Nice and cozy murder mystery that, although easily forgettable, provided a good few hours of entertainment for me.

If you´re a fan of Agatha Christie, you´ll probably enjoy this, because it has a similar plot structure (and quite a few references to that author herself), with an amateur sleuth gathering evidence and an ending with all the suspects gathered in one place for the great reveal.
As I said, the old formule always works well. And, since the murder is committed in a theater, I guess that also adds a bit of a show to it (in more than one sense).
I liked the book (it´s the second of a series, but I haven´t read the first one yet), but it´s not that impressive: I guessed who the murderer was and why they did it pretty quickly. The characters (particularly the main ones) were nicely done but I still felt there was something missing... This book was categorized as LGBTQ+ and, althouth Bertie (the protagonist) is queer in a very subtle and almost let´s-not-talk-about-this-in-public way, I didn´t really see anything particylarly queer in this book: If you remove the LGBTQ+ tag of it, I could have perfectly seen Hugh and Bertie´s relationship as some sort of strangled friendship. Maybe, if you pushed it a bit, I could see it as a friendship wanting to be something more (particularly on Bertie´s side, because Hugh is very closeted)... But then I could trick myself into thinking I was imagining things because, you see, there is nothing romantic about this book and what Bertie and Hugh have in the end is just friendship (that has potential to be something more in the following books, I suppose).
Will I keep reading more of this series? That´s the real question.
I´d say, probably. It was cozy and it´s a fast reading so, why not?

Those readers of the first in this series, “Death on the Pier”, who anticipated developments in the friendship between playwright Bertie Carroll and Detective Chief Inspector Hugh Chapman will be delighted that in this novel they do end up in a clinch- but one with absolutely no romantic connection.

They have not communicated in the six months separating the novels and the friendship seems still to be predicated on mild infatuation on Bertie’s side and a kind of protective concern and brotherliness on Hugh’s, albeit that he seems to indulge in mild jealousy when Bertie appears to be interested in another man.

That I have concerned myself primarily with a relationship rather than the mystery elements of “Death at the Matinee” is indicative of two things. Firstly, complex relationships and love lie at the heart of the murder plot. Secondly, that plot is just a tad creaky, with few credible suspects and a solution which occurs to Hugh and Bertie out of the blue, by inspiration rather than investigation.

There are a couple of nods to Agatha Christie-in the newspaper announcement of murder and in the gathering at Romano’s of those interested in the crime to hear the detectives’ explication- but overall I felt the set-up was just too contrived: there was a much simpler way out of the perpetrator’s problems than murder.

“Death at the Matinee” is enjoyable and engagingly-written.The theatre setting is brilliant, and brim full of reality, but the plot is less involving than in the first in the series. I remain intrigued about where Bertie and Hugh’s relationship can go but would suggest that DCI Chapman should resign from Scotland Yard and set up a private detection agency with Bertie. Only when Hugh is freed from official considerations and constraints could the friendship progress in a meaningful way-wherever it ends up.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Brabinger Publishing for the digital review copy.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I love historicals, and the author's deep knowledge of the theatre boded well. Unfortunately, I never ended up caring about any of the characters. Perhaps I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd read the first book in the series... but as it was, it was mostly just a lot of people talking and having things happen to them. There was also some head-hopping, which I hope will get fixed before the final version comes out (but suspect it won't). I'm rounding up to four stars here.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.