clear the two of them are made for each other.

The characters are warm and lovely (I particularly liked Marie.) The mysteries are twisty but what I love most about the Edie York mysteries is the feeling that I'm there. FL Everett has a way of writing about wartime Manchester which feels completely real and immersive. I can picture the cheery simplicity of Edie and Annie's flat (and their meagre food supply) as well as the noisy smoke-filled newsroom and backstage at the Gaiety theatre. It's properly escapist and nostalgic without being sugar-coated.

A thoroughly recommended read!