Review - The Empire by Michael Ball

The Empire by Michael Ball
Publisher: Zaffre 
Release date: 13 October 2022

Back cover blurb: Welcome to the Empire Theatre. 1922. When Jack Treadwell first arrives at The Empire, a rehearsal is in full swing, and he is instantly mesmerised by the glitz and glamour of it all. But Jack quickly learns that the true magic of The Empire is the cast of characters - both on stage and backstage - that work tirelessly to ensure the show will go on, no matter what. Jack joins them, throwing himself into theatre life, finding an eccentric new family and maybe even a leading lady of his own . . . However, Jack soon discovers it is not just those on stage who are acting. With whispers of a scandalous cover-up and rivalries that threaten the future of The Empire, tensions rise, along with the curtain. For there is treachery at the heart of the theatre and a shocking secret waiting in the wings. Can Jack discover the truth before it is too late, and the theatre that means so much to them all goes dark? Set in the roaring 1920s, Musical Theatre legend Michael Ball brings his trademark warmth, wit, glamour, and incredible ability to transport an audience to this, his debut novel.

Welcome to the Empire Theatre 1922.

Jack Treadwell arrives in the middle of rehearsals, not knowing what to expect, but unprepared for the intoxicating world of glitz and glamour - so different to that of the trenches he fought in during the Great War.

Here he meets Grace, who he feels an immediate attraction to. But there's no time for that! Grace is extremely busy, working alongside a select 'cast' trying to keep open the theatre that they love. The Empire is under threat from a rival theatre owner and they are determined that he will not get his hands on it.

The show must go on!

And it does... Jack works with Grace to pull out all the stops when they are unable to book acts that are now 'exclusive' to their rival. He pours his heart and soul into the theatre world, and they are able to put together something quite special, but unfortunately it isn't enough.

To save the theatre long term they must come up with something spectacular.   

But can they do it before the theatre is forced to go dark?

The Empire has all the qualities of a great piece of theatre, an interesting plot, characters that the audience (reader) can really relate to, romance, comedy and a suitably dramatic ending.

The Empire is fantastic read, and one of my favourites of this year! 

I look forward to the Encore ...

The Empire* is available to pre-order now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request in exchange for an honest review.

*Disclaimer - I am a huge theatre fan (particularly musical theatre) and I absolutely adore Michael Ball, so I was a little nervous (but terribly excited) to receive and review an advanced copy of this novel. I needn't have been, and should have known that it would be an absolute star (just like the man himself)!

Review - The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields

The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields
Release date: 14 September 2022
Publisher: Avon Books UK

Back cover blurb: In search of a new life, seventeen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque. Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before. The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?

Sadie Levesque is a private investigator. Not exactly conventional, and not at all like the movies would have you believe! 

Sadie is so good at what she does, that a family more than half way across the world requests her services.

The Clark family are living on the remote Isle of Mull, worlds away from their previous lives in America, with Sadie equally as far from her native Canada.

Her grit and determination are what makes her a brilliant investigator. But there is a vulnerability there that reminds us that she is human, 

On an Island where everyone knows everyone, surely it should be easy to find the person responsible. 

But Sadie is an outsider, and the locals are wary of strangers. Those who do open up to her are fearful, of her, of what the other locals may think, and what she may uncover during her investigation.

The local police also resent her appearance. 

She is not welcome, but she has a job to do, and is determined to do it well. 

No matter the consequences...

And then there's another frustrating, but intriguing aspect to the investigation, Mull is alive with stories of witches and witchcraft. Something that shouldn't be overlooked, no matter what some may say.

Sadie must pick through the clues to separate the fiction from the fact, but the lines may be more blurred than she anticipates, and she must do it alone, for she has no friends on the Island.

The Last Girl to Die is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.