Untitled Murder Most Unladylike : Death In the Spotlight Paperback – International Edition, November 27, 2018

Love this series! My daughter and I have been reading this series together.

I was a little concerned about what I would actually get, since the title of the item was "Untitled Murder Most Unladylike," but it was Death in the Spotlight, the exact book I wanted, and it arrived in pristine condition. (The book itself was also perfect. The entire Wells & Wong series is exceptional, and this book was one of my favorites in the series so far.)

This was a great book. Very twisty and turny! I absolutely loved it. Daisy and Hazel solved the case like they always do. The book is set in a theater, and Stevens was great at showing both sides of the theater, the stage and backstage. I have read the whole series, this was my favorite yet!

The moment I saw "Death in the Spotlight" in the New Books section of the library, I snatched it up and immediately began looking forward to getting home, curling up and enjoying the latest Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells mystery.Last year I devoured the first seven books in the "Murder Most Unladylike" series, each set in the 1930s and focusing on the adventures of two girls attending Deepdean School for Girls: beautiful, wealthy and haughty Daisy Wells, and introverted, quick-thinking Hazel Wong. Hazel is the Watson to Daisy's Sherlock, and together they've formed the Detective Society, wherein they use their youth, gender (and in Hazel's case) race to investigate crimes without arousing the suspicion of those around them.In "Death in the Spotlight" the two are staying with Daisy's Uncle Felix in London, who has decided to keep them both out of trouble by getting them small parts in a production of "Romeo and Juliet" at the Rue Theatre. As Daisy grapples with an unexpected crush and Hazel fights her crippling stage fright, the two become aware of the tensions brewing among the lead actors.It seems almost inevitable that the lead actress should end up dead, but now the Detective Society has to figure out who the murderer is without Uncle Felix finding out what they're up to.As ever, Robin Stevens manages to vividly capture the sights, sounds and smells of her chosen setting - in this case it's London, particularly the Rue Theatre. Hazel is initially taken in by the outward glamour, but soon becomes aware of what she describes as "the paste and paint and hollow spaces that make up a theatre." There are spooky sequences in which the girls are exploring shadowy backrooms and basements, and an underground well that was apparently inspired (as explained in the author's note) by the Palace Theatre.Stevens also does incredibly well in capturing Hazel, a young Chinese girl who has been sent to England by her anglophile father who wants her to receive a Western education. In the early books she's painfully shy and uncertain; now she's gained confidence and strength - even enough to stand up to Daisy at times.It was great to catch up with Wells and Wong again, the only trouble now is another long wait until the next mystery!

This is the 7th in the series, so not much I can say obviously, lol..but of course this series has become 1 of my all time favorites, & so this book of course was superb. I absolutely loved the direction this 1 took. It was AMAZING being in London this time with Hazel & Daisy, & staying with our favorite uncle Felix! PLUS, we spend so much time at the theatre, & that’s where our murder mystery unfolds, & everything was brilliantly done. The theater aspect was so good! This mystery was such a great 1 as well, & I just loved every bit of this. Highly recommend-duh lol. Of course, another beautiful cover by Nina Tara too.💜

This was one of my favorite stories in the Unladylike series, possibly because Hazel is coming into her own as a detective. Staying at Daisy’s aunt and uncle in London, she and Daisy have joined a theatrical production of Romeo and Juliet to ‘keep them out of danger’. But death finds them there when a member of the cast is found drowned in a well at the lowest level of the theater. When Daisy comes down with the flu that earlier struck other members of the cast, and the girls are forbidden to go back to the theater, Hazel must detect in other ways, with help from Alexander and George. Of course, in the end, they both find the murderer.