Curtain Call at the Seaview Hotel by Glenda Young

In the charming Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough, the stage is set for murder . . .

Helen Dexter has started a new chapter in her life as sole proprietor of the Seaview Hotel.

But things take a dramatic turn when an acting troupe book into the hotel to rehearse a play they hope will save a much-loved theatre from being closed down. Helen immediately picks up on tension between the actors, but there is worse to come when the charismatic leading lady is found dead.

With so much at stake, it's clear the show must go on. Helen is roped into helping the troupe with their performance, giving her ample opportunity to discover who wanted their diva dead.

However, the murder is not the only thing on Helen's mind. She's receiving threatening phone calls, her car is vandalised - and she's just learned of an impending visit from a hotel inspector which could change the fortunes of the Seaview Hotel.

With her trusty greyhound Suki by her side, Helen is determined to uncover the identity of the killer - even if it means she has to give the performance of her life.

About the Author

Glenda Young credits her local library in the village of Ryhope, where she grew up, for giving her a love of books. She still lives close by in Sunderland and often gets her ideas for her stories on long bike rides along the coast. A life-long fan of Coronation Street, she runs two hugely popular fan websites.

For updates on what Glenda is working on, visit her website glendayoungbooks.com and to find out more find her on Facebook/GlendaYoungAuthor and Twitter @flaming_nora.

Review

Now I might be biased with this book since I run a crime fiction online bookshop (hint hint) and I also grew up in Scarborough, so really this is a match made in heaven! Plus, I loved the last book ‘Murder at the Seaview Hotel’ so I had high expectations of this outing and it definitely did not disappoint! I loved it. You can read this book as a stand-alone very easily but I really recommend reading the first one as well, especially since it's only one book to catch up with. I can imagine this series going on and on for quite a well - I do love when you get into a series from the start of it's publication journey.

I haven't been reading as much cosy crime of late but this series is now going to be an automatic purchase. There is something special about how Glenda manages to draw her characters - they all have so much depth and warmth to them. I do like how the actual setting in this one was limited mainly to the hotel as you then are thinking about alibis and timings and you get to see how the characters interact in a more observed setting - it's quite like the Golden age of classic crime in this respect. I loved the story - a drama troupe has hired out the hotel whilst they perform in Scarborough but alas the theatre isn't safe to be in at the moment (I am pretty sure this is based on the Futurist!) so they need to rehearse at the hotel. I loved how there were the themes of divas, cutthroat rivalry and getting to see more behind the scenes so to speak! Helen is a character I have started to cherish and I loved how she was getting a bit of confidence back since her husband passed away and there is even a bit of romance again.

Apart from the book being brilliant it is a pure comfort read for me as it allows me to experience being home without all the bumping into random people from school! The first time I took my now hubby down to Scarborough we meet three of my ex-boyfriends within 48 hours. I only had three boyfriends before Rory! Ah small-town life. What I can say is that Glenda knows Scarborough - her descriptions are authentic, the location descriptors are on point, the people are real and warm and all this is spread throughout her pages and it does exude what makes Scarborough special. Shame it's based on the north cliff - can you tell I lived in Southcliff?! What did make this book special is that it brought a very special memory back to life for me. My mum passed away nearly 20 years ago and every summer we would go the rose gardens on the Esplanade to see whether the water lilies had bloomed. I even wore jewellery on my wedding day that was based on water lilies and I must admit reading about the gardens again made me cry. But in a good way!

I thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait for the next one. Maybe there might even be a new item on the breakfast this time - I'm going to suggest eggs benedict!