Wigan, 1894. Richard Throstle and his wife Georgina are in town with their ghoulish magic lantern show, Phantasmagoria. When Richard is found murdered in his hotel room, police sergeant Slevin takes charge of the investigation. Meanwhile, at the Royal Court Theatre, the Morgan-Drew Players theatre troupe harbour many dark secrets. An ambitious, rambunctious murder mystery, Act of Murder is a tale of magic, pornography and poisonings - with some gruesome murders thrown in for good measure.