A Backstage Betrayal

Fiction, Fiction & Poetry, General Fiction

Michael Ball (author)

Hardback Published on: 07/11/2024

£20.00

16 reviews

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Synopsis

'Full of glamour and intrigue. It slips down as easily as any cocktail.' Fern Britton

ESCAPE TO THE EMPIRE THEATRE WITH THE NEW NOVEL FROM MUSICAL THEATRE LEGEND, MICHAEL BALL.

GLAMOUR. DECEIT. SECRETS. SCANDAL. 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?

In this perfect Christmas gift for theatre lovers, Michael Ball transports readers to the roaring twenties as he works his magic in this second Empire Theatre novel.

Readers are loving A BACKSTAGE BETRAYAL

'A beautifully described evocative piece of the era with wonderful characters. Loved it' *****

'A lovely cosy read with a lot of excitement' *****

'Wonderful characters, great plot and a perfect setting' *****

'The second brilliant instalment in what I hope will be a long-running series' *****

Praise for THE EMPIRE

'A wonderful book. A love letter to the theatre' Rev. Richard Coles

'A fantastic book. Brilliant' Don Black OBE

'A wonderful read' Jeffrey Archer

'A golden debut - charming, funny and romantic' Cameron Mackintosh

'Takes you to the magical world of theatre' Rosie Goodwin

Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781804182307
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 648g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 37 mm

Customer Reviews

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Entertaining read

The second book in The Empire series and another enjoyable cosy mystery/family saga takes us back to Highbridge in 1926 and the Empire theatre needs a boos... READ MORE

Lynda Checkley

An Exciting Read

This is the second book in The Empire series with all the old characters back and some new exciting ones .Set In Highbridge in 1926 the Theatre is set to o... READ MORE

Chrissie Mortimer

A joy for any lover of theatre

As someone who works professionally in the theatre industry, I was very excited to get access to the ARC for the second book in the Empire series from Mich... READ MORE

KindigBlog

A Backstage Betrayal

This is book two in this series and follows on after the shenanigans of book one - The Empire - so, for full enjoyment, I would really recommend reading th... READ MORE

Ashrae

Some gems in a huge cast

Whilst I love Mr Ball and would watch him in many West End shows, dare I say it, I'm not sure if these books are his greatest work (I hope he will forgive ... READ MORE

Mel Pretorius

Comfortable crime story

Theatricals form a global Family, and those at “The Empire” in Highbridge exemplify this: Jack and Grace in the parental roles, Lillian as ‘grannie’, Tom a... READ MORE

Denis

Great crime mystery

This is the second book that Michael has written about The Empire and it is just as good as the first one. I love stories set in the 1920’s and I love book... READ MORE

Sue Hill

Enjoy the fun

Made me smile. 30 year old career orientated finds her biological clock ticking. Losing a close friend and her job helps reassess priorities. At the same ... READ MORE

Helen Wilkinson

Although I read the book because Ball was the author, it is well worth the read no matter who had written it.

A very enjoyable book. Unfortunately I hadn't read the first one not realising it was a sequel. Although it didn't matter except that the cast of characte... READ MORE

Douglas Howell

The drama is sometimes backstage!

After reading the first book in this series, I have been eagerly awaiting the second. The Empire Theatre is in Highbridge, outside London and is run by the... READ MORE

Yvonne Bastian

An Entertaining and Easy Read

Musical theatre legend Michael Ball has turned his hand to writing novels. Backstage Betrayal is his second book. It’s an enjoyable read and has clearly be... READ MORE

Debra Davidson-Smith

Too many characters

I read the first instalment of the ‘Empire’ and really enjoyed it. I started ‘The Backstahe Betrayal’ with eager anticipation, but somehow it did not keep... READ MORE

Jen1010

A read to delight you!

1926 We return to The Empire theatre and times are hard. Jack Treadwell, erstwhile proprietor, his mother Lillian, and his playwright wife Grace, know th... READ MORE

Jennifer Reeve

A great book

Loved it It was good going back to the empire and joining in with characters old and new. This was slightly more thrilling then Michael Balls first book,... READ MORE

Julie G

An entertaining read

In this sequel to The Empire, we reunite with the characters at the end of the 1920s as they prepare for a new show at the theatre. Although this is book 2... READ MORE

Helene Walters-Steinberg

Fab Second Novel

A delightful return to The Empire and the characters we met in the first book, plus some new characters just to make things interesting. Crime, intrigue, e... READ MORE

Lesley Walsh

A Backstage Betrayal

Synopsis

Customer Reviews

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