I was excited to read this book - I enjoy a good cosy crime and love 'period' stories. The cover is also very good and the title straight forward and telling it as it is. And I was not disappointed with the plot. There were several red herrings and plot twists and the story has a feisty female lead who has something to prove and her work cut out to get things right.
However the writing is very flowery and convoluted and rather detracted from the action on the page. I'm sure it was an attempt at being of the time but it ended up being overwritten and needing decoding as I read.
This was a pity as I liked Daphne, the main character and if the rest of the cast were a bit wooden it didn't matter so much in the context of the plot. Strengthening the sense of time with more period detail from the 1930's and using language of the period in the speech but the text would in my mind have strengthened this book considerably.
I'm sure some readers will enjoy this, but I'm afraid this novel was not for me. With thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Rating: 2.1/5

Set in the 1930s, "Murder at the the Theatre Royale" is a perfectly pleasant and readable, if not particularly noteworthy, cosy mystery.

An already troubled production of "A Christmas Carol" is about to be shaken still further when the actor playing Scrooge dies on the opening night at the Theatre Royale in London. Journalist, Daphne King, who is best know for penning the "Dear Susan" agony aunt column, is convinced that there has been foul play and puts her amateur sleuthing skills into practice in search of the truth.

Author, Ada Moncrieff, does a creditable job of recreating the 1930s atmosphere, which is so closely associated with the "Golden Age" of mystery writing. However, unfortunately, there seems to have been far greater emphasis placed upon trying to recreate the language and writing style of the era than there has on the construction of a well-plotted, evenly paced, intriguing mystery. "Murder at the Theatre Royale" definitely sits within the "cosy mystery" category, which is just as well, as the plot developments are so fortuitously convenient that you could only get away with using them in a novel of the cosy variety.

This isn't a book that is likely to live long in the memory, but it is a quick read and a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours, if you don't like your reading matter to be overly taxing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Murder at the Theatre Royale is a proper old fashioned murder mystery a la Christie or Allingham. In fact I was almost disappointed that there was no school marm issuing an invitation for a game of "jolly hockey sticks".

There is a link to Christmas in that it's set around that time of year and the murder occurs at rehearsal of A Christmas Carol but it's not rammed down your throat.

The story follows Daphne King, a bit slovenly but an intrepid reporter and investigator. Daphne is desperate to unshackle herself from writing the agony aunt column at The Chronicle so when a chance to interview the cast of A Christmas Carol she jumps at it.

Thankfully she gets more than she bargained for and soon finds herself investigating the murder of Scrooge himself whilst milking her association with the useless detective in charge of the case. She also manages to recruit helpers along her way to uncovering a much more complex case than she first thought.

Ada Moncrieff gives us a proper old school murder mystery. It is the sort of story I like, having no mutilated corpses, over the top violence or swearing detective. A true old fashioned, gentle but interesting story. I read it in 2 sittings so make of that what you will. Its certainly easy reading.

I would recommend this for anyone who wants a nice, easy, murder mystery with a few twists along the way.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

If you’re a cosy crime fan then journalist Daphne King’s adventures are for you. Fed up with answering the queries of worried housewives, Daphne wants excitement in her role. It is December 1935, and her editor relents, asking her to write a piece on director Chester Harrison’s production of A Christmas Carol. Chester comes with his own chequered past, and it’s fair to say the production has had a troubled run during regional theatres. Now it’s in London’s Theatre Royale, it’ll all be OK. Right? Sure, if the actor plays Ebenezer doesn’t keel over and die on stage during a dress rehearsal. Though the show must go in, it’s difficult to see how, especially when another body is discovered, killed in a grisly manner. Daphne knows there’s a lot more going on in the theatre than wishing everyone a merry Christmas. The pace is swift, as she collects clues, ignores red herrings and ultimately figures out who’s responsible. A read in one sitting novel.

murder at the theatre royale


I was intrigued by the title and I love a good murder mystery. I have read all Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle and several authors of the ‘Golden Age Detective Fiction’ of 1920s and 1930s in which this novel is set. However, this novel was very disappointing. She uses peculiar vocabulary, which I think sounds researched as ‘of the era’ but adds nothing to the book. A lot seems overwritten and gets boring to decipher. An example:

‘regrettably for its participants, the discussion was bereft of trifles and laden with labour. The combatants sat  –  one slouching in a posture which conveyed the inconvenience of the protracted dialogue, the other perched uncomfortably in a stance designed to project professionalism and composure – on opposing sides of a great mahogany desk.’

It is not that I don’t understand it but that this sounds false. Also the characters are rather cardboard with only the heroine having any sort of rounding out but even then marred by the ponderous words used:

‘Apparently alone in her perturbation at this interruption’

The descriptions of characters can bring a vision to mind:

‘Short and squat, a man of around sixty stood before them. Glassy eyes a touch too prominent, strands of wispy hair sprouting from his head, he was a striking figure. A grin was plastered on his face, revealing misshapen teeth stained an unbecoming yellow.’

but since almost every character is described in this way : age, height, hair etc it becomes tedious.

I am sorry that, to me, this reads like an over elaborate creative writing exercise. Or maybe an attempt at parody. I do think some readers will enjoy it. But not for me, disappointingly.

I read a proof copy provided by NetGalley and the publishers, Vintage. Opinions are my own.

A nice, cosy murder mystery with endearing and secretive characters and an ending that I couldn't have guessed.

Chester Harrison's return to London to mount a production of A Christmas Carol with some old associates provides the perfect backdrop for old ties and complicated grudges to come to the forefront without seeming too contrived. The theatrical company and their mysterious past are a constant source of entertainment, and Daphne, as the protagonist, is both witty in conversation and sharp minded when it comes to solving the crime. Her dream of moving into investigative journalism from her current role of Agony Aunt means that something is personally at stake for Daphne, although it would have been nice to see more of her rival, Jenkins (how he jeopardises her solving the case etc).

Despite the murder taking place around a production of A Christmas Carol, the festive background can feel relatively subdued and isn't overdone. This could certainly be read from mid-October onwards without feeling out-of-place, and reading this in August/September, I had very few problems.

The mystery itself is quite compelling and gains momentum the more you read. All loose ends are tied up in the denouement and, although perhaps not predictable from the evidence given (this is one of those revelations where the detective reveals information that you didn't previously have), the explanation for who committed the murders and how is satisfying and uses a considerable amount of seemingly 'inconsequential' information from earlier on. As with some of the best mysteries, the culprit's motives are understandable and I couldn't help but feel sorry for a person who has been driven to such actions to 'put things right'.

Overall I would thoroughly recommend this book for its cosiness and cleverly plotted mystery. I for one hope that Daphne King returns to solve another crime next Christmas!

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for allowing me to review an early access digital copy of this book.

A great cosy murder mystery set at christmas infused with mystery, 1930's glamour and a decent amount of humour. It is well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that were all believable. I loved the idea of the mystery being set in a theatre during a production of A Christmas Carol when a theatre critic is murdered backstage. A really enjoyable and light read.

Set in the 1930's, Murder at the Theatre Royale is great for those crime lovers who like their mysteries light with a touch of humour and set around the 20's/30's. Reporter Daphne King has been sent to do a theatre piece on the staging of A Christmas Carol at the Theatre Royale in London, however whilst she is there she witnesses a death of an actor which sets her senses tingling, our intrepid reporter starts to investigate a possible murder even though the police think otherwise. However when a theatre critic is killed the question on everyone's lips is who could be next.

A great read for the christmas period, light and entertaining.