A Staged Death

Brock & Poole #2

by A.G. Barnett

When showbiz gets ugly…

The world of showbiz comes to Bexford when the new series of hit TV show Foul Murder is launched there. Soon, life imitates art as a murder is committed, live on stage.

Luckily, Detective Sergeant Guy Poole and Detective Inspector Sam Brock are in the audience to take charge of the scene.

When it becomes clear that one of their own is the prime suspect, they are determined to help prove his innocence, no matter how annoying he is.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Murder Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Detective

254 pages, ebook

Published April 19, 2018

About the author

A.G. Barnett is an international bestselling Amazon author of mysteries.

After playing the drums enthusiastically but erratically in a band, working to create digital resources for the visually impaired and joining a digital supply chain startup, he eventually fell into the charitable sector where he has worked in online health information for over a decade.

He is currently writing two series, The Brock & Poole mysteries and The Mary Blake mysteries.

Originally from North Devon, England, A.G. moved to Oxfordshire many years ago where he now lives with his wife, daughter, and ridiculous spaniels.

A.G.Barnett loves hearing from readers, so feel free to contact him on Twitter and Facebook or email him at Contact@agbarnett.com

Reviews

[Bette Bonder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, I was eager to get to Book 2. Alas, disappointment awaited. The plot was both convoluted and somehow clunky. The characters that had seemed so carefully constructed in the first book came across as rather one-dimensional. And the writing was so poor that it intruded on the flow of the narrative. We can only hope that a good editor will whip a third volume into better shape.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bexford, England. Present day. A. G. Garnett’s A Staged Death (Brock & Poole, #2) s a view of show business and its very ugly truths concerning actors in a hit TV show, the series six opener of Foul Death, and a chance to see a police duo, Detective Inspector Sam Brock and his partner, Detective Sergeant Guy Poole. A member of Brock & Poole’s PD is a member of the cast, a very small member. Ronald Smith, a pathologist consultant to this TV show, invites Brock & Poole to be witness to Ronald’s shining moment on the stage. This TV opener is being presented ‘live’ in the county and town, Bexford, that had become home to Ronald Smith. Brock & Poole are seated in the theater, and the production begins. After introducing the actors, the set of Foul Murder is placed on the stage to cheers and whistles. Then there is a blackout. When the lights are turned on, an actor is crumbled on the floor. Ronald Smith slowly walks over to this actor. Then he yells, “Brock”. It seems the lead actor is dead. What follows is a delight mystery that has the reader delving into the lives of the rest of the actors, the personal lives of Brock & Poole, and workings of their PD. Very enjoyable. 4.25 stars.

[jackie Siears · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book of s series, and it is much better developed than the first. The characters are more dimensional, although the author has room to continue shaping them.

But if grammatically correct stories are important to you, please skip these books! As a retired English teacher, I have to fight the urge to grab my red pen and score each paragraph. The author would do himself a favor if he found a good copy editor. For this reason, I would qualify my referral for this series of stories.

[Chaitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like these books. They’re short, they don’t overstay their welcome, and the cops put pieces together logically and come to a logical conclusion. I also genuinely like Brock and Poole. I read book #3 before I read this one, and I knew a little more of the overarching story, but it didn’t affect my reading negatively.

[Monty Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This is my mind of Detective story. The author keeps the action going and keeps you on your toes throughout the book!

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a work of art,I found it so enjoyable. It has murders of course, but there is also great subtle humour, family insights and trouble, different police temperaments involving chest puffing and yelling and the solving of the crimes. This is so well written it flows with all threads adding into a rich tapestry of brock and Poole in the homicide department. I don’t seem to be able to express just how good this book is. It is also a clean read, no gratuitous sex or swearing which is something I appreciate. I highly recommend this book for all who want a good murder book that is very entertaining and will have you wanting.. ..no needing more of brock and Poole.

[Nancy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actors are being Murdered and Everyone continues to Act Innocent

I am enjoying this duo of crime fighters with all their personal baggage in tow. Detective Sam Brock and his Sergeant Guy Poole trying to solve murder not once,not twice but thrice involving a company of actors from a TV show that was to be made into a movie but the lead men keep getting killed on stage. Discovering the 'how' it was done leads them to their killer but the next victim has already been taken. The back stories of their family lives are very interesting, chilling and funny. I hope to continue reading this author and more books about these detectives in the near future.

[Patricia K. Epp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the characters, love the plot, but

Boy do you need a good editor. Enjoying the series, hope you continue. There is plenty of action, and the characters are getting fleshed out. Will read the next one and see how life treats our detectives.

