Blood Spots

Summer 1989

Their post-show party stretched into the early hours. As the flames of their beach fire danced, the young cast and crew of a brilliant production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream all hope they'll be propelled to fame and theatrical fortune. But jealousy and betrayal simmer behind their smiles ...

Summer 2019

Former police officer Steph Grant is a reluctant volunteer. Stage-managing the new production of Brecht's Mother Courage within the ruins of Covehithe Church in Suffolk is not her idea of fun, not when the director is the county's resident drama queen, Beverly Elkin. But there is the excitement of the return of Hollywood and West End star, Jessica Marlowe, to her hometown to consider, thirty years after she made her name at the same venue.

Old jealousies never die

The production does not run smoothly. The show's star and director can't agree on anything. Jessica's return stirs old memories too, sharpened when a body, hidden for thirty years, is exposed by a cliff fall. And Steph's life is also turned upside down. Her partner, DCI Philip Hale, is acting oddly. He's distant, irritable, and appears to be hiding something. Can Steph ensure the show goes on - both on stage and at home?