PUBLICATION DAY: A Backstage Betrayal - Michael Ball

THE THEATRE MAY SEEM GLAMOROUS, BUT SECRETS WAIT BEHIND THE CURTAIN

1926. Running a theatre may appear to be all about the showbiz, but times are hard at The Empire. Following a turbulent period Jack Treadwell, erstwhile proprietor, his mother Lillian, and his playwright wife Grace, know they need to get things back on track - and how better than with the annual pantomime, a new venture, and an all-singing all-dancing talent contest, showcasing the best performers around.

But could Lillian's new admirer, Grand Duke Nikolai Kuznetsov, be bringing disaster in his wake? Will The Empire be caught up in the scandal surrounding West End star, Stella Stanmore? And what are their enemies in Highbridge planning?

While Jack and Grace fight to ensure the show does go on, a royal visitor raises the stakes and a young widow, Sally Blow, dares to dream that the talent contest might be her big break.

As the talent contest draws closer, tragedy strikes. Amid the glitz and glamour there are strange goings on and a plot afoot. Is everything Jack and Grace have worked so hard for about to come crashing down? And could this be curtains for The Empire?

Musical theatre legend Michael Ball brings his trademark warmth, wit and glamour to this sparkling new novel.

 

What did I think?

We all know that Michael Ball can sing, but it may come as a surprise that he can write too.  With so many celebrity authors around at the moment, Michael Ball is the one that I would recommend reading as he writes about what he knows: the theatre.

I absolutely adored The Empire and I do think you need to have read it (if you somehow missed it) before reading A Backstage Betrayal to fully understand the history and relationships of the characters.  It was so good to virtually tread the boards again and see how Jack and Grace were getting on, although they certainly seem to have a lot of challenges to overcome in this novel.

It's wonderful to step back in time to the 1920s and see behind the curtain of a busy theatre and the era is depicted beautifully.  There's an awful lot going on both inside and outside of The Empire Theatre to keep the reader entertained and completely immersed in the story, although there is so much going on that I felt a little overwhelmed at times.  I think I devoured each page so quickly that I will need to read it again at a slower pace to fully appreciate the multi-layered and dramatic storylines.

Entertaining and atmospheric, A Backstage Betrayal is a fabulous sequel to The Empire and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Michael Ball OBE is a singer, actor, presenter and now author. He's been a star of musical theatre for over three decades, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical twice, he's also won two BRIT awards and been nominated for a Grammy. Michael regularly sells out both his solo tours and his Ball & Boe shows with Alfie Boe and has multiple platinum albums. The Empire is his first novel.

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