Death of an Avid Reader - (Kate Shackleton Mystery) by Frances Brody (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: Great Britain: Piatkus, 2014.

Book Synopsis

An intricate plot set in the 1920s English countryside and Frances Brody's refreshingly complex heroine (Kirkus) Kate Shackleton make Death of an Avid Reader an absorbing 6th installment in this mystery series.

The Search for a Daughter
Lady Coulton gave up the baby that would have ruined her marriage, born when Lord Coulton was abroad. Now that her husband is dying, she asks Kate to find Sophia.

A Haunted Library
It is forty years since the ghost of a dead librarian haunted the old library, yet the stories have begun again. Kate does not believe in ghosts but obligingly takes part in a ceremony to expel the restless spirit. Shockingly, there is a body in the basement, strangled, and covered in dusty volumes from a fallen bookcase. It is Dr. Potter, a mathematician.

A Killer on the Loose
Dr. Potter's body is taken away. The police find a sick man sheltering in the basement. He is an Italian, Umberto, an organ grinder and owner of a lively Capuchin monkey. Umberto becomes the prime suspect and will be charged with murder. Kate goes with Umberto to the infirmary. But he is too weak to be a suspect. And now Kate must set out to find the real culprit...

Review Quotes

Frances Brody knows how to hold the reader attention and make them continue reading into the small hours of the night.--Bill Spence, York Press on Murder on a Summer's Day

"I have enjoyed all five Kate Shackleton books but this is the best so far. Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers."--Daily Mail (UK)

This is a well written, engaging story, easy to read and positively breathing the atmosphere of its setting and time. Don't be put off if you've not met Kate before. This is almost the perfect stand-alone, with enough references to enable you to fill in the background for yourself without in any way detracting from the plot and what 'hangover' characters there are fit naturally into the story. - Crime Review on Death of An Avid Reader

About the Author

FRANCES BRODY lives in Leeds. She is the author of the Kate Shackleton mystery series, starting with Dying in the Wool, A Medal for Murder, and Murder in the Afternoon. Before turning to crime, she wrote historical sagas, winning the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award for most regionally evocative debut saga of the millennium.