Mystery and magic combine in Mat Osman’s second novel, The Ghost Theatre, which explores Elizabethan London via fanciful historical fiction. Brother of author and TV personality Richard Osman, he has 30 years of his own credentials as bassist of Suede.

Shay – a young rooftop wanderer, reputed to be able to communicate with birds – is caring for her father when she meets Nonesuch in London. When he introduces her to the theatre scene she is mesmerised by the stories and the characters, leading her on a voyage of discovery. The smoke-and-mirrors effect plays a big part in the portrayal and the performance, as the Ghost Theatre is formed to tour the country while London is beset by the plague. This decision soon descends into a mix of wonder and betrayal: Shay finds herself caged, like the birds she admires, before a return to London seeking answers culminates in a stark revelation.

A transportive story, each scene in The Ghost Theatre conjures the senses, from the streets to the sky above. This is a deftly researched piece of work – at times, the descriptive passages wander off a little, but the depth of Osman’s imagination is to be admired in this fascinating and original novel.