Review ‘Death of an Avid Reader’ by Frances Brody

I hope you enjoy your stay at ‘Maureen’s Books’.

The sixth fantastically quirky crime novel featuring
amateur sleuth extraordinaire Kate Shackleton!

A lady with a secret

Kate Shackleton’s sterling reputation for courageous
sleuthing attracts the attention of the venerable Lady Coulton. Hidden in her
past is a daughter, born out of wedlock and given up to a different family.
Now, Lady Coulton is determined to find her and puts Kate on the case.

A
mysterious killing in the library’s basement

But as Kate delves deeper into Lady Coulton’s past, she
soon finds herself thrust into a scandal much closer to home. When the body of
the respected Horatio Potter is found in the Leeds Library basement, the quiet
literary community is suddenly turned upside down with suspicions, accusations
and – much to Kate’s surprise – the appearance of a particularly intelligent
Capuchin monkey!

The most
puzzling case in Kate’s sleuthing history yet

Convinced an innocent man has been blamed, Kate sets out
to discover the truth. Who would want Dr Potter dead? Does Lady Coulton’s
missing daughter hold a vital clue? As the stories start to emerge in the
seemingly quiet Leeds Library, Kate is learning fast that in this case, she
can’t judge a book by its cover . . .

The Kate Shackleton Mystery series is a mystery series
about a young female detective in the 1920s. ‘Death of an Avid Reader’ is
already the sixth book in this series. 

The first book ‘Dying in the Wool’ came out in the UK in
October 2009 and in the US in February 2012. The second book ‘A Medal for
Murder’ was published in the UK in October 2010 and in the US in February 2013.
The third book ‘Murder in the Afternoon’ followed publication in the UK in
September 2011 and in the US in February 2014. The fourth book ‘A Woman Unknown’
was published in the UK in September 2012 and the fifth book ‘Murder on a
Summer’s Day’ followed in October 2013. The sixth book ‘Death of Avid Reader’
is out today in the UK. 

When I
received ‘Death of an Avid Reader’ by Frances Brody, through the Little Brown
Book Group in exchange for my honest review I immediately fell in love with the
cover. This cover just looks so normal and old and I just really loved it. Especially
those stairs and the books. WOW!!

I was
really curious about if I would like this book. Not because it’s a mystery,
because even though I don’t read mysteries a lot I really like them, but
because this mystery takes place in the 1920s.

In ‘Death
of an Avid Reader’ detective Kate Shackleton receives a new assignment from Lady
Coulton. Lady Coulton has a daughter only view know about, and now she wants
Kate to find her. When Kate start her investigation she soon finds out this
search won’t be as easy as previously thought. Soon after finding her first
leads in this case she soon finds herself in the middle of a scandal closer to
home. The body of Horatio Potter is found in the Leeds Library. At first these
two cases seem to have nothing in common but soon Kate finds out that Lady Coulton’s
missing daughter may hold a clue.

From the
moment I started reading ‘Death of an Avid Reader’ I was pleasantly surprised
by the writing style of Frances Brody. Most times I’m not a real fan of books
written in the style of the 1920s, but in this book I found it really enjoyable.
I found myself getting grabbed into the lifestyle and the language of the 20s. And
I really loved the mystery and the clue finding part.

What I
loved most about this book was the way a woman, Kate Shackleton, was out there
doing an amazing job, when in that time most woman weren’t supposed to have
another job than taking care of the children and cleaning the house. I really
loved that part.

And off course
I really enjoyed the scenes in the library. All that mystery between all those
books! Great!

I can’t
believe ‘Death of an Avid Reader’ is already the sixth Kate Shackleton mystery
and I never heard of them before. I really enjoyed reading this book and I
would definitely recommend it to all cozy mystery lovers out there.

Kate Shackleton
joins Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs in a subgroup of young, female amateur
detectives who survived and were matured by their wartime experiences. As
self-reliant women in a society that still regards them a second-class
citizens, they make excellent heroines

— Literary Review

This is whimsical,
colourful stuff and readers will warm to the entrepreneurial yet fragile Kate

— Take a Break

Kate Shackleton is
a splendid heroine

— Ann Granger

Kate Shackleton is
a delightful leading character. The flavour of post First World War England is
beautifully portrayed. An enjoyable and gripping mystery story

— CrimeSquad.com

Refreshing and highly entertaining, especially
for the winter nights

— Gazette and
Herald

Frances Brody
succeeds brilliantly. . . Her post-war world in which making any sort of living
is hard grind and where an independent career woman is viewed with hostility is
entirely convincing. Kate is a heroine to like and admire. . . Her further
adventures are eagerly awaited

— The Daily Mail

Brody’s excellent
mystery splendidly captures the conflicts and attitudes of the time with
well-developed characters

— RT Book Reviews

Frances Brody is the author of five mysteries featuring Kate
Shackleton as well as many stories and plays for BBC Radio, scripts for
television and four sagas, one of which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin
Award. Her stage plays have been toured by several theatre companies and
produced at Manchester Library Theatre, the Gate and Nottingham Playhouse, and
Jehad was nominated for a Time Out Award.

For more
information about Frances Brody and The Kate Shackleton mystery novels please
visit her website, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and Twitter. 

Many thanks to Clara Diaz and Little, Brown Book Group for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.