A most interest story of the life and times of the people working Iina provincial theatre. A close-knit community of all the behind-the-scenes workers, those who produce the shows, the stars, the cast , the front staff and the last and not least Ollie the guard dog, Harry the rat and the theatre Ghost. With an amateur manger struggling to cope with the show and all normal events among the staff, of births, death, falling in love, with plots, skullduggery there is much to enjoy.

Theatricals form a global Family, and those at “The Empire” in Highbridge exemplify this: Jack and Grace in the parental roles, Lillian as ‘grannie’, Tom and Stella as ‘the kids’, and a troop of musicians, front-of-house and stage crew as ‘cousins’. It is 1926, a transitional time for the Theatre, with repertoires expanding so that large provincial theatres, such as “The Empire” do not just rely on in-house writers (Grace) and composers (Ruby), or Rep, but also host touring companies and pre-West End try-outs. Much of this broadening is because recorded music has become popular and silent movies, already moderate competition, are known to be on the brink of becoming “the talkies”. “The Empire” is now technically “The New Empire”, because the original was destroyed in a, probably, arson event. Its new production is going well, and the family is expanding because Lillian has just introduced a new love, an exiled Grand Duke from Marakovia, an office manager and an electrical genius who understands microphones and record making. Things are looking up for the company. Things are not quite so bright for young, widowed mother Sally Blow, scraping a living as a grocer’s assistant and cleaner, but earning tips as a singer in the local pub, where her talent has been spotted by Tom and Ruby.
Such peace and promise cannot go on for long, of course. Who is trying to sabotage the activities at the theatre? Who is passing information about the Grand Duke back to a group plotting against the Marakovian Crown Prince? Will Sally’s talent rescue her from a life of drudgery?
Those are just three of the dozen or more questions that you will ask and eventually receive an answer to, in this multi-stranded plot. It’s the second in a series but works perfectly well as a standalone. Many will class this as a cosy crime story, but I’m inclined to think it more like a comfortable crime story, a family saga where crimes occur but primarily off-stage, where jeopardy happens but is resolved without chaos, without fuss. The main characters are solid, believable, mostly likeable and relatable (and I’m sure the author has named his ingénue Sally Blow as a reference to Sally Bowles of Cabaret fame). The writing style feels right for the time-period, but it isn’t pastiche (although the repetitive use of ‘fizzing’ did annoy me). Overall, it’s a highly enjoyable read.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This is the second book in the series about The Empire, a theatre in the 1920s. Jack is in charge and married to Grace. They’ve had problems and the restaurant attached to the Empire has folded, partly through a bad chef.
Jack’s mum, Lillian has returned with a new boyfriend, Grand Duke Nickolia Kuznetsov. He is worried about the relationship. He’s also trying to catch a rat that has been called Harry whom.oves eating cold cream that the performers use.
Sally Blow, a widow with a young son, performs in a local pub for tips from clients and briefly works as a cleaner at the Empire.
There are lots of storylines in the book and lots of characters. As Michael Ball is a musical theatre star I presume he is writing about a subject he knows and has studied. It was an enjoyable easy read.

Another outing to The Empire. Now the New Empire. Lots of backstage and onstage knowledge and a similar cast of characters to the first book, The Empire.

A 'cozy' murder mystery which proceeds as expected.

Not for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publishers.

This book is the second in the series and Michael Ball is most definitely writing about what he knows best.
A great story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

It’s 1926 and running a theatre isn't the glamorous life some think. Purse strings are tight and when the producer of the forthcoming pantomime has gone missing due to tax evasion, they need to find someone to step into the breach. Meanwhile Lillian the proprietor has a new beau with rather a background, and Sally Blow has found herself redundant so needs to find employment pronto in order to keep a roof over her son’s head, more than the singing at the pub she already does.

This is Michaels second book (can be read alone) based in theatre land which he knows so well. It's one that I quickly got into and could almost hear Michael reading it as it has his style right through it if that makes sense? There are numerous threads including Harry the Rat(!) which makes for a very interesting read and the descriptions are enough to put the reader at the heart of things without too much to distract from what is going on, it's a nice balance. I particularly liked Sally’s story, the underdog so to speak, wanting things to pick up for her. A beautifully described evocative piece of the era with wonderful characters. Loved it.