[Juuli · Rating 4 out of 5]

See oli täpselt nagu Midsomeri episoodi vaatamine. Mõnus tempo, huvitav juhtum, piisavalt uurijate eraelu. Kõik oli nii muhedalt kirja pandud ilma verepulma ja soolikateta.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in the Theater.

Brock and Poole are getting to know one another and I find the chemistry between them not what I expected.
In this story we discover more of Poole's history with his father and get to know his mother a bit better. As for Brock, the grumpy, gruff boss is more willing to talk about personal things than poor Poole feels comfortable hearing about.

This book revolves around a murder of an actor and has Brock and Poole stumped not only as to the killer but how. I have to admit I became a little frustrated with the suspects until I remembered the story revolves around actors. I was surprised that I was almost more interested in Poole's family drama than figuring out who and why of the murder.
When an author can distract me from digging into the murder then that is a writer I'm in awe of their talent.

[Emmalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An improvement from book one. I ended up enjoying this one more that I did book one. Sam and the new puppy are hilarious. Paul finally gets up the nerve to ask a certain someone out on a date and his mom has just got to move out. His dad is out of prison and wants to have a relationship with him and ends up revealing surprising news about his arrest. Meanwhile the team works on solving the murders of actors in a play.
These are quick and witty cozy mysteries. It took a hot minute to start enjoying them but I’m on board

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as Good as the First Book

Very good mystery with the added allure of a theatre company. Twists and surprises of many strands and brought smoothly together.

It should have been 5 stars, however the writing is sloppy. Grammatical errors, nonsense words, and misspellings. It desperately needs a good editing.

[Jo-Ann Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very amateurish.

[Viva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave book #1 three stars and didn't think I was going to read book #2. But the first chapter of book #2 was included at the end of the book and it seemed to be ok. So against my better judgement I ordered book #2 but was unable to finish it.

Spoilers ahead:
Guy Poole is a newly assigned detective sergeant in the village of Bexford. In his team are his boss Inspector Brock, romantic interest(?) PC Sanders, and slightly bubbleheaded PC Davis.

A play is playing in the village theatre. The lights go out and when they come on again the main actor has been clobbered to death on stage. There are 4 other actors on stage plus a few crew at the sides, and a roomful of audience.

It's a classic whodunit. I found the story boring and difficult to read. The main reason(s) are that the story is pretty much advanced by dialog between the characters and most of the time that doesn't make for good reading. The other thing is that the story is spread among too many characters.

There simply isn't any excitement and all I'm left with is reading people talking endlessly. When that happens the plot advances slowly while taking up a lot of time.

The best way to write and read something like this is for the reader to follow a path with the main character where we see the plot revealed slowly through his eyes. This is basically a mass or a mess of words. I dnf'd about 40% through. Despite a promising start, I'm definitely not going to read any more from this author.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t recall how this series came to my attention, but I read the first book a couple of years ago and enjoyed it enough to add the rest of the series to Mt. TBR. Set in a small town in England, it’s a nice change of pace from so many books that are set in London.

I really like DS Poole and DI Brock and the way they work so well together. Brock is a bit rough around the edges and can be gruff, but he listens to Poole, and gives his suggestions serious consideration. We also learn a bit about each of their personal lives, which will certainly be explored as the series continues.

I didn’t care for many of the other characters – almost all actors and ‘theater people’ – in this book, mostly because they were all too concerned about the future of the show and their careers to really care about the person who was killed, or even who the killer was. They were all astounded to be considered suspects, even though they all had very good reasons for wanting the victim dead.

I liked following the investigation, and will admit to being distracted by some of the red herrings, but I began to suspect one character who seemed a little too good to be true. Since I rarely am able to figure out whodunnit much before it’s revealed in the book, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that my suspicions were correct, even down to the motive.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series, hopefully while it’s still available in the Audible+ catalog.

[Panda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part 2 and already the one thing that made this different was thrown out the window.

In the first book our main character was a mama's boy that got stepped on by... everyone. And that was fine since it added some humor to a rather ho-hum read.

Here that's that's out. You see, he actually is the super awesome gary stu that is the youngest ever to blah blah blah and he only does whatever his mother wants to protect her because he is a badass and everyone is in awe of him and you guys trust me he's the most awesome that ever awesomed and...

Yeah, bored now. You get where I'm going with this. The book just piles on the stereotypes regarding the side characters so it's rather dull and predictable. The mystery is the type that randomly points the finger at someone on the very last page just like the first book.

Dropping this series now, I don't think it's for me.

[annapi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad series so far. It reads like it was deliberately written in hopes of turning it into a TV show - like Midsomer Murders. I would not miss it if I never read another, but if it was there I would be interested in finding out more about the protagonists, who are kinda growing on me.

An actor's staged death turns into a real one, and the police department's medical examiner is a prime suspect. He's a bit of a slimy character, the kind you love to hate. Brock and Poole need to solve this quickly as the body count rises.

I didn't like the way this ended. Too much like a TV show, where they spring the resolution at you and it's rather implausible. Good for light reading, okay enough for 3 stars.

[Bridget]

Like the characters of Sam Brock, inspector, and detective Guy Poole. This is 2nd in the series. I listened to the audible. A murder occurs live on stage of a cop type show that Brock and Poole had been invited to see. In addition we get more on Sam and his wife Laura adopting a little dog while they struggle to get pregnant (Sam has slow swimmers, which he states to Guy); Guy dealing with his criminal father whose lifestyle caused the death of a friend of Guy's when he was 15. The father is now out of jail and wants to talk to Guy to try and build a relationship. All while dealing with lying suspects.

[Mary Kay Kare]

See, here’s one of the problems with self-publishing: There’s no one to point out when you’ve committed a major howler. Like one of the main characters gets stabbed in the stomach. In less than 36 hours he’s back at work and meeting friends at the pub after. No, no, a thousand times no. An abdominal wound is extremely serious stuff and you’re gonna be hospitalized a while. Jiminy Christmas! Talk about murdering your suspension of disbelief. And that’s just the easiest one to point out. There are more. Lots more. Don’t waste your time. I’m sorry I did.

[Dorothy J. Barkell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fine book

The second book in the Brick and Poole mystery series was even better than the first. As Brock and Poole learn to work with each other, they both have to fight their own demons at home. A fierce friendship is developing between them and Poole is also finding a romantic interest. The mystery was engrossing and intriguing. This author is a top-notch writer and I look forward to many more books in the series.

[NIGEL HAYES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is the second Brock and Poole book I have read and can't wait for the third . I like Mr Barnetts way of writing it has kept me interested far more than any books I've read for some time and I've read a lot. This book really kept me guessing who had done it. My only complaint is there are only three books please keep writing them Mr Barnett. Right onto book three now. Bye

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Staged Death is the second in this brilliant British detective series. It has a great duo in DI Sam Brock and DS Guy Poole. In this installment a TV show, Foul Murder, has come to their community of Bexford and the departments forensic pathologist is on the show as a consultant, and later has a small part. The lead actor ends up murders. There were plenty of suspects and leads to follow, overall a well thought out mystery plot.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun whodunit

Good characters, good story line and plot. Figured out whodunit about 2/3rds the way through but good ending. Extra plot with main character is working out slowly over multiple books, but each book is a stand alone. Some repetition in wording and description but overall good read. I like the fact that this is basically a clean read too. Not much profanity, no graphic sex. Thank you, AG Barnett!

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"Bit of an odd one, sir."

Book two of the Brook and Poole detective series continues to delight. Unusual in that the two lead protagonists are both male, the plot itself takes second stage to the development of the characters.
A new series of a popular TV show is launched, episode one to be transmitted live. Instead, the theatre goes dark and an actor dies. But why? And how?

Delicious fun, performed by Nigel Patterson, and recommended.

[Gail Gassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one!

Really enjoyed this one allot! This may be a spoiler so you might not want to read any further!!
Lots of suspects around every corner. Also an enlightening confession from someone trying to clear Poole's father of a past crime, that may just distory what home life he had. Great book! Looking forward to reading more of them!

[Deborah Rupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. G. Barnett wrote a good story but I could not get past the poor grammar. "... he looked through the archway to see where his friends were sat.". This is just one example. "Were sat" was used many times throughout the book. And It wasn't just one character saying it, they all spoke that way. It should have been "were sitting".

[Mary Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in this series that I have read, and I found it as enjoyable as some "cozy" mysteries I have read and as good as other books in this genre. I am reminded of the "Midsommer Murders" series because we have a younger policeman working with a seasoned inspector who is older. I like the relationship between Poole and Brock.

[marcia mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

I watch a lot of Masterpiece on PBS and this series reminds me of a couple of the British detective shows. The relationship between Poole and Sam is interesting as is that with Poole and his parents. I look forward to the next book. I want to see what happens with Laura and Sam!

[Carol Helverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read in the series. Loved meeting up with Brock and Poole again with all their personal challenges as well as their commitments to solving the current case. However, find some of the “typos” and awkward sentence structure often distracting. Oh well, will put up with it for the sake of an entertaining read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the characters of DCI Brock and DS Poole. They have some depth to them, but there is enough lightness to the story. In this one, an actor is killed on stage. There are people on stage and in the audience.

There are lots of suspects, although I had figured it out. Definitely a good, light read.