Death on the Pier

The Palace Pier Theatre. Brighton. 1933.

Renowned murder mystery playwright Bertie Carroll turns real life detective when his leading lady is shot and killed on stage, in full view of an unsuspecting audience. Once the curtain falls and the applause subsides, the horrible truth begins to dawn on the cast of suspects backstage. But as motives, secrets and old rivalries begin to come to light, the murderer is still waiting in the wings.

With the help of Chief Detective Hugh Chapman, an old friend from school, Bertie must put his amateur sleuthing skills to the test to unravel the ultimate whodunnit. But, is there more to Bertie and Hugh that first appears? Over the course of their investigation, something that is more-than-just-friends seems to be re-kindled. There is drama on stage and off in this debut novel from Jamie West, set in and around The Palace Pier Theatre in Brighton, a lost theatre, lovingly recreated.