For more reviews please follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @nickisbookblog
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This is the second book in The Empire series with all the old characters back and some new exciting ones .Set In Highbridge in 1926 the Theatre is set to open after the terrible fire .Fast paced and glamorous with lots of action giving the reader a wonderful insight into both front stage and back stage in a theatre in that era .I enjoyed the first book and loved this one even more ,a lovely cosy read with a lot of excitement. I do hope there will be another book in the series ? Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

The second book in The Empire series and another enjoyable cosy mystery/family saga takes us back to Highbridge in 1926 and the Empire theatre needs a boost to return it to profit. There is a massive list of characters in the book and despite having read the previous book I still found myself referring to the cast list which is included in the book. This did mean that it took me longer than normal to get into the story but the wait was worth it.

Briefly, there are so many threads in the book, aside from the running of the theatre and its own stories, most notably Harry the rat who is an inspired inclusion and who stole the show on a particularly difficult pantomime performance. Lillian has a new beau, Grand Duke Nikolai Kuznetsov, much to her son Jack’s dismay. West End star, Stella Stanmore has come running back to Highbridge following the death of a friend in London. And there are criminal activities afoot at the Lassiter factory. And that’s just the start of it.

Fast paced with lots of action I did find this an enjoyable read and a wonderful insight into theatre of the era, both front of and backstage, but you would expect nothing less from this star of musical theatre. Everyone seems to be hiding something from someone and as the secrets are revealed it appears that not everything is as bad as is feared - although sometimes it is! Some great characters and Harry aside my favourite storyline was that of young widow, Sally Blow and her son, heartwarming stuff. An enjoyable and entertaining read.

Michael Ball has certainly stuck to the advice of ‘write about what you know’ and because of this, he has created a wonderful world for the reader to spend time in. I loved the first book, so couldn’t wait to get stuck in to this one and it exceeded my expectations. The warmth of the writer spreads through the pages drawing the reader in. Wonderful characters, great plot and a perfect setting.

So,with this 2nd book by the author we find ourselves back in Highbridge and reunited with old and new cast at the Empire Theatre
It’s towards the end of the 20’s and the theatre is a hub of ‘being seen’,’dressing to the 9’s’ and all the excitement and razzmatazz that goes hand in hand with it
There are a lot of characters to meet and re meet and the cast list at the beginning is helpful with this,the main players soon become known and as they do the book unfurls with secrets and jealousies,local town gangsters and romance and the wonderful story of local cleaner turned pub singer whose dreams maybe can come true
The writing took ( as it did with Book 1 ) a few chapters to flow with me but once it did there was no stopping the story and all it’s many sub stories within it
Towards the end we have a Royal visitor who proves to be more than stoic when faced with adversity than expected and someone turns out to be not quite as they seemed
It creates a very mind scenic view of the times and the world of theatre and makes you want to be there experiencing it all ( well most of it! ) with them
Overall a comforting good yet at times thrilling read

We're back at the Empire, and Jack is trying to get things back on track. It's going to be busy, too - panto time, and an all-singing, all-dancing talent contest.

But, as usual, things do not go accodring to plan...

The second brilliant instalment in what I hope will be a long-running series

"A Backstage Betrayal" is Michael Ball's second novel featuring the Empire theater in the fictional northern town of Highbridge. The action this time is set in 1926, shortly after the General Strike, when working class people were struggling to make ends meet. There are new characters, including a Grand Duke from a fictitious country somewhere in Eastern Europe. This is a time when Mussolini has come to power in Italy and Hitler is starting to flex his muscles in Germany. So we have political intrigue as well as family rifts and the struggles around keeping a new theatre afloat in difficult times.

This is good escapist fun, and not too heavy going. Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have read this ARC with a view to providing a review
All opinions and thoughts are my own

Yes, yes - I read it for the obvious reason but really enjoyed this
Easy to read and spent an enjoyable time reading this

Loved it

Whilst I love Mr Ball and would watch him in many West End shows, dare I say it, I'm not sure if these books are his greatest work (I hope he will forgive me for this). There is humour in the books and a huge cast of characters. His latest, "A Backstage Betrayal" follows on from "The Empire" after the fire and the theatre that has been rebuilt and we are now in the 1920s. It is full of drama but with so many characters it is difficult sometimes to keep up. Big shout out though for cold cream loving Harry the rat who was my favourite character.