My first reading of a book by Frances Brody and my observations are mixed. The characters and setting stand very still and need a bigger push to shine. I felt that too much emphasis ran rampant with dialogue. I prefer more psychology of the characters. The description of each character provided a clear picture of the physical aspects of the person, but no delving into the characters feelings. I appreciated Frances Brody’s mention of earlier English writers and have obtained a copy of a book by Winifred Holtby. I will see where will take me. What provoked the murders? An attempt to hide past wrongs by a prominent citizen. ( )

Kate Shackleton is asked to trace an illegitimate child given up for adoption. She is also asked to take part in the exorcism of a library reputed to be haunted, during which a body is found in the basement of the library, apparently crushed under falling books.

The rather ominous title did put me off for a bit but it's all good, intriguing fun. ( )

Kate Shackleton is asked to find the illegitimate daughter of a society lady, a child adopted at birth by a relative of the lady’s nurse some 24 years earlier. Responses to her advertisements in local papers soon tell Kate that the girl had been known to work at a library, and when she discovers that a woman answering the same description had just been fired from a job at her own subscription library, she thinks she has easily solved the case. But then a monkey shows up in her car and a mathematician is found dead in the library basement, where an immigrant organ grinder has sought refuge whilst suffering from pneumonia, and soon the case becomes much larger than Kate had suspected…. I am enjoying this private detective series, set in 1920s Yorkshire and featuring a widow in her early 30s who is determined to maintain her independence; I always feel that Ms. Brody has done her research in order to showcase the time and place as accurately as possible. In this novel, we learn something about subscription libraries, common at the time although I think almost completely gone now, as well as the habits and living conditions of what used to be called the “respectable poor” - and the attitudes of society in general toward women who step out of the bounds of polite social behaviour. Recommended. ( )

Ok....let's just get this out of the way at the very beginning....

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

With that out of my system....I can now write a calm, coherent review. :)

Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I was 9 years old. I love the early 1900s setting of most of her whodunits and enjoy her characters. This book reminded me so much of Christie's writing. I devoured it in an afternoon....complete bliss!!

But it did make me wonder how I managed to miss this series.....Death of an Avid Reader is book #6 in the Kate Shackleton series. I have already added the rest of the series to my wishlist!

The basics: Kate Shackleton is an oddity in her time -- an independent, strong willed woman who works as a private detective, along with her friend Sykes, who is a former policeman. Her reputation as a detective is known, and she finds herself in a secretive meeting with the venerable Lady Coulton. Apparently, Lady Coulton had a daughter out of wedlock years before. Nobody knows about the child. The baby was given to the relative of a servant so that there would be no scandal, and so Lady Coulton's husband wouldn't divorce her. Just as Kate gets to work on the case, a dead body is discovered in the Leeds Library basement. Dr. Horatio Potter is dead under a fallen bookcase. Suspicions, accusations and rumors abound as Kate and Sykes work to discover clues about the illegitimate daughter and the dead doctor. The plot took off immediately in several directions keeping me totally engrossed in the mystery and the characters! A trained monkey, a counting horse, cheeky parrot, missing books and an accused organ grinder. Never a dull moment! Plenty of twists and turns....lots of suspicious suspects.....and a great visit to the autumn of 1925!

The mystery plot is engaging. There are a couple side plots and details that enhanced the feel of the book. It didn't distract my attention from the mystery, just fleshed out the characters better. The characterizations were well-done, not empty stereotypes. The feel of the book was pure 1920s. I got the same happy satisfaction that I get re-reading a Christie novel. :) Any fan of golden age mysteries will love this series!!

Death of an Avid Reader will be released in the US by St Martins Press on September 13th. In the UK, the 8th Kate Shackleton mystery, Death at the Seaside, will be published on October 6th. Learn more about the author and the series on her website www.frances-brody.com ( )

Kate finds a daughter, given up long ago, for a dying mother, and solves murders involving the local subscription library. ( )