Murder on Stage

I liked this series as it's enjoyable and entertaining.
I love the well developed cast of characters, the historical setting and the mystery that is always good and engaging.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

‘Only Alfie saw the hand.’

Alfie thinks himself fortunate when, one night, he’s given free tickets to a show at Convent Garden Theatre. The man giving him the tickets told him to bring his friends, and to make as much noise as possible when a signal is given.

‘It was a great occasion for a riot. The Queen herself, the young Queen Victoria was present!’

So, Alfie, his brother Sammy, their cousins Jack and Tom and their friend Sarah are all there when Alfie sees a hand empty the contents of a glass phial into a glass. Alfie tries to warn the actor Harry Booth not to drink from the glass, but he’s too late. Alfie makes it on stage to find Harry Booth dead.

‘Ever since the death of his parents, Alfie had lived on the edge of danger, as well as starvation, and had learnt to bolt for home when trouble arose.’

Alfie was seen on the stage, and soon becomes the main suspect. What can he do? He can’t leave London; he needs to look after his brother and cousins and Mutsy their dog. Alfie decides that with an appropriate disguise he can stay, and he can try to identify the murderer. But while Alfie (with the assistance of Sammy, Jack, Tom, Sarah and Mutsy) tries to find out who did murder Harry Booth, the police find Alfie first. Alfie ends up in Newgate Prison.

‘Who had murdered Harry Booth?’

There’s plenty of action as Alfie’s friends try to find out who the murderer was. There are a few tricky situations to be navigated, and only a few clues to begin with. How will they solve the crime?

This is the third in a series of six YA novels set in Victorian London. Ms Harrison provides plenty of detail of the conditions in which the poor lived: the fog, poverty and squalor. Alfie, Sammy, Jack, Tom and Mutsy live in a small, damp cellar and finding the money for rent and food is always a struggle. I’m looking forward to the fourth instalment, especially now that Alfie has been approached by a reporter who want to tell his story in the newspaper.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith