- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Mystery
Montgomery Bonbon: Scandal on the Stage
Book 5 in Montgomery BonbonView the full series
A playwright collapses on stage with one last unscripted word: "Murder!" Every cast member has an alibi, so how did someone kill in front of an audience? Bonbon's trickiest case yet.
- Best for9–12
- FormatIllustrated
- Length288 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr5 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Cosy
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Bonnie Montgomery is watching the local theatre group rehearse when playwright Cynthia Cecil suddenly collapses on stage, and Montgomery Bonbon, the world's finest detective, is the only one to catch her final, unscripted word: "Murder!" It should be an impossible crime. Every member of the cast was either in full view of the audience or backstage with a rock-solid alibi, so how could anyone have killed Cynthia in front of a watching room? As opening night looms, Bonnie must separate the players' lines from the truth and unmask a killer clever enough to commit murder in plain sight. Alasdair Beckett-King brings the theatrical flourish for the fifth Bonbon mystery, with Claire Powell's illustrations dressing the whole cast in greasepaint. Billed as Poirot for a new generation, it's a fiendish impossible-crime puzzle stitched through with jokes, red herrings and the fair-play clues the series is loved for, building to a showstopping final reveal.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best for independent readers of about 9-12, and a fun read aloud for 7-10s who enjoy guessing the culprit. The impossible-crime plot is clever but the tone stays cosy and comic, so it remains comfortable for sensitive readers.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 7–10
- Independent · 8–11
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Mystery fans
- Funny stories
- Detective stories
- Cosy mysteries
Avoid if
- Wants gritty realism
- Dislikes puzzles
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
A playwright dies on stage gasping the word "Murder!", and yet every single suspect has an alibi, which makes this the most head-scratching Bonbon case of all. Working out how a killer struck in plain sight, alongside Bonbon in her moustache, is brilliantly satisfying.
- Being a detective
- Trickery and cleverness
- Having a wise mentor
Why parents love it
The fifth case is a proper impossible-crime puzzle: a death in full view with everyone alibied, unravelled by clues that are all fairly laid out. Witty, warm and quotable, with lively illustrations that keep even reluctant readers turning to the showstopping reveal.
- Shared humour
- Great writing
- Quick to read
In the series
Montgomery Bonbon.
5 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
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