Kate Shackleton, one of crime fiction’s most irrepressible sleuths, returns to tackle a double murder with links to a special goods train and the Yorkshire coalfields. Bursting with period charm and vigour, this gripping whodunnit from Frances Brody is a terrifically satisfying yarn.
'Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers' - The Daily Mail
1929, London.
In the darkness before dawn, a London railway porter discovers a man's body as he unloads a special goods train from Yorkshire, all means of identification stripped away. Hitting a dead end, Scotland Yard call on indomitable sleuth Kate Shackleton, hoping her local Yorkshire knowledge and undoubted skills at winkling out information will produce the results they need.
1929, Yorkshire.
Fears of unrest in the Yorkshire coalfields mean that Kate must conduct her investigation with the utmost secrecy. But when she discovers that another murder occurred around the same time as the mysterious body on the train, she is convinced there must be a connection. Using her sharp instincts and persuasive charm, she begins to uncover a web of intrigue that edges her closer to the truth. But with attempts being made on her life, Kate needs all the strength and resourcefulness she can muster, before she becomes the next victim ...
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN: 9780349423067
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 260 g
Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 30 mm
Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers - Daily Mail
The series is right up there with Miss Marple - Sunday Sport
Brody's writing is like her central character Kate Shackleton: witty, acerbic and very, very perceptive - Ann Cleeves, award-winning author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope mysteries
Delightful - People's Friend
Frances Brody matches a heroine of free and independent spirit with a vivid evocation of time and place . . . a novel to cherish - Barry Turner, Daily Mail
Brody's excellent mystery splendidly captures the conflicts and attitudes of the time with well-developed characters - RT Book Reviews
Kate Shackleton is a splendid heroine - Ann Granger
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
Frances Brody skilfully holds our attention, making us want to read on and then look forward to the next Kate Shackleton mystery - Gazette & Herald
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
This is whimsical, colourful stuff and readers will warm to the entrepreneurial yet fragile Kate - Take a Break
Another fine entry in a consistently satisfying historical mystery series that combines a strong lead with crisp plotting and appealing period ambience - Booklist
Frances Brody has a remarkable talent for evoking time and place. With a realistic setting, her characters spring to life. This is crime writing of a high order - Daily Mail
This is odd. It's still good but I found it hard to get into at first. The writing didn't flow very well. It seemed a bit disjointed. As usual though the characters are great and after the first hundred or... More
Really enjoyed this in the era of Agatha Christie. good plot, nicely written with an interest re the rhubard growing area. I have passed my copy on to a friend who lives near there.
Enjoyed it very much.
Kate Shackleton investigates many unusual things, but in this novel she has to push to the edge of friendship and a way of life that dominates parts of the north of England. When a body is found on a train bringing... More
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