Tib Street Ballroom and Exit, Pursued By Death by Keira Willis
Tib Street Ballroom Double Feature
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Tib Street Ballroom &
Exit, Pursued By Death
Double Feature!
Keira Willis
24.10.2024
Marmalade Press
A Manchester Set Novel
Crime, Mystery, Supernatural
Disclaimer: these thoughts are entirely my own, based on my reading experience, and is no reflection of whether or not this title should be read. Thus, I try to keep my writing fair and constructive, and reveal my personal rating at the end. I always enjoy reading the varying thoughts of other readers because we all experience books differently - which is just so wonderful! So please feel free to leave a comment at the end.
I would like to start this review by saying a gigantic and most grateful thank you to Keira Willis and Marmalade Press for giving me this opportunity to review Exit, Pursued By Death with an advance reading copy (ARC).
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✨ BOOK SYNOPSIS 📖
Welcome to: Tib Street Ballroom
How do you solve an unsolvable murder? Ask the victim... In January 1986, Marnie Driscoll was found dead. With no witnesses, it seems as though the circumstances of her death will remain a mystery. Until six months later when Detective Inspector Andrew Joyce's career takes an unexpected detour when he finds himself unwillingly transferred to an obscure department within Greater Manchester Police, known as The Ballroom. The Ballroom team employs unorthodox methods to crack previously unsolved cases, and Joyce, a sceptic by nature, must find a way to work with Peggy Swan, a reclusive ex-socialite with a unique talent: she can communicate with the dead!
Introducing: Exit, Pursued By Death
Welcome back to The Ballroom... Manchester, 1987. Lady Bancroft's Rose is a play with a grim history: three mysterious deaths have occurred during performances in Manchester theatres since 1922, all on opening night. When the desperate director of an upcoming production seeks the Ballroom's help, Detective Inspector Andrew Joyce and his eclectic team plunge headfirst into the sinister tale of a cursed play and stories of a malevolent entity known as The Shadow Man.
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✨ MY REVIEW 🤔
‘Oh my gosh… I hope there’s more to come.’ was my immediate, ecstatic, thought upon concluding both Tib Street Ballroom and Exit, Pursued By Death. Keira Willis’ writing certainly had me under a spell, and I simply didn’t want it to end!
Both of these titles paint an incredible picture of Greater Manchester through a 1980’s lens, which is especially a treat to experience if you’re familiar with the area. Not everything remains as it did then, but there are a lot of present landmarks that allow you to visualise what had once stood. Such as: Lewis’s. A department store integral to the investigation in Tib Street Ballroom, which resided at the end of Market Street where a Primark is now situated.
Keira Willis is also exceptional at crafting characters with so much depth that they feel as real as we are, and I couldn’t help but root for the team at The Ballroom. Feeling like I was a part of the ongoing investigation all the while.
Andrew and Peggy, who the chapters flit between, have a pained story of their own that unfolds behind the overarching stories. The dynamic between both Andrew and Peggy is a treat. Andrew is a sceptical and stubborn individual, whereas Peggy is soft-hearted but just as determined. It takes time for them to grow on one another, but their friendship is one that is necessary for their pained pasts to be processed. With the help of a cast of wonderful characters. I appreciate how their individual stories take place over the course of two books, revealing things where necessary and at a natural pace, whilst they both grow and begin their healing journey together and independently. All the while solving thrilling past-cases of suspected foul play, which could help prevent another potential death!
It is no secret for those that know me personally that Tib Street Ballroom is one that I highly recommend for anyone looking for a new book to fall in love with. I simply did not want to put it down and Exit, Pursued By Death evoked that same desperate need to read more. It is, in my humble opinion, a most wonderful balance of Crime, Mystery, and ✨ Haunting Suspense ✨. The latter being an absolutely exquisite addition, for I absolutely loved the concept that there is a spectrum of ghostly existence from cooperatively friendly to nightmarish and with a potential to interact with the living. Which surprisingly, for someone who is a scaredy-cat, I found delightfully thrilling!
So, in conclusion, if you are looking for a charming, thrilling, and spooky murder mystery read this autumn I could not recommend this double feature more! It is so well written that you will be left with a new found void to fill upon finishing because you too will be left hoping for another addition to the Tib Street Ballroom Mystery.
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I’d like to wrap up this entry by thanking you for taking the time to read my review of Tib Street Ballroom and Exit, Pursued By Death. If you have read this title I would love to share in your own experience in the comments below.
✨ RATING 📣
5/5
✨ COMPLETION DATE 🗓️
15.10.2024
