Death on the Pier

by Jamie West

320 pages, Unknown Binding

Published October 10, 2022

Reviews

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 easy+enjoyable id like to see another book with the two protagonists/more development between them? but i guess it wld be difficult to set them up to solve a murder again 😭

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death on the Pier swept me away to Brighton and its theatre by the seaside during the early 1930s. Combining locations that are a part of Brighton’s history with fictional events and twists on local, West gives us an evocative setting for Bertie Carroll’s latest play and the murder that will haunt him for years to come and leave a ghost to walk the stage for years to come.

Whenever an author's work is likened to Agatha Christie, the renowned Mother of Murder Mystery, I always feel a bit sceptical. Christie's unique talent for balancing a cosy atmosphere with the harsh truths of crime is hard to match. Therefore, seeing West’s work being compared in such a manner is noteworthy. I was understandably wary of being let down because I’ve loved Christie for as long as I recall and love the nostalgia and being kept on the edge of my seat long after knowing whodunnit and why. My wariness in this case was swiftly squashed, as West has taken the time to ensure with wonderful world-building and knowledge from the stage that the reader feels as though they’re far from the technology and brightness of 2025 and back a century to when the stage still felt wonderful and was king of entertainment for many and the first cinema in Brighton was only 22 years old.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book—the setting was captivating, and the characters, whether heroes or villains, were all compelling. West made everyone come to life in such a manner, that you were either alongside the director turned detective or the members of the cast saw the curtain fall for one of their own for the last time. The story is engaging and the mystery is really well done, and reminded me a great deal of Christie’s work, especially the Miss Marple series. I confess, my love of the older murder mysteries had me being pretty sure of who had committed the crime, I just wasn’t sure as to the why which is always the good bit in a mystery. However, West maintained the suspense until the end of the book and wove in any of the loose ends that had the reader guessing in such a manner that it was both dramatic and satisfying.

I also loved that there was a possible slow-burn romance between Bertie and his friend, Hugh who is the investigating police officer. I especially enjoyed their quieter moments together off the case. I kept having to ask my husband if I was wrong, could there be something happening here given the thirties were far from easy to be homosexual so it’s understandable both to be wrong about what we’re reading but also for them to be careful. I just loved Bertie, and he deserves happiness at some point

I'm delighted to have discovered this book and its sequel, as I've found a new mystery series I'll return to and enjoy time and again. It does indeed deserve to be loved as Agatha Christie’s timeless tales are.

[Rich ✧ ✭ ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 A good old fashioned Murder-Mystery. Set during a wet and gloomy Brighton in 1933, Jamie does a great job at creating the scene leading up to the disastrous opening night.

We meet our classic characters who’re all diverse and bring their own presence to the story, including Celia Hamilton, Hollywood’s Leading Lady, who is nothing short of a rude, patronising bitch! Bertie Carroll is our Playwright and he’s come to oversee final rehearsals before opening night where he meets on old-friend, Hugh, who’s about to become much more than an audience member!

Once the murder-mystery is underway we get a classic investigation, with Bertie & Hugh interviewing each cast/crew member one by one, shovelling through motives and theories. Together they bounce off of each other and they both have a different perspective to help unravel the bloody-mystery.

This is a really atmospheric and theatrical Murder-Mystery with great writing from Jamie. It’s cosy, fun and I could absolutely see additional spinoffs with Bertie & Hugh.

[Helen Arrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death on the Pier by Jamie West
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the style of this book, the setting, the characters, and the mystery. At the beginning I found there was a lot of detail to get my head around but as the book went on I loved it, it really helped me picture the scene. Having been involved in, and worked in a theatre for over 25 years, in a backstage and technical capacity I absolutely loved that aspect of the book, it was also nice how Bertie explained some ‘theatre bits’ to Hugh so non-theatre readers will also benefit from the explanations. I’d worked out some answers but not all and I enjoyed seeing how Bertie put all the clues together. Looking forward to book 2.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Golden Age mysteries and this is terrific. Set in Brighton in the 1930s, it is set in the world of theatre which is a world totally alien to me. I enjoyed the locked room type mystery when a killing on stage results in an actual death.

Bertie is an interesting character and I enjoyed his working relationship with his friend, the detective Hugh. I wonder what is in store for these two in the future. The story took me a while to get to grips with but then it totally took off and had me hooked. Looking forward to reading the next one.

[Lorna Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the characters and the setting, but the plot was a bit obvious, i worked it out about half way through as the clues were a bit clunky and obvious (maybe I just read too many murder mystery books!). I will definitely give the second book in the series a go as i want to see how the characters progress.

[Dando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this read, I work in theatre and you can tell the author also works in theatre as he has so much of it spot on and really captures the people and space so well! I did manage to figure out who did it but there were also plot twists I wasn't expecting which made it satisfying and exciting! very chill read as well!

[Benstockbiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious! A page-turning whodunnit celebrating the lost almost lost world of seaside theatre….